Congratulations to Evan Anagnostopoulos and Despina Anagnostopoulos for being selected as the 2023 Metropolis of San Francisco finalists for the Saint John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival. This year’s event brought together participants from throughout the Metropolis of San Francisco, all of whom are to be congratulated for their thought-provoking and eloquent presentations.

Evan Anagnostopoulos took first place honors in the Senior Division. He attends Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church in San Bernardino, CA where he serves as an altar boy, attends Sunday School, and participates in the Greek Folk Dance group. Evan was the 2022 National Winner for the Saint John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival. The topic for his award-winning presentation was, “The Resurrection of Jesus Christ both transforms the relationship between God and humanity and alters the course of history. How would you explain itssignificance to someone who has not heard about it or is unsure if God exists?”. Evan is 17 years old and just graduated from Arrowhead Christian Academy High School in Redlands, CA. In the fall he will attend the University of Redlands on a full academic scholarship studying Business Administration and Criminology.

Despina Anagnostopoulos was named the first place winner for the Junior Division. She is 13 years old, and just completed the seventh grade at Citrus Valley Christian School in Redlands, CA. She attends Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church in San Bernardino where she sings in the Junior Choir, chants at the services, regularly attends Sunday School and is in the Greek Folk Dance group. Despina’s topic for her Oratorical Festival presentation was, “Orthodox Christians honor the Virgin Mary, the Most Holy Theotokos. What does the Orthodox Church believe about her and her role in our salvation?” She is an accomplished equestrian and competes in English riding.

His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos congratulated all the participants sharing, “I see and hear the love that you have for the Lord, and I give thanks for each of you today and always in my prayers for how you are already being such examples of Him through your thoughts, words and deeds.” He continued on to describe the Oratorical Festival participants as, “a new generation of gifted orators whose bright futures are evident to all those who are here today. I only wish that all our congregations could witness this great demonstration of our faith by these young people.”

Special gratitude is extended to the organizing committee for the Metropolis, led by Dr. Eve Tibbs (Chair, Metropolis Christian Education Ministry), Johanna Carter (Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries), and Mrs. Aristi Anagnos. The judges for the Metropolis Oratorical Festival were: Madelyn Jones, Christos Pappademos, and Dr. Kara Zografos. Mr. Marcus Estabrooks served as the official timekeeper.

Congratulations to all the participants!

Senior Division

First Place

Evan Anagnostopoulos
Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church – San Bernardino, CA

Second Place

Judah Dale
Holy Resurrection Greek Orthodox Church – Salem, OR

Third Place

Vasilia Tussing
Holy Resurrection Greek Orthodox Church – Salem, OR

Honorable Mention

Tatiana Costa
Saint Anna Greek Orthodox Church – Roseville, CA

Yianni Kades
Saint Anthony Greek Orthodox Cathedral – Pasadena, CA

Andreas Kush
Saint Anna Greek Orthodox Church – Roseville, CA

Georgia Pineda
Nativity of Christ Greek Orthodox Cathedral – Novato, CA

Bethal Samuel
Saint Haralambos Greek Orthodox Church – Peoria, AZ

Samuel Ryan Virsik
Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church – Belmont, CA

Junior Division

First Place

Despina Anagnostopoulos
Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church – San Bernardino, CA

Second Place

Johnny Cumbelich
Ascension Greek Orthodox Cathedral – Oakland, CA

Third Place

Yioryia Prevas
Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church – Northridge, CA

Honorable Mention

Adona Moges
Saint Haralambos Greek Orthodox Church – Peoria, AZ

Magnolia Rush
Saint John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church – Beaverton, OR

Minas Sharp
Assumption Greek Orthodox Church – Scottsdale, AZ

Madelyn Smith
Saint John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church – Beaverton, OR

Anna Virsik
Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church – Belmont, CA

PHOTO CREDIT: Johanna Duterte Carter