Ave Maria Press is pleased to announce the 2024 Excellence in Publishing Awards
winners for the Association of Catholic Publishers.
Julia Sadusky won second place in the general interest category for Start Talking to Your Kids about Sex.
Fr. John Burns took second place in the spirituality category for Return: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation and Fr. Agustino Torres, CFR, earned third place in the same category for
Prepare Your Heart: A Guided Advent Journal for Prayer and Meditation.
You can view all of the winners on the ACP website.
Erin Pierce has been named publicist and strategic partnerships manager.
"Erin has been such a valuable member of the Ave team for the past seven years. We couldn't be more excited about her transition into this new role. Her genuine care for our authors and her infectious enthusiasm for promoting our publications make her a perfect fit," said Karey Circosta, our publisher and CEO.
Pierce came to Ave in 2017 and quickly advanced from sales to marketing in 2018. Recognized as a gifted team player, she has consistently demonstrated her willingness to step in and assist colleagues whenever needed. Her contributions have been pivotal in spearheading and expanding numerous initiatives, notably Ave Explores, the professional development webinar series for ministry leaders, and the parish book program, all while fostering growth within the ministry resources category.
Before joining Ave Maria Press, Pierce served as a dedicated high school theology teacher at Marian High School in Mishawaka, IN, for a remarkable twenty-four years. Her profound love for imparting the faith to her students, coupled with her role as student council advisor, exemplified her commitment to nurturing the spiritual, emotional, social, and intellectual development of God’s children.
Pierce's academic background includes a bachelor of arts degree in religious studies from Florida State University and a master of arts degree in theology from the University of Notre Dame. With her extensive experience and profound dedication, Ave Maria Press is confident in Pierce's ability to drive forward our mission in this new role.
Five Ave Maria Press authors are finalists in three categories as part of the 2024 Excellence in Publishing Awards for the Association of Catholic Publishers.
The finalists are:
Julia Sadusky for Start Talking to Your Kids about Sex (General Interest Category)
Paul George for Holy Grit (Inspirational Category)
Emily Jaminet for Holy Habits from the Sacred Heart (Inspirational Category)
Fr. Agustino Torres, CFR, for Prepare Your Heart: A Guided Advent Journal for Prayer and Meditation (Spirituality Category)
Fr. John Burns for Return: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation (Spirituality Category)
First, second, and third-place winners will be announced in June. A “Resource of the Year” will be named from among the first place finishers of the 17 categories.
In celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024, FemCatholic honored twenty-five fierce Catholic women leading the way in sharing the faith and shaping the culture, both within the Catholic Church and beyond.
“We feel incredibly proud to have the privilege of working with and publishing so many of the game-changing women included on this list,” said Karey Circosta, CEO and Publisher of Ave Maria Press. “We are excited to see what the rest of 2024 has in store, as many of these authors have forthcoming books releasing this year.”
The ten diverse and dynamic Ave Maria Press authors and contributors, included in FemCatholic’s list of Women to Watch in 2024 are:
• Regina Boyd, author of Leaving Loneliness Behind;
• Erica Tighe Campbell, author of Living the Seasons;
• Sr. Josephine Garrett, CSFN, author of a forthcoming Spring 2025 Lenten Journal;
• Brya Hanan, author of Befriending Your Inner Child;
• Abigail Jorgensen, author of A Catholic Guide to Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Loss;
• Rachael Killackey, author of Love in Recovery;
• Clare McCallan, author of Courage to Create;
• Katie Prejean McGrady, host of the Ave Explores podcast and author of Room 24, Follow,
and other seasonal devotionals;
• Julia Sadusky, author of Start Talking to Your Kids about Sex and Talking with Your Teen
about Sex; and
• Chenele Shaw, host of the podcast Ave Spotlight;
To find the complete list of FemCatholic’s Women to Watch in 2024, please visit femcatholic.com.
Five Ave authors were honored for excellence in publishing by the Association of Catholic Publishers.
Fr. Joe Laramie, SJ, took second place in the spirituality category for Love Him Ever More. Marcia Lane-McGee and Shannon Wimp Schmidt won third place in the same category for
Fat Luther, Slim Pickin’s.
Christine Valters Paintner earned a third-place award in the inspirational category for her book Birthing the Holy.
Leonard J. DeLorenzo won third place in theology for Our Faithful Departed.
You can view all of the winners on the ACP website.
All four books also earned awards from the Catholic Media Association.
Ave Maria Press designers and authors earned thirteen awards from the Catholic Media Association on Friday, June 9, 2023, at the annual Catholic Media Conference in Baltimore.
