The Saint John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival for the Metropolis of San Francisco was held the weekend of May 13 – 14, 2016 at Saint Nicholas Ranch and Retreat Center in Dunlap, CA. A total of 20 representatives from five districts in the Metropolis were in attendance, offering inspiring speeches on topics developed by the National Oratorical Festival Committee which works with the Archdiocese Department of Religious Education.
After an uplifting day of presentations, the judges had a difficult task to select one winner each from the Junior and Senior Divisions. Timothy Kaelin from Saint George Church in Eugene, Oregon, was selected as the Senior Division Winner and spoke on the topic: “Human trafficking remains a tragedy even today. We know that all human beings are created by God in His image (Genesis 1:27); therefore, how can we as Orthodox Christians help these victims and assist in the efforts to eliminate human trafficking?” The Junior Division winner for the Metropolis is Catherine Baxter from Saint Haralambos Church in Peoria, AZ who spoke on the topic: “How might Orthodox Christians contribute and support the efforts to eliminate poverty and hunger in the world?”
In his remarks to the participants and their families, His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos stated, “After hearing the brilliance and eloquence of these young people today, these brief words I have to share with you will pale in comparison. Today’s speakers have truly uplifted my heart and it brought me great joy to hear their thought-provoking speeches and see the professionalism with which they presented themselves.”
His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos with senior division winner, Timothy Kaelin (Saint George, Eugene, Oregon) and junior division winner, Catherine Baxter (Saint Haralambos, Peoria, Arizona).
The Saint John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival began at the Archdiocese in 1983 and has provided youth and teens with the opportunity to deepen their faith through research and public presentations on selected topics each year. The Oratorical Festival is first held at the parish level, with finalists progressing to the district level. Then the district finalists participate in the Metropolis Oratorical Festival, with the winners then competing in the National Oratorical Festival which will be held June 10 – 12, 2016 at Saint Nektarios Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Metropolis Oratorical Festival was coordinated by Dr. Eve Tibbs, chair of the Christian Education Ministry for the Metropolis. A distinguished panel of judges offered their time and talents to this program including: Alexandra Halikis Aram, Rondal Christian Burkhard, Katherine Chaffee, Madelyn Jones, Tony J. Kocolas, and Dr. Kara Zografos.
Congratulations to all the outstanding participants and best of luck to Timothy and Catherine!