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Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church 3109 Scio Church Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48103 Telephone (734) 332-8200 Fax: (734) 332-8201 web: www.stnickaa.org e-mail: Church Office (office@stnickaa.org) |
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The host committee, under the co-chairmanship of Rev. Fr. Louis Christopulos and Mr. Evan Armatas, met recently with Presvytera Margaret Orfanakos, Archdiocese festival co-chairman, to discuss plans for the weekend that began on June 6th.
Following the arrival of the eighteen finalists and their families on Friday afternoon, the festivities began with a Paraklesis and a welcome reception at the Assumption Cathedral of Denver. One of the highlights of the evening was a question and answer session with His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios and His Eminence Metropolitan Isaiah at the new Metropolis Center.
On Saturday morning, everyone gathered at St. Catherine Church where the speeches were presented. The results were announced at a luncheon in honor of all the participants. Following the luncheon, the finalists and their families toured the Denver area and the beautiful Rocky Mountains. On Sunday, a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy was held at the Church of St. Catherine followed by a luncheon celebrating the grand opening of the new complex of classrooms, gymnasium, and offices.
Each year the Oratorical Festival topics are based on the annual theme of the Department of Religious Education. The theme for the 2003 Oratorical Festival is Orthopraxia: The Life of the Orthodox Church. Of the six topics in the junior division, two are: The Orthodox Church provides us with numerous prayers to help us communicate with God & to grow spiritually. Tell us about your favorite prayer. The Church Fathers have identified various virtues (e.g. chastity, alms-giving, patience, vigilance and humility) as the keys to living a Christ-centered life. Of these, which is the most difficult one for you to practice?
Two of the topics in the Senior Division are: In the face of conflicting interpretation of the Christian message, how do you, as an Orthodox Christian, preserve the true faith? How does the Orthodox Faith direct your convictions about the ethical questions currently being debated about genetic research?
The complete list of topics, topic tips and bibliography are found in The ARC, (The Annual Resource Companion), Vol. 5., published by the Department of Religious Education. The ARC provides relevant articles and insightful essays based on the annual theme and serves as a resource for teachers and students in preparation for the Oratorical Festival. The topics, tips, and bibliography are also available at the Department of Religious Education website at: http://www.religioused.goarch.org/
It is always quite remarkable to see how teenagers address these challenging topics. Regardless of the speaker’s advancement, the lessons learned from researching and speaking about the topic lead to a better understanding of our Orthodox Faith for both the speaker and the listener.
Those participants whose skills enable them to represent their metropolis at the Archdiocese Finals have a chance to receive a college scholarship. The top three speakers in each division receive a college scholarship in the amount of $2,000, $1,500, and $1,000 respectively. The remaining fourteen finalists receive a $500 United States Savings Bond. These awards are made possible by many generous donations to the St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival Scholarship Foundation. For more information, please contact the Department of Religious Education at 1-800-566-1088.
Graduating senior Nick Moniotis from our Saint Nicholas Parish received the 2003 award.
2005 Oratorical Festival |2004 Oratorical Festival | 2003 Oratorical Festival Oratorical Festival Speaker Tips | Oratorical Festival Advisor Tips |
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