St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival
Learn About the Oratorical Festival
The St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival provides Greek Orthodox youth the opportunity to write and talk about their faith. The Program begins at the parish level and is divided into three divisions:
- Elementary Division (parish level only) for students in grades 3–6
- Junior Division for students in grades 7–9
- Senior Division for student in grades 10–12
This year, the 2019 Parish Oratorical Festival will be held on March 3 in the Fr. Andrew Demotses Educational Center immediately following the First Divine Liturgy.
The top 2 speakers in the Junior and Senior Divisions advance from the parish to the district level. Two finalists in each district division represent the district at the Metropolis Oratorical Festival. The top speaker in each Metropolis division is then selected to participate in the Archdiocese Finals, which is hosted by a different metropolis each year.
Important Dates
- Oratorical Festival Seminar: Sunday, February 10, 2019
- For any participant looking for some guidance with putting their speech together
- Registration Deadline: Sunday, February 17, 2019
- Practice: Saturday, March 2, 2019
- Parish-Level Oratorical Festival: Sunday, March 3, 2019
Learn more about the Oratorical Festival »
This Year's Topics
Elementary Division (grades 3-6)
Elementary students are free to choose a topic of their liking. Should a child wish to speak about their topic, he or she should plan to speak for no more than one minute. Here are just a few prompts that we have given to the elementary students in the past to get them thinking about a topic:
- "My Favorite Bible Story Is..."
- "Holy Communion is Special to Me Because…"
- "Sunday School Has Taught Me..."
- "I Do My Cross Because..."
- "Jesus Is..."
- "My Favorite Story About Jesus Is..."
- "My Favorite Saint Is…"
Elementary speakers are not judged.
Junior Division (grades 7-9)
Participants are required to select a topic from the list of junior topics prepared by the Department of Religious Education of the Archdiocese. Participants in the Junior Division who wish to speak about their chosen topic, can only speak for 3-4 minutes. View the Junior Division topics and resource guide »
Senior Division (grades 10-12)
Participants are required to select a topic from the list of senior topics prepared by the Department of Religious Education of the Archdiocese. Participants in the Senior Division who wish to speak about their chosen topic, can only speak for 4-5 minutes. View the Senior Division topics and resource guide »
Visual Art Option - For 7th Graders Only
For the 2019 Parish Oratorical Festival we are offering the opporutunity for students to create an icon and have it displayed on March 3 during the Oratorical presentations. Interested students in 7th grade should contact Andrew Constantinou.
More Information for Junior and Senior Participants
Don't Forget to Register!
Students in grades 3-12 who would like to read in this year's Oratorical Festival should be registerd either through this online registration form or by contacting Andrew Constantinou directly by February 17, 2019.
Parish Coordinator
Should you have any questions, would like to sign up a student, or perhaps offer your assistance for this year's parish Oratorical Festival please contact Andrew Constantinou -- Voice: (508) 868-8210, Email: ajconstan@gmail.com
