May 19, 2010

Celebrate! Wins Awards at Annual CCP/ARCCC Convention

May 19, 2010, Toronto –Celebrate!, the specialty “pastoral magazine with a liturgical heart” published by Novalis has received two awards at the annual Canadian Church Press/Association of Roman Catholic Communicators of Canada Convention (May 13 to May 15, 2010 Toronto, ON. 

Celebrate! received the  First Place Award in the General Excellence – Specialized Magazine category. Here are the judge’s comments: “…great layout and art direction. That caught my attention and impressed me before the words. Uncluttered covers, use of white space – it’s all-good! A handful of excellent coverlines…Pithy, punchy but also thoughtful. Excellent design. Great array of stories.”

Celebrate! also received the Third Place award in the category of Department – Magazine for its section entitled ‘Talking Points’ for The Changing Face of the Catholic Church in Canada; The Parish in 2009: Tradition, Contradiction, Challenge; Catholic Schools in a Changing Culture (Authors: David Seljack, Cornelius (Con) O’Mahony and Heather Jamieson). The Judge noted that, “The idea of addressing the ‘state of the Catholic nation’ in a demographic, parish and school setting is a very compelling one.”

In hearing the good news, Celebrate! editor Bernadette Gasslein said: “This is the eighth time in twelve years that Celebrate! has won an award for General Excellence from the Canadian Church Press, the fifth time we’ve been awarded first place, and the second year in a row that we’ve received top honours. I’m extremely proud of this achievement, and it’s a pride that I share with all Celebrate!’s authors and editorial consultants whose insight and commitment are essential to our tradition of excellence.”

About Celebrate!

Known as ‘the pastoral magazine with the liturgical heart’ Celebrate! is distributed in Canada and internationally and respected by pastoral practitioners all over the English-speaking world for the high quality, depth and breadth of its content and writing on today’s pastoral and liturgical issues. For more information please visit www.celebrate-liturgy.ca or call 1-800-387-7164 resources@novalis.ca

From the Canadian Church Press

First place, General Excellence, Specialized Magazines

Celebrate! is the perfect example of how a so-called “specialized” church publication can demonstrate that its particular mission is profoundly linked to the wholeness of our lives as believers. Worship and liturgy are not esoteric things; they take up the ordinary dimensions of human experience, consecrating them and investing them with heightened meaning. Celebrate! makes this abundantly clear through its thoughtfully-pitched features and columns. And these in turn are mediated through outstanding layout, typography and design. If liturgy is the meeting of art and worship, then Celebrate! captures this connection in every page. At the same time, it keeps a sharp eye out for practical matters and the details of worship and church management that serve the body of Christ.

From the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada

First Place Best essay, professional and special interest magazines

 Celebrate!, Toronto, Ontario, “Trinity Blest” by Ronald Raab, CSC

 Clever lead with wry humor and true-to-life recurrences prompt readers to continue reading. And the reader is rewarded with adroit weaving of a couple's story with some of the essentials foundations of Catholic faith.

Second Place, General excellence, professional and special interest magazines

Celebrate!, Toronto, Ontario

This second-place award comes for a mix of simple and elegant design that used column rules consistently and effectively, inviting and keeping readers through very well-written pieces. Use of photos was understated - an aid to the commitment this publication has to those who read deeply. Graphics were intelligently chosen and compelling. The colour palette for this publication was - like the overall design - subtle and coherent.

Third place, Best Cover, 4-colour large

Celebrate!, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, by Kal Honey,

Jason E. Kaplan & Ugur Evirgen (July-August 2008)

The photo illustration is a clever way to illustrate an abstract concept. It shows off a clear design perspective without being overly designed. The type is effortlessly integrated into the image.

Honorable Mention, Best Essay - Professional and Special Interest Magazine "Becoming Participants of the Divine Nature" by Keith J Egan.

Third Place: Best Feature Article - Professional and Special Interest Magazines "When They Say the Mass is boring" by John J Hoffman.
Comments: " This article is well written with many practical ideas and suggestions.

Honorable Mention: Best Feature Article - Professional and Special Interest Magazines "Healing: A prayer Service for Sexual Abuse" by Jill Marian Murdy

From the Catholic Press Association
of the United States and Canada:

Honorable mention:
General Excellence, specialized magazines

Honorable mention:
Best Editorial,
"Knowing the saving power of Christ"

(March-April 2006)