DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 20 November) – Two Mindanawons, both writing for MindaNews, are winners in the Spirituality and Ministry categories of the 15th Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards.
Redemptorist Brother Karl Gasparwon won in the Spirituality Category for his book, Handumanan (Remembrance): Digging For the Indigenous Wellspring while journalist Ma. Frencie Carreon of Zamboanga City won in the Ministry Category for her book, Spaces: Narratives about the Mission of Fr. Angel Calvo, CMF.
Both books were published by Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc.
Redemptorist Brother Karl Gaspar’s “Handumanan,” winner in the Spirituality category of the Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards.
The Davao City-based Gaspar writes a column in English (A Sojourner’s View) and occasionally in Cebuano (Panaw-Lantaw) for MindaNews while Carreon, who is based in Zamboanga City, is editor of an online publication and sends reports to MindaNews on Zamboanga and the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-tawi.
Books under the Spirituality category are those that “serve and deepen prayer life, edify spiritual growth and give guidance and light to a real Christian life, including works in prayers, meditations, lives of saints and the likes” while those under the Ministry category are those that “illustrate or document the varied forms of Christian ministry in the Philippines, including faith-based advocacies, social/civic apostolate and projects.”
Trophies are given out to winners who obtained a rating of at least 90 while other winners who receive a rating less than 90 are given plaques.
The Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards (CSCBA) honors outstanding Filipino authors in various categories: Spirituality, Ministry, Theology, Homiletics, Family Life, Youth, Children, Inspirational and starting this year, E-books.
It recognizes “authors/publishers whose work promote total human development, Gospel values, and Filipino culture, through the effective use of the latest communications technology in book publishing.”
Ma. Frencie Carreon’s “Spaces,” winner in the Ministry category of the Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards.
The CSCBA was initiated by the Asian Catholic Publishers, Inc. (ACPI) which was founded by Jaime Cardinal Sin, the Archbishop of Manila who played a key role in ending the Marcos dictatorship in 1986.
The CSCBA was established initially to “recognize lifetime achievement of Catholic authors in the Philippines.” Among its past awardees are Rev. Msgr. Sabino A. Vengco, Jr., Liwayway A. Arceo, Rev. Fr. Horacio Luis de la Costa, S.J., Hon. Raul Manglapus, Atty. Francisco “Soc” Rodrigo, Mr. Paul Dumol, Rev. Fr. Tamerlane R. Lana, O.P., Manuel “Noli” I. Yamsuan, Jr. and Rev. Fr. Luis Antonio G. Tagle. No award was given from 2002 to 2006 as ACPI was dormant for some time, owing to the illness and death of Cardinal Sin, according to a backgrounder on the CSCBA.
Re-organized in 2006 as the Asian Catholic Communicators, Inc. (ACCI), the association revived the awards and renamed it as the Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards. (MindaNews)
