CRS Egan Fellows Announced – Will Travel to Syria

As a recipient of last year’s Egan Journalism Fellowship from Catholic Relief Services, I know firsthand what an amazing experience the newly announced Egan Fellows will enjoy. I thought I’d share today’s announcement from CRS and invite you to pray not only for these four journalists who will travel to Syria, but also for writers around the world who are toiling to bring stories to us on a daily basis. I want to again thank CRS for the once in a lifetime opportunity of traveling to Rwanda. My experience as an Egan Fellow has forever changed the way I see the world around me and has recommitted me to being a voice for the voiceless.

Catholic Relief Services Announces

2014 Egan Journalism Fellows

BALTIMORE, MD, June 25, 2014 — Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is pleased to announce the recipients of its coveted 2014 Egan Journalism Fellowship, which recognizes exceptional journalists who have demonstrated excellence in their reporting for Catholic media in the United States.

The 2014 fellows are:

• Kevin Jones, staff writer at Catholic News Agency
• Peter Jesserer-Smith, writer at National Catholic Register
• Claire Schaeffer Duffy, freelance journalist
• Barb Fraze, international editor at Catholic News Service 

The selected fellows will travel with CRS to Jordan and Lebanon this fall to witness firsthand the work of CRS and its partners to assist Syrian refugees in those countries.

Syria’s escalating civil war has killed more than 100,000 people since the unrest began in March 2011, and millions of people have fled to neighboring countries, including Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Turkey, where they struggle daily to survive. CRS and its Caritas partners in the region are reaching out to these families, providing hope and assistance through housing, food and other basic necessities. CRS is currently serving more than 350,000 people, with programming worth more than $45 million.

This year, the pool of applicants included a large number of highly qualified and experienced journalists working for Catholic print, broadcast, online and social media, as well as photographers and photo journalists. The fellows were selected based on their demonstration of their commitment to the Church’s mission of charity and how the fellowship will enrich their work, the quality of their coverage and their motivation to report on the Catholic Church’s service to the poor and marginalized around the world.

The Egan Journalism Fellowship program is named after Eileen Egan, CRS’ first professional staff layperson, who devoted four decades of her life to assisting refugees and helping the poor in Europe, Asia and Latin America.  It aims to foster increased international reporting in Catholic media, and to educate members of the Catholic community in the United States about their role in living a life of solidarity with others.

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. The agency alleviates suffering and provides assistance to people in need in 93 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. For more information, visit www.crs.org or www.crsespanol.org and follow Catholic Relief Services on social media: Facebook, Twitter at @CatholicRelief and @CRSnews, Google+, Pinterest and YouTube.