Philippines: Salesian priest bags Cardinal Sin Catholic Book-Lifetime Achievement Award

Philippines: Salesian priest bags Cardinal Sin Catholic Book-Lifetime Achievement Award 

In its 16th year, the Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards (CSCBA) has chosen Salesian Father Salvatore Putzu, as a recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award 2022.

The CSCBA Lifetime Achievement Award is given to a Catholic writer whose lifework represents a continuing contribution to the propagation of the Christian faith through the print media, in recognition of the author’s exemplary Catholic life and apostolic zeal as reflected in the Christian values and ideals contained in their writings in the Philippines.

Putzu will join previous Lifetime Achievement Award recipients, Jesuit Father Nil Guillemette, (2007), Jesuit Father Joaquin G. Bernas, (2008), Jesuit Bishop Francisco F. Claver, (2009), Jesuit Father John N. Schumacher, (2011), Jesuit Father Catalino G. Arevalo, (2014), Redemptorist Brother Carlito M. Gaspar, CSsR (2017), Sister Teresa Joseph Patrick of Jesus and Mary, OCD (2018), Society of St Paul Father Gil Alinsangan, (2018), Dr. Jose M. De Mesa, (2020), and Msgr. Sabino A. Vengco, Jr. (+) (2021). 

Putzu founded Word & Life Publications in 1989, which has been a leading source of materials for evangelization and catechesis for young people.

He was ordained in 1974 and worked for 20 years with the Episcopal Commission on Catechesis and Catholic Education (ECCCE) of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

He is honored for continuing the legacy of St. John Bosco in the field of media apostolate.

The CSCBA is given by the Asian Catholic Communicators, Inc. in collaboration with the Catholic Mass Media Awards. 

The Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards honor outstanding Filipino authors in various categories: spirituality, ministry, liturgy, homiletics, family life, youth, children, inspiration, theology, and e-books.

Prior to the CSCBA name, it began as the Asian Catholic Publishers, Inc. (ACPI), founded by Jaime Cardinal Sin (former Archbishop of Manila), who organized the Catholic Authors’ Awards to recognize the lifetime achievement of Catholic authors in the Philippines.

No award was given from 2002 to 2006. ACPI was dormant for some time, owing to the illness and death of Cardinal Sin.

Reorganized in 2006 as the Asian Catholic Communicators, Inc. (ACCI), the association has revived the awards and renamed them the Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards.

To the Lifetime Achievement Award, other categories in Catholic literature were added. However, in time, due to the increase in the number of entries for the Theology and Liturgy categories, ACCI decided to emphasize both by separating them into two individual categories and doing away with the Emerging Author Award for the reason that new entries are equally given the chance to be nominated in any of the specified categories listed.

The first Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards were given out in October 2007. 

The Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards recognize authors and publishers whose work promotes total human development, Gospel values, and Filipino culture through the effective use of the latest communications technology in book publishing.