Timothy P. O’Malley won first place in the future church category for his book Becoming Eucharistic People. Judges said, “Apropos to the concern the Church has with respect to an understanding of the Eucharist, O’Malley offers a deep appreciation of what the Eucharist means personally and communally and how it truly is the 'source and summit' for the Christian life in the world.”
Gregory Smith earned first runner-up for videographer/video producer of the year for his work on the seasonal multimedia projects Behold and Restore.
Restore also earned a third-place for best multimedia package—seasonal issue. Contributors included: Sr. Miriam James Heidland, SOLT, author; Valerie Delgado, illustrator; Gregory Smith, video production; Brianna Dombo, designer; Kate Coates, campaign graphics; Katie Prejean McGrady, Ave Explores: Lent; and Erin Pierce, parish resources and project manager.
Behold earned an honorable mention in the same category. Josiah Henley was the illustrator on the multimedia team.
Behold and Restore also earned honorable mentions in the healing and self-help category.
Other winners include:
Fr. Christopher S. Collins, SJ, Habits of Freedom, second place in the classical spirituality;
Vinita Hampton Wright, Set the World on Fire, honorable mention, classical spirituality;
Fr. Joe Laramie, SJ, Love Him Ever More, honorable mention, classical spirituality;
Christine Valters Paintner, Birthing the Holy, third place, contemporary spirituality;
Kevin Schmiesing, A Catholic Pilgrimage Through American History, third place, pilgrimages/Catholic travel;
Leonard J. DeLorenzo, Our Faithful Departed, third place, grief and bereavement;
Brianna Dombo, designer, Living the Word Catholic Women’s Bible, honorable mention for design and production; and
Shannon Wimp Schmidt and Marcia Lane-McGee, Fat Luther, Slim Pickin’s, honorable mention, inclusion in the Church.
The complete list of winners is available on the Catholic Media Association website.
Eight Ave Maria Press authors are finalists in eight categories as part of the 2023 Excellence in Publishing Awards from the Association of Catholic Publishers.
The finalists are:
• Our Lady of Hot Messes, Leticia Ochoa Adams, biography
• One Church, Charles Camosy, general interest
• Birthing the Holy, Christine Valters Paintner, inspirational
• The Way of Beatitude, Fr. Casey Cole, OFM, inspirational
• Fat Luther, Slim Pickin’s, Marcia Lane-McGee and Shannon Wimp Schmidt, spirituality
• Love Him Ever More, Fr. Joe Laramie, SJ, spirituality
• Habits of Freedom, Fr. Christopher S. Collins, SJ, spirituality
• Our Faithful Departed, Leonard J. DeLorenzo, theology
First-, second-, and third-place winners in each category will be announced in June. A resource of the year will be selected from among the first-place winners in sixteen categories.
Read more about all of the finalists on the ACP website.
Fr. Patrick Neary, CSC, has been appointed by Pope Francis as bishop of the Diocese of Saint Cloud. Fr. Neary’s episcopal ordination and installation will be February 14.
"No one is more surprised than I am to be asked to serve as bishop of the Diocese of St. Cloud," Neary said. "Yet I have always trusted that Christ has guided me through every stage of my life as a priest. I so look forward to meeting everyone who is a part of this diocese, my new family. I especially ask God to help me build on the legacy of Bishop Kettler and all the clergy and personnel who serve in the diocese with zeal and devotion."
Neary is the oldest of six children of Jacob and Marybelle Neary of LaPorte, Indiana. He attended the University of Notre Dame as an undergraduate seminarian with the Congregation of Holy Cross, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in history in 1985. Neary entered the Holy Cross novitiate the following August in Cascade, Colorado. He received his master of divinity from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, California, in 1990 and took final vows that September. Neary was ordained to the priesthood on April 6, 1991.
Neary has served in a variety of ministries with Holy Cross, including associate pastor at St. John Vianney Parish, Goodyear, Arizona; assistant vocations director for campus ministry at the University of Notre Dame; formation staff member and rector at Moreau Seminary at Notre Dame; and pastor of Holy Redeemer Church in Portland, Oregon. He also served the congregation in Africa as rector of the McCauley House of Formation in Nairobi, Kenya, and district superior of East Africa.
"Fr. Pat is a highly respected and deeply faithful priest and pastor," adds Rev. William M. Lies, CSC, provincial superior of the Congregation of Holy Cross, U.S. Province of Priests and Brothers. "His leadership at our seminary at Notre Dame, as well as in our District of East Africa when he was superior, was exemplary. I could not be happier for Fr. Pat and the Diocese of St. Cloud, my home diocese. It is all a blessing! We will pray for Fr. Pat as he prepares to take on this important role as shepherd of the good people of the St. Cloud Diocese."
