Categories: _RELIGIOUS_EDUCATION_
      Date: Mar 22, 2009
     Title: Oratorical Festival 2009

St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival

On Sunday, March 15, the annual St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival was held in our parish. This yearly festival enables our 7^th – 12^th grade students to prepare a speech from a list of topics from the archdiocese and deliver the speech to a supportive audience of parents, friends, and fellow parishioners. This year, we had two junior division (7^th-9^th grade) speakers and four senior division (10^th – 12^th grade) speakers.

(Click photo to enlarge)

Maura Grimm and Brian King spoke in the junior division. Maura’s speech was on the importance of being familiar with the life, ministry, and writings of St. Paul. Brian spoke on how the effort to live a Christian life resembles an athletic activity.

Our senior division speakers were Mark Brown, Katie King, Sam King, and Andrea Krantz. Mark and Sam spoke about the appropriate attitude of a Christian towards money and wealth. Katie and Andrea spoke about the importance of reading the Bible for Christians today.

Sam King was awarded first place in the senior division and Maura Grimm in the junior division. Sam and Maura will represent our parish at the district festival at Assumption Church in St. Clair Shores on April 25.

Many thanks to Jerry Munk for organizing this year’s festival, to our judges Nick Gavrilides, David Nichols, and Bess Stamatakos, and to our timekeeper Christina Munk. Thanks also to the Philoptochos Society for generously underwriting the awards for our speakers.

(Report by Jan Munk)