(A) What is the St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival?
An annual competition program in which Orthodox Christian youth prepare and deliver short speeches on a variety of compelling religious topics as a way to explore their faith, inspire others, and develop important leadership skills.
(B) 2025 HAGOC Oratorical Festival Timeline
• End of Day on Jan 5th: This is the deadline by which Junior division (grade 7-9) and Senior division (grade 10-12) participants must submit the official participation form for 2025. Instructions for submitting the form are provided below. Note: submitting the form requires that the participant select a topic from the official list of speech topics for 2025, which are also provided below.
• End of Day on Jan 5th: This is the deadline by which Elementary division (grade 4-6) participants must email Ashley Joiner (ashleydjoiner@gmail.com) with their speech topic, which are listed below. Please note: the Elementary division is NOT judged and is for the local level ONLY. Elementary division participants do NOT need to submit the official participation form for 2025 – an email to Ashley will suffice.
• End of Day on Jan 22nd: This is the deadline for junior & senior participants to setup a ~30min appointment for sharing your speech with the Festival Team, who will provide feedback/coaching. The appointment will take place either Jan 25th or 26th, and will take place either virtually over Zoom or in person at church (whichever is most convenient).
• Jan 25-26 Weekend: As noted above, the Festival Team will hold appointments with the junior & senior participants to share their speech.
• End of Day on Feb 2nd: This is the deadline by which you must email your final speech to Ashley Joiner (ashleydjoiner@gmail.com). She'll forward all speeches to Father Thomas for his review. Junior and Senior speeches must be formatted as follows: Double-spaced; Speech topic included at the top of the first page; Participant’s name, address, parish name/location and division (junior or senior) in the top right corner of the first page.
• After Liturgy on Feb 9th: HAGOC Oratorical Festival (local level) held in person at church.
• Mar 15th in Charlottesville: District Festival for qualifiers (a.k.a., HAGOC’s Junior Division participants who score 1st and 2nd place + HAGOC’s Senior Division participants who score 1st and 2nd place).
• Apr 26th in Philadelphia: Metropolis Festival for qualifiers.
• May 30th through Jun 1st in Pittsburgh: National Festival for qualifiers.
(C) Instructions for Filling Out the Official Participation Form for 2025
By End of Day on Jan 5th, grades 7-12 participants must submit the official participation form for 2025 at https://religioused.formstack.com/forms/sjcof_participant_1. In addition to information about the participant (e.g., name, contact information, grade, school), the form requires the following information.
o Parish Name: Holy Apostles Greek Orthodox Church
o Parish Address: 21580 Atlantic Blvd. #160, Dulles, VA, 20165
o Parish Priest: Father Thomas Manuel
o Parish Chairperson: Ashley Joiner
o E-mail of Parish Chairperson: ashleydjoiner@gmail.com
o Metropolis in which your Parish is located: New Jersey Metropolis
o Division: choose Junior if in Grades 7-9; choose Senior if in Grades 10-12
o Topic Number: choose number that corresponds with your speech topic - must choose from official list of speech topics for 2025
(D) Official List of Speech Topics for 2025
Grades 7-9 (Junior division): note that the speech must be between 3-4min. All speeches must start with this greeting: "Reverend Father, Esteemed Judges, Ladies and Gentlemen and Fellow Speakers – Good Morning." The timer starts after you finish this greeting. Visit https://www.goarch.org/oratorical for tips & resources on the Junior topics.
Junior topic 1: Philanthropy is an important part of the Church’s mission. It involves more than giving money. Why is it important to support people in different ways besides just donating? In what ways can we offer support, and how can these other forms of help make a difference in the lives of individuals and the community?
Junior topic 2: In Psalm 4, we are told to "be angry, but sin not." Why would we be encouraged to be angry? How does anger fit into the life of an Orthodox Christian?
Junior topic 3: The Orthodox Church is filled with repetition: we sing “Lord, have mercy” dozens of times every service, we sing the Paschal Troparion all throughout Pascha, and we repeat the same Divine Liturgy every single time. What is the importance of repetition in the Orthodox Church?
Junior topic 4: The Russian Orthodox novelist, Fyodor Dostoevsky, once said that “Beauty will save the world." What is the role of beauty in the Church and in the world at large?
Junior topic 5: What is the symbolism of the liturgical vestments worn by a deacon, priest, and bishop, and how do these vestments reflect and correlate to their specific roles and responsibilities within the Divine Liturgy?
Grades 10-12 (Senior division): note that the speech must be between 4-5min. All speeches must start with this greeting: "Reverend Father, Esteemed Judges, Ladies and Gentlemen and Fellow Speakers – Good Morning." The timer starts after you finish this greeting. Visit https://www.goarch.org/oratorical for tips & resources on the Senior topics.
Senior topic 1: His All-Holiness, the Ecumenical Patriarch, is recognized as the highest Primate in the Church. This title signifies a unique leadership role within the Orthodox Church, where authority and primacy are balanced with equality among Patriarchs. Discuss the practical implications versus the theoretical aspects of His All-Holiness' role in the Orthodox Church. What does it mean for him to be both "first among equals" and "first without equals”?
Senior topic 2: The Seven Ecumenical Councils are regarded as seven of the most important parts of Church History, which came after the completion of the Bible. Pick one of the Council’s and explain why it is important.
Senior topic 3: The Bible is full of figures, both good and bad, who, while not talked about frequently, can be hugely helpful in understanding both salvation history and our place in it. Pick a lesser-known figure from the Bible, explain who they are, how they fit into the Biblical narrative, and what we can learn from them.
Senior topic 4: While every church building is different, there are specific guidelines and practices that describe how and why they are built the way they are. Research them, and then explain their theological significance.
Senior topic 5: As the world grows increasingly tumultuous and fearful, today’s youth appear to be more anxious about the future. Discuss Christ's role as the bringer of hope and how that fits into modern life.
(E) Elementary Division (Grade 4-6) Speech Topics
-My Patron Saint Is...
-My Favorite Icon/Bible Story/Feastday/etc. Is...
-Making the Sign of the Cross/Lighting a Candle/Celebrating My Nameday/etc. Is Important to Me Because…
*These are sample speech topics. If you wish to speak on a different topic that has good alignment with the values of the St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival, please let Ashley know what topic that is! Elementary Division speeches are generally ~1 minute long.
(F) Office Hours and Rehearsals
Participants in grades 7 through 12: Need help understanding how to research your speech topic? Need help writing and/or editing your speech? Feel free to reach out to the Festival Team at ashleydjoiner@gmail.com to schedule an “office hour” (to be held in person at HAGOC, or virtually through Zoom – whatever works best). We are glad to help with brainstorming, give advice, etc.! We do require each participant schedule a ~30min, one-on-one live or virtual appointment with us for sometime either Jan 25th or 26th to share their speech and receive feedback/coaching. The deadline to schedule your appointment is Jan 22nd; simply email ashleydjoiner@gmail.com to schedule.
(G) Questions?
Contact Ashley Joiner at ashleydjoiner@gmail.com.