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CV NEWS FEED // Celebrating stories that uplift the human spirit, the 76th annual Christopher Awards — presented April 3 — honored films, TV programs, and books that reflect moral courage and the search for God-given purpose.
Among this year’s honorees were the 2024 film Cabrini and Heart of a Servant, a documentary narrated by Jonathan Roumie.
According to an April 3 article of PR Newswire, the Christopher Awards commend writers, producers, directors, authors, and illustrators whose work “affirms the highest values of the human spirit.”
The Heart of a Servant, PR Newswire noted, is a feature-length documentary featuring the legacy of Father Edward Flanagan, who defied racist laws in order to protect orphaned youth during the Great Depression and into World War II.
Winning films also include the 2024 Out of My Mind, featuring a middle school girl with cerebral palsy, The Young Woman and the Sea, the story of the first woman to swim the English Channel, and the White Bird, a retelling of a Holocaust survivor’s story.
The children’s book, Dive Deep: 40 Days with God at Sea also received an award for its engaging approach and encouragement for kids to encounter the Lord.
Winning TV programs also included Dance in the Snow, a Hallmark Mystery, and Bridging Divides: Sharing Heartbeats, a PBS film.
Tony Rossi, director of communications for the event, said the award-winning works were chosen for their examples of striving toward a higher calling.
“Our award-winning stories, both true and fictional, highlight people who have the odds stacked against them, but who face their challenges with faith and perseverance, allowing them to move through the darkness into the light and serve a higher purpose than themselves,” Rossi said according to PR Newswire. “These books, films, and TV programs don’t just engage and entertain; they teach, they heal, and they inspire.”
The Christopher Awards were founded by Father James Keller, and first presented in 1949, according to its website. The nonprofit organization also said on its website it is guided by its motto: “It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.”
