EDITOR’s NOTE: Sponsored by the Communications Committee of the International Association of Religion Journalists (IARJ), Stories from our Members is a new feature aimed at sharing the IARJ’s Members stories on faith and religion. 

Credit to: The Diocese of San José

Congratulations to Marissa Nichols, who was awarded the 1st place in the Best Essay category at the 2026 Catholic Media Awards, launched by the Catholic Media Association (CMA) to honor outstanding achievements in Catholic journalism, communications, and other forms of media.

Her story, a collaboration with Jesuit Refugee Services in Rome, captures Father Manh Tran’s experience post Vietnam war from a refugee camp in Thailand to moving to Silicon Valley in the 1980s. 

Marissa Nichols is editor and writer for the The Valley Catholic magazine in the Diocese of san José.

Read the full article:

Seeking Refuge in the Misericordia of God

Share your stories

Elisa Di Benedetto, a religion journalist and IARJ web editor, writes this feature on behalf of the IARJ Communications Committee. If you wish to see your work in Stories from our Members, email Elisa Di Benedetto at [email protected]