July 16, 2025

The North Country Catholic received honors from the Catholic Media Association as one of the best weekly newspapers in the country.

The newspaper received first honorable mention in the category “Best Newspaper – Weekly” at the Catholic Press Awards late in the evening on June 27 at an award ceremony held during the annual Catholic Media Association Conference held in Phoenix, Arizona.

The local newspaper finished behind only The Criterion, a publication of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis; The Leaven, Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas; and The Tablet, DeSales Media/Diocese of Brooklyn.

Southern Nebraska Register, a publication of the Diocese of Lincoln, received second honorable mention.

“Our North Country Catholic was honored alongside the publications of much larger dioceses and archdioceses, and that’s a testament to the quality of our newspaper. Congratulations to the North Country Catholic’sstaff, writers and photographers, and thank you for spreading the good news of the Gospel and Church of the North Country so beautifully and effectively.”

The three newspaper editions submitted for judging were from 2024, and were dated April 17, April 24 and May 1.

“Creating this newspaper is truly a team effort, and we happen to have an outstanding team,” said Darcy Fargo, editor. “Christine Ward, our longtime editorial assistant here, is second to none, and we have an amazing group of contributing reporters, columnists and photographers. I’m proud to see the quality of our collective work recognized beyond our diocesan borders.”

The North Country Catholic has won a number of Catholic Press Awards in recent years, including a third place in the regular column category for Fargo’s column in 2024; a third place for Fargo’s column in 2023; a third place for Fargo’s column in 2021 and a first place in “best reporting on the celebration of a sacrament” in 2020.