Photojournalist Karen Pulfer Focht Wins First-Place National Award

  Karen Wins First Place in Catholic Press Awards 2021

Memphis Photojournalist Karen Pulfer Focht has won a first-place national award for the heartfelt story she both wrote and photographed on the closing of the Poor Clare Monastery in Frayser. Faith Magazine, published by the Catholic Diocese of West Tennessee, dedicated an entire issue to tell the compelling story in a special edition after the Vatican ordered the closing of some shrinking monasteries worldwide. Focht has covered the Poor Clare sisters throughout her career in Memphis.

Judges Comments: The article and photographs complement each other completely and provide a depth of coverage neither alone could produce. An excellent compilation that draws the reader along on the journey.

Best Story and Photo Package

First Place

Faith Magazine, Karen Pulfer Focht, Saying Goodbye To A House of Prayer

She also won:

Best Photo Story - Feature

Second Place

Faith Magazine, Karen Pulfer Focht, Saying Goodbye To A House of Prayer

Judges comments: The article's photographs paint a picture of the impactful history of the monastery and display the bittersweet emotions of love and loss.

https://www.karenpulferfocht.com/blog/poor-clares-leave-memphis

Rare Winter Storm in Memphis

Giovanni Johnson jogs shirtless in frigid temperatures near his Memphis neighborhood on Sunday afternoon Feb. 14, 2021. Rahim Rashada found joy in a quiet walking meditation during the snowfall at Shelby Farms. These are a few scenes from the winter storm in Memphis, Tennessee the week of Feb. 14, 2021. The national weather service warned of a major winter storm that impacted the Mid-South all week as temperatures drop into the single digits. Frigid temperatures and winter precipitation fell across the entire Mid-South. Snow and sleet accumulated up to 4 to 7 inches with a wind chill advisory for temperatures as low as 5 below zero.

Catholic Indians in Memphis

“This report is an accounting of the vibrancy and sacredness that constitutes Catholic faith and Native American Cultures. -From Two Rivers, A Report on Catholic Native American Culture and Ministry.

COVER STORY OF FATIH- the magazine of the Catholic Diocese of Memphis.

Summary: Native American Catholics in Memphis talk about how they weave their traditions into the Catholic liturgy of their home churches. Pat McClusky 74 (Pictured, Cherokee) Shelley Carter, (Lakota and Choctaw), Ruth Allen,89, (Choctaw) Paula Witek (Cherokee) They are members of the Kateri Circle of the River.

The magazine can be purchased from the Catholic Diocese of Memphis https://cdom.org/

Rare Albino Turtle at Memphis Zoo

The Memphis Zoo is home to a rare Albino Turtle which is in the China Exhibit near the Pandas. Albinism is the absence of any pigmentation or coloration in scales, nails, skin and eyes, which are pink. Turtles have been roaming the earth for millions of years. Some of them are heading towards extinction.

The Memphis Zoo, located in Midtown, Memphis, Tennessee, United States, is home to more than 3,500 animals representing over 500 different species.