Jun 18, 2009
Archbishop Demetrios of America with Metropolitan Iakovos of
Chicago and the group of the Oratorical Festival participants
MINNEAPOLIS - The 26th St. John
Chrysostom Archdiocese Oratorical Festival was hosted
jointly by the two parishes of St. Mary's in Minneapolis and St.
George, in St. Paul on the weekend of June 12-14.
"You are not simply the future but you are the present," said
Archbishop Demetrios of America, as he addressed the youth
participants of this prestigious annual youth event. The Archbishop
praised "the exceptional quality of all the speeches" and said he
enjoyed listening to all of them. Archbishop Demetrios announced
that each participant would receive a cash award from FAITH: An
Endowment For Orthodoxy and Hellenism, and along with
Metropolitan Iakovos of Chicago and Dr. Anton Vrame, director of
the Department of Religious Education presented the awards. The
participants were extremely grateful to the Archbishop for the
generous award, whereby he added he hoped they would "use it
towards pursuing academic studies."
Receiving first place honors in the Junior
Division (grades 7-9) and a $2000 college scholarship was
Arianna Aram from SS. Constantine and Helen Church in Cardiff
by-the Sea, Calif., in the San Francisco Metropolis; second place
and a $1500 college scholarship went to Athanasia Kourtis from St.
Demetrios Church in Weston, Mass., in the Boston Metropolis and
third place and a $1000 college scholarship was awarded to
Anastasia Zavitsanos from the Annunciation Cathedral in Houston,
Texas, in the Denver Metropolis. Those receiving Honorable Mention
recognition and a $500 US Savings Bond were from the: Direct
Archdiocesan District - Demetra Skenderis, Holy Trinity Church,
Bridgeport, Conn.; Atlanta Metropolis - Elias Selimos, St.
Demetrios Church, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Chicago Metropolis -
Jannika Papas Heide, Assumption Church, Madison, Wis.; Detroit
Metropolis - Despina Wilson, Panagia Pantovasilissa, Lexington,
Ky.; New Jersey Metropolis - Stephanie Orfanakos, St. Nicholas, SS.
Constantine and Helen Church, Orange, N.J., and from the Pittsburgh
Metropolis - Spyros Staikos, Annunciation Church, Lancaster,
Pa.
Receiving first place honors in the Senior
Division (grades 10-12) and a $2000 college scholarship
was Niko Moustakis from the St. George Church in Clifton, N.J., in
the New Jersey Metropolis; second place and a $1500 college
scholarship was awarded to Megan Dolan from St. Sophia Church in
San Antonio, Texas in the Denver Metropolis and a $1000 college
scholarship was given to Jennifer Cokotis from St. Luke Church in
East Longmeadow, Mass., in the Boston Metropolis. Honorable Mention
and a $500 US Savings Bond was awarded to: the following from the:
Direct Archdiocesan District - Katerina Johnson, St. Nicholas
Shrine Church, Flushing, N.Y.; Atlanta Metropolis - James Carras,
St. Demetrios Church, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Chicago Metropolis -
Maria Tsikalas, St. Nicholas Church, St. Louis, Mo.; Detroit
Metropolis - Thomas Bajis, Assumption Church, St. Clair Shores,
Mich.; Pittsburgh Metropolis - Emmanuel Maginas, Dormition of the
Theotokos, Aliquippa, Pa., and from the San Francisco Metropolis,
George Eliades, Nativity of Christ Church, Novato, Calif.
The Oratorical Festival has grown in its enthusiasm; this is the
first time that so many relatives and friends accompanied the
eighteen finalists for the weekend. The local Host Committee under
the co-chairmanship of the Rev. Paul Paris and the Rev. Richard
Demetrius Andrews worked tirelessly to assure that the weekend
would be perfect. After the finalists and their families arrived at
their hotel in Minneapolis, a Paraklesis Service was held at St.
Mary's Church. A get acquainted dinner and social immediately
followed. On early Saturday morning two buses brought everyone to
the nearby St. George Church in St. Paul, which soon filled to
capacity. After the opening prayer by Archbishop Demetrios and a
welcome by Fr. Andrews the finalists were introduced by number and
their topic and approached the microphone to deliver their thought
provoking and inspiring speeches. The two panels of judges were
faced with the challenging task of selecting the top three speakers
in each division.
"I thought of my participation and my speech as just part of the
competition. Yet when I delivered it in the church, I felt as
though the whole world was listening and taking it to heart," said
one of the finalists afterwards.
Following the awards luncheon, the participants and their families
and friends were given a brief tour of Minneapolis and then boarded
a paddleboat for a cruise along the Mississippi River. Underwritten
by a generous donation by "The Spell Family Foundation," the boat
cruised the Mississippi and stopped underneath the reconstructed
Interstate 35-W Bridge, which collapsed last year, where Archbishop
Demetrios offered memorial prayers for the victims of that
tragedy.
On Sunday morning, Archbishop Demetrios celebrated the Divine
Liturgy at St. Mary's Church in Minneapolis. He then invited the
winners of the two divisions, Arianna Aram and Niko Moutakis to
deliver their speeches to the entire congregation who applauded
their presentations.
The St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival, a program of the
Department of Religious Education of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese
encourages and motivates teenagers to speak about their faith and,
at the same time, develop their communication skills. Although Fr.
John and Presvytera Margaret Orfanakos serve as Archdiocese
Co-Chairmen, there are countless others whose efforts each year
enable the Oratorical Festival to flourish. For information about
the Oratorical Festival contact Anton C. Vrame, tel.: 800 566-1088
or tvrame@goarch.org
