By Christina Leslie | Correspondent

For the third time in as many years, “Cristo Para Todos – Christ for All," the Diocese of Trenton’s Spanish-language television show, is among the programs to be honored during the 52nd annual Gabriel Awards June 22 at the Catholic Media Conference in Québec, Canada.

“It is an honor to receive the Gabriel Award for Cristo Para Todos, especially in the Entertainment Category,” said Marianne Hartman, director of the diocesan Department of Multimedia Production. “Although the show is spiritually based, it demonstrates how we can also have fun and laugh while learning about our faith and growing deeper in our relationship with Jesus.”

“Cristo Para Todos” was awarded for the episode “Meme de tu Vida” (“The Meme of your Life”), in the category of “Spanish-Language Entertainment, National or Local Release.” The award-winning episode explored the life-changing effects of a person’s real and virtual personalities reflected through social media memes, and featured a discussion on social networks and Christian testimony on the Internet.

Hosts Ericka Rodriguez and Mateo Greeley joined guest Esteban Cairol, a writer and integral member of the CPT team for six years who lives in San José, Costa Rica. Cairol is interviewed via Skype and shares his expertise and experience in using social media to challenge people of faith to reflect on the image they portray to the world online.

“Cristo Para Todos is a pretty special ministry. It’s not every day that we are given the tools to create something that can meet people in the comfort of their own homes,” said Greeley, who also serves as diocesan associate director of communications. “The episode really connects faith and life with a contagious joy and humor. Our hope is that we help people welcome Christ into their homes.”

In addition to the interview with Cairol, “Meme de tu Vida” also included music by the group Getsemani; a humorous skit acted by María Agudo and Roberto Juarez of St. Joseph Parish, Trenton; a reflection on Scripture, and the “Cristianos en Construcción” (Christians under Construction) segment that consists of interviews with Catholic Latinos on the subject.

Cairol is behind the creative visioning of comedy scenes in each episode and is content creator for the “Cristo Para Todos” companion blog, Es pa tí, Es pa mí (“He is for you, He is for me”).

Begun in 2006 as AHTV (Apostolato Hispano Television), the program won a Proclaim Award from the Catholic Communication Campaign in its first year. The show evolved and changed format over the years, becoming CPT in 2010.

The Gabriel Awards, founded in 1965, honor works of excellence in film, network, cable television and radio as well as the newly created categories in social media. Named for St. Gabriel the Archangel, the patron saint of television, radio and all digital communication, the awards continue to recognize outstanding artistic achievement in media that entertains and enriches with a true vision of humanity and a true vision of life. 

The Gabriel Awards are an important component of the Catholic Academy of Communication Professionals’ mission to proclaim the Good News. Entrants go through a highly selective process of preliminary screening and blue-ribbon judging, which includes judging in values, content, creativity, artistic quality, technical quality and impact. By maintaining these high standards, the Academy is able to reward media professionals for outstanding work that might otherwise not be recognized for its enrichment value.

The award is a silver angel statuette of Gabriel, raising skyward a globe encircled by electrons to symbolize the communication of God’s word to humanity. It is a salute to all those who strive for values-centered programming.