CatholicPhilly.com was awarded first place for Best General Publisher Web Site in the United States and Canada by the Catholic Press Association June 20 at the annual Catholic Media Convention in Charlotte, N.C.

The website for Catholic news in the Philadelphia area and beyond was applauded by a team of independent, secular journalism experts for its “clean presentation, easy navigation and ability to get where you need to go easily with just a few clicks.” The website underwent a redesign last November.

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“It is a blessing to work with talented professionals in any field. But in this one, we know that our work has a dimension of the eternal,” said Matthew Gambino, director and general manager of CatholicPhilly.com, the official news website of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. “It remains our mission to inform, inspire and form in the Catholic faith the 50,000 monthly visitors to CatholicPhilly.com, and thereby to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the new evangelization.”

The site was also awarded honorable mention for Best Freestanding Online/Multimedia Presentation of Photo Gallery or Slide Show for photo coverage of the 250th anniversary celebration at Old St. Mary Parish in Philadelphia.

“Photographer Sarah Webb captures the essence of events and people with professionalism and insight,” Gambino said. “She and all our faithful contributors are a credit to the church and the profession of journalism to which they are dedicated.”

He added that last year the website was awarded first place for Best Electronic Newsletter by the CPA. The newsletter continues to be sent to almost 4,000 subscribers free of charge via email each week — sign up here today.