Congratulations to Our Speakers!
Holy Trinity - Clearwater, FL 
May 15, 2021
All Photos by Kyriakos Caros

SJCOF Manual

All eighteen finalists at the Archdiocese Finals participate in a weekend of activities, the highlight of which is the delivery of their speeches on Saturday morning. The Oratorical Festival Scholarship Fund provides college scholarships to the top speakers. Currently, the top three speakers of each division receive college scholarships of $2,000, $1,500 and $1,000. This year, each Honorable Mention speaker was awarded $500. Read More...

Katherine Orfanakos Demacopoulos serves as the Archdiocese Festival Chairperson.

The 38th National Oratorical Festival will be hosted by the Metropolis of Denver at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Dallas Texas June 3-5, 2022. 
 

Junior Division (grades 7-9)

1. Share what you learned about yourself after a “technology fast” of at least 21 days. What can we learn about our relationship to God and the world by fasting?
2. In our personal prayer and liturgy, we usually make requests of God. Discuss why we make these petitions and how God fulfills them.
3. Choose a saint whose life has been important to you or your family. Discuss what you find most inspiring about this saint and what others can learn from how they lived their life.
4. Discuss how you would share your Orthodox Christian faith with a visitor to your parish.
5. Discuss your favorite Church service of the year and why it is meaningful to you.

1. Discuss the significance of Orthodox iconography (historically, symbolically and/or artistically) and how icons enhance our worship.
2. From the earliest days, Christian worship has been community-based, not only solitary, and Christians formed communities where the members learned from and took care of one another. Why is it important to be part of a Church community, and how is this relevant today?
3. The Orthodox faithful pray to the saints for physical healing and we have examples of saints like Cosmas and Damian who were doctors. What does this teach us about the Orthodox perspective on faith, health, and medicine?
4. Discuss ways that a young person can respond to God’s call to love God with heart, soul, mind, and strength and one’s neighbor as oneself (see Luke 10:27).
5. In every Church service, we pray for “peace in the world,” usually many times. Yet, war and violence persist. What is the Orthodox Christian approach to war and violence?

Central Conference
(Athens, Atlanta, Birmingham, Columbus, Cumming, Huntsville, Macon, Marietta, Montgomery, Peachtree City)
TBD


 Coastal Conference
(Asheville, Augusta, Charleston, Columbia, Florence, Greenville-SC, Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach, Spartanburg)
TBD


North East Conference
(Bluff City, Burlington, HT-Charlotte, SN-Charlotte, Durham, Fayetteville, Greensboro, Greenville-NC,
Knoxville, High Point, Mooresville, Raleigh, Wilmington, Winston-Salem)
TBD


North Eastern Florida Conference
(Daytona Beach, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Melbourne, Orlando, St. Augustine, Savannah, Tallahassee)
TBD


South Eastern Florida Conference
(Boca Raton, Ft. Myers, Ft. Lauderdale, Ft. Pierce, Hobe Sound, Hollywood,
SA-Miami, SS- Miami, No. Miami, Naples, West Palm Beach)
TBD


Western Conference
(Baton Rouge, Biloxi, Ft. Walton Beach, Gulf Shores, Jackson, Mobile, Monroe,
New Orleans, Panama City, Pensacola)
TBD


Western Florida Conference
(Clearwater, Lecanto, New Port Richey, Ocala, Palm Harbor, Port Charlotte, Sarasota
Spring Hill, St. Petersburg, Tampa, Tarpon Springs, Winter Haven)
TBD


The Metropolis Festival will be the weekend of May 13-15, 2022 at 
Holy Trinity - Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Birmingham, AL.