2025 St. Francis de Sales Award Finalists

Thank you for participating in the 2025 St. Francis de Sales Award. Voting closed April 16, 2025.

The winner will be announced June 27, 2025, at the Catholic Media Conference in Phoenix.

The St. Francis de Sales Award is the highest award the Catholic Media Association presents to an individual for "outstanding contributions to Catholic journalism." Earlier this year, members of the Catholic Media Association were encouraged to nominate someone who, in the preceding year or throughout their career, performed with excellence and contributed to raising the professional standards of Catholic journalism.

Once the nominating period closed, a committee consisting of the previous five winners of the St. Francis de Sales Award selected up to three candidates to bring forward to CMA Membership for voting.

This year’s recipient is announced June 27 at the Catholic Media Conference in Phoenix, and presented with a bronze St. Francis de Sales statue to honor this momentous occasion.

Below are the 2025 Finalists for the St. Francis de Sales Award. Please choose both a first place and second place candidate. These scores are unweighted. The candidate with the most first place votes is the winner. In the event of a tie, second place votes are used to determine the winner.

Laura Ieraci is an award-winning journalist, an editor reporters love to work for and a leader in mentoring and educating a new generation of Catholic media professionals.

As editor of ONE Magazine, Laura has led a staff of excellence: in 2024 ONE and the Catholic Near East Welfare Association websites won 58 awards from the Catholic Media Association. Those who have been privileged to have Laura as an editor speak of her ability to seamlessly weave together stories, often from multiple sources. ONE magazine and website also have strong multimedia presences.

But Laura has gone above and beyond, taking steps to ensure that younger Catholic journalists and communications staffers have a good foundation in journalism basics. She is the founder of The Religion & Journalism Project, has offered CMA webinars and presented at the CMA annual convention.

In addition, her excellent reporting and long-form journalism have appeared multiple magazines, newspapers and online outlets for notable publications such as Catholic News Service, Vatican News, America Magazine, Catholic Register, Catholic Review, BC Catholic, OSV News and so many more.

Laura is the driving force behind the "Telling Truth in Charity: Introduction to Catholic Journalism" course. The course is taught primarily by Catholic Media Association professionals and is aimed at journalists and communications directors. Part one, a 12-week course, covers topics such as interviewing, basic story writing, ethics, pitching stories to editors and, last fall, included a session on the Freedom of Information Act in the United States and Canada. Part two delves into topics, including photography, more deeply.

I had the opportunity to take part one of the Introduction to Catholic Journalism, where we were given a full semester's worth of journalism ethics in 12 weeks, all delivered over Zoom. The course included practical guidance from long-time editors and journalists. Laura's incredible communication skills were on full display throughout as she combined complex ethics topics and situations, fostered healthy discussion, encouraged differing opinions, and guided presenters and students alike.

It is a privilege and an honor to be taught by or work with Laura Ieraci. She is the perfect candidate to receive the St. Francis de Sales award for outstanding contributions to Catholic journalism.

Joe Towalski has devoted his career to Catholic journalism and communications, beginning in 1992 when he joined the staff of The Visitor, the official newspaper of the Diocese of St. Cloud, Minnesota. Over the course of his career, Joe has demonstrated not only his journalistic skill but also an unwavering commitment to faith-based reporting and communication, shaping the Catholic media landscape for over three decades.

As a reporter for The Visitor, Joe earned recognition for his work, winning several awards during his six years in the newsroom. His exceptional skills and keen editorial eye led him to become editor, a role he held for an impressive 25 years. Under his leadership, the publication consistently garnered awards, including General Excellence, a testament to Joe’s ability to guide The Visitor, The Catholic Spirit, and The Central Minnesota Catholic to prominence. His editorials, widely praised for their depth, clarity, and faithfulness, have contributed to elevating the quality of Catholic journalism within the region.

In 2005, Joe's editorial expertise was called upon by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, where he became editor of The Catholic Spirit. His leadership resulted in the paper winning the coveted General Excellence award four out of six years during his tenure. Additionally, Joe successfully steered his team through an archdiocesan reorganization, demonstrating not only his editorial acumen but also his capacity for visionary leadership and adaptability in a time of transition.

In 2014, Joe returned to the Diocese of St. Cloud, where he took on dual roles as communications director and editor of The Visitor. In 2019, Joe guided the paper through a remarkable transition from newspaper to magazine format, a move that set the stage for unprecedented success. The newly reimagined Central Minnesota Catholic magazine earned the Magazine of the Year award in its inaugural year and has continued to earn accolades from the Catholic Media Association for its excellence and innovation. Joe’s leadership in this transition has made him a sought-after resource for Catholic media colleagues nationwide, who regularly consult him on navigating similar transformations in their own dioceses.

Throughout his career, Joe Towalski has truly given his life to Catholic media — championing the mission of spreading the Gospel through the power of the written word. His dedication to the Church and its media outreach is unparalleled, and his legacy of service continues to inspire those in the field.

For these reasons and countless others, it is with great respect and admiration that we nominate Joe Towalski for the prestigious St. Francis de Sales Award.

For more than three decades, Carol Zimmermann's byline has been among the most recognized and trusted in Catholic journalism. From 1992 to 2022, as a reporter for Catholic News Service (CNS), she brought the highest level of professionalism to every story she covered -- from Vatican conclaves to key meetings of the USCCB. Carol's feature stories kept readers in touch with the human, every-day world of U.S. Catholics, sharing with all of us the warmth and dedication of Catholics living their faith in ways common and extraordinary. Her interest in stories centered on Catholic social justice meant that Carol's work always kept front-of-mind those less fortunate, those most seeking God's grace and mercy -- and the obligation our faith places on us to help.

In 2022, Carol continued her work at the Brooklyn Diocese's highly-regarded Tablet newspaper. She then brought her skills and talent to the National Catholic Reporter, when she became NCR's news editor in August of 2024. She quickly elevated the quality of NCR's content -- just as the Catholic world headed into a uniquely important Fall that included the second Synod of Synodality in Rome, and a consequential presidential election season here at home. Carol directed coverage of both important events, and made sure NCR delivered for its readers during a season of extraordinary news.

At the same time, Carol has been able to continue with her own reporting work. She covered the latest launch of "Nuns on the Bus" in Philadelphia, and wrote one of the most compelling feature essays NCR has published -- it focused on her visit to see the skull of St. Thomas Aquinas, when the tour of that relic came to Washington, D.C. Her writing was so moving that Carol was interviewed on NPR about her essay -- bringing to a broad audience a greater appreciation of Catholicism and its traditions. 

Just as important as her stellar work as reporter and editor is Carol's ability to mentor. She has done this throughout her career, and it continues at NCR. She has developed strong relationships with the young, remote reporting staff that works with her. It is not simply her skills as a journalist that draw people to her, it is her skill as a human being, as person of faith who sees the value in everyone she works with. In a profession known for people with a hard-edge, and in a time of deep stress for journalists everywhere, Carol's approach uplifts and assures while elevating everyone she works with.

As a member of the board of the Catholic Media Association, she carries her dedication out to the wider world of Catholic journalism -- helping ensure high standards and quality work are embraced and acknowledged.

The St. Francis de Sales Award is given for "outstanding contributions to Catholic journalism," to someone who -- thoughout their career -- has "performed with excellence and contributed to raising professional standards of Catholic journalism." That is an apt and accurate description of Carol Zimmermann. I believe she is particularly worthy of this high honor. Thank you for considering this nomination.