Archbishop Weisenburger’s weekly homily series recognized in list of honors at annual Catholic Media Association awards banquet
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Detroit Catholic and the Archdiocese of Detroit’s Department of Communications took home nine honors June 19 at the 2026 Catholic Media Conference in Atlantic City, N.J.
The annual conference recognizes the work Catholic journalists, photographers, videographers and social media specialists do in the service of Christ and his Church.
Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger’s weekly video homily series, which he started soon after arriving in the Archdiocese of Detroit in March 2025, took second place for Best Use of Social Media – Ongoing Series.
Videographers Andrew Kleczek and Rick Giffin were awarded second place for Best News Video for a video highlighting Archbishop Weisenburger’s arrival in Detroit: “A Blessed New Beginning for the Archdiocese of Detroit.”
Detroit Catholic news reporter Gabriella Patti placed second in Best Personality Profile – Laity with “Volunteer with Down syndrome inspires parishes with reverence, faith, warm smile," a profile on Robby Heil, a 26-year-old volunteer at St. James Parish in Novi.
The archdiocese was recognized with a third-place finish in Best Social Media Advertising Campaign for “Catholic Services Appeal 2025.”
Detroit Catholic news reporter Daniel Meloy placed third in Best Investigative News Writing with “Parish pantries face higher costs amid cut in federal subsidies to food banks.”
Detroit Catholic’s coverage of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa’s visit to Detroit placed third in Best News Writing Series – International Event, with stories from Detroit Catholic editor-in-chief Mike Stechschulte, and news reporters Meloy and Patti.
The archdiocese’s social media channels received an honorable mention for Best Use of Social Media for Breaking News for Cardinal Pizzaballa’s Visit to Detroit.
Social media specialist Izzy Cortese and photographer Valaurian Waller earned an honorable mention for Best Use of Photos in Social Media for Holy Week and Easter coverage.
Also receiving an honorable mention were videographers Kleczek and Giffin, along with Detroit Catholic editor-in-chief Stechschulte, in Best Video – The Clergy for “Archbishop Weisenburger's Welcome Interview.”
