Rome: The first-ever Catholic Music Awards, described as the “Grammys of Catholic music”, were held on July 27 at Rome’s Auditorium Conciliazione, bringing together Catholic musicians and artists from around the world for an evening celebrating faith, music and unity.
The inaugural international awards recognised excellence in Catholic music across English, Portuguese, Italian and Spanish. The ceremony began at 7pm and was also broadcast live on social media, allowing faithful and music fans worldwide to follow the event.
The awards were organised by the Ramón Pané Foundation and Fraternity, following a request from Cardinal Óscar Rodríguez Maradiaga. More than 1,400 songs were submitted from around the world for consideration.
Pope Leo XIV also greeted and blessed the Catholic Music Awards singers following his midday Angelus address.
Evening combines music, prayer and awards
Cardinal Óscar Rodríguez Maradiaga addressed the gathering and highlighted the role of music in evangelisation.
“Catholic music touches the heart and brings us closer to the love of Christ,” he said.
The Cardinal also offered his blessing to Catholic musicians worldwide, encouraging them to continue sharing their talents with joy and humility.
Honorary recognitions for artistic legacy were presented to Andrea Bocelli, Maestro Alejandro Mejía Pereda, Monsignor Marco Frisina, Martín Valverde and Matt Maher. Maher also performed an English-language song during the ceremony.
The evening opened with a performance by Gen Verde, followed by a series of live musical performances. Performances were interspersed with the award presentations, creating an atmosphere centred on prayer, celebration and international fellowship.
Organisers seek to make awards a recurring event
Brother Ricardo Grzona, executive president of the Ramón Pané Foundation, thanked the artists, participants and technical and creative teams involved in the inaugural event.
Organisers said more than 1,400 songs had been submitted from around the world, reflecting the international reach of the awards.
Cardinal Rodríguez Maradiaga has requested that the Catholic Music Awards continue every two or three years following the response to the first edition.
In a symbolic gesture, Cardinal Maradiaga presented Pope Leo XIV with a commemorative statue. The presentation recalled the Pope’s Augustinian background and referenced the traditional saying attributed to St Augustine: “He who sings prays twice.”
The inaugural ceremony concluded with organisers and participants highlighting the role of sacred music in bringing people together through faith and artistic expression.
Catholic Music Awards 2025 winners
The awards recognised artists and songs across four languages, with different categories celebrating worship, parish choirs, Marian music, evangelisation, production, albums and music videos.
English
- Robert Galea – Love You — Best Praise-Worship Song
- Fr Giuseppe Pietro Arsciwals – Dominican Blessing — Best Parish Choir
- Fr Maximilian M. Dean – Song to Mary — Best Marian Song
- Debora Vezzani – Mother of God — Best Catechesis Song
- Mariana BE – New Life — Best Evangelization Song
- Priscilla Salisbury – Rejoice Greatly — Best Female Singer
- Luciano Lamonarca – The Song of Saint Pio — Best Male Singer
- Sarah Hart – All The Earth Alive Rejoicing — Best Album
- Andrean Peters – Wonderful Love — Best Rock Song
- Juan Camilo Pérez – Holy — Best Pop Song
- James J. Wright – Drawn Back to the Table — Best Production Song
- Gen Verde – We Choose Peace — Best Music Video
- Francesca LaRosa – My Soul Proclaims — Best New Singer
- JoEmma Vomvolakis – Be Still — Best English Song
Portuguese
- Jonny Mendes – Em Tua Presença Senhor
- Maíra Jaber – Espelho de Mulher
- Amor e Adoração – Entre Nós
- Raní Jaber – Jamais te deixei só
- Thiago Tomé – Outro igual não há
- Marcelle Rocha – Mar do Coração
- Cassiano Menke – Água Viva
- Pitter Di Laura – Até Jesus Voltar
- Rosa de Saron – A Rosa e o Espinho
- Albanita Silva – Nada Temerei
- Ziza Fernandes – Coração Errante
- Rosa de Saron – Baile das Máscaras
- Flavio José Ferreira – MIKHA’EL
- Vida Reluz – Justo é o Senhor
- Reale & Ziza Fernandes – No Teu Nome
Italian
- Shout! Koinonia – Maràna tha!
- Kantiere Kairòs & Dajana – Complice a Cana
- Tiziana Manenti – Kyrie Eleison
- Acordis – Una Casa sulla Roccia
- Elena Martelli – Vivi per qualcosa di grande
- Debora Vezzani – Amore in Loop
- Marco Mammoli – Eccomi
- D_Peppe – Vivo
- Reale – Sono Rimasto Vivo
- Reale – Migliore
- Gen Verde – La Via della Pace
- The Sun – Appunti verso la fine del mondo
- Carolina Bongiovanni – A casa da te
- The Sun – Senza te non si può fare
- The Sun – Un buon motivo per vivere
Spanish
- Nathali Paredes Lozano – Te Pertenezco
- Agnes Choir – Ven a mí
- Ana Noriega Rodríguez – Aquí traigo mi tinaja
- Javier Iván Díaz – Pan del cielo
- Adveniat Banda Católica – La tarde del pastor
- Freddie Chavarría – Dios no fallará
- Blanca Guadalupe Aguilar – Belleza de amor
- Johann Álvarez – Hoy te amo más
- Aisha Ruah – Sal de ti
- Carlos Andrés Ferrera Palma – Jesucristo Salvador
- Aldana Canale – En Ti Confío
- Swing de Fe – Llena de gracia
- Jesús Israel Salas Jurado – Necesito de ti
- Joaquín Francisco Nicolás Chávez – Mi medicina
- Jessica Zuluaga – Qué amor más grande
- Miriam Fernández (Renata) – Ghosting
- Carolina Imperial – Jamás dejaste mi lado
- Zamar Adoración – Poderoso Nombre
- Agustina Baro Graf – Todo te lo doy
The first Catholic Music Awards marked the beginning of an international platform dedicated to recognising Catholic music and its role in worship, evangelisation and bringing communities together across languages and cultures.