Cleansing Fire has received various awards and honors for its work in covering the Diocese of Rochester:

2010 Cannonball Award winners- Most Church Militant, Best Armchair Theologian, More Catholic Than the Pope, Best Visual Treat, and Best New Kid on the Block.

Nominated for the 2010 Blogger’s Choice Awards in the following categories (place in the standings in parentheses): Best Religion Blog (#11), Best Blog Design (#15), Best Blog of All Time (#25), and Best Blogging Host (#9).