24 μαθητές στο Φεστιβάλ Ρητορικής του Ντελαγουέαρ (Also in English)

Οι π. Γεώργιος Οικονόμου, π. Αλέξανδρος Καϊτίδης, π. Αναστάσιος Μπουραντάς σε μια αναμνηστική φωτογραφία με τους νικητές του διαγωνισμού, Δήμητρα Δελάκη από τον Άγιο Δημήτριο στο Άπερ Ντάρμπι, Γκαμπριέλα Μπουραντά, από τον Καθεδρικό Ναό του Αγίου Δημητρίου, Μαρία Γαβρά από την κοινότητα του Αγίου Θωμά στο Τσέρι Χίλ. Φωτογραφία: Στέλιος Λάμπρου.

Νέα Ιερσέη.- Είκοσι τέσσερις έφηβοι και νέοι από τις κοινότητες της κοιλάδας του Ντελαγουέαρ συμμετείχαν στο περιφερειακό Φεστιβάλ Ρητορικής του Αγίου Ιωάννη του Χρυσοστόμου (Regional St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival), που διοργανώθηκε από την Μητρόπολης της Νέας Ιερσέης.

Το φεστιβάλ διοργανώθηκε το Σάββατο, 7η Μαρτίου 2026 και φιλοξενήθηκε από την κοινότητα του Αγίου Θωμά στο Τσέρι Χιλ της Νέας Ιερσέης.

Το φεστιβάλ έλαβε χώρα στον προσφάτως εικονογραφημένο ναό και η λάμψη του αντανακλούσε στα λαμπερά πρόσωπα της νεότερης γενιάς των ρητόρων.

Παραθέτουμε το πλήρες κείμενο της ανακοίνωσης τύπου που εκδόθηκε στην αγγλική γλώσσα:

The Greek Orthodox Community of Saint Thomas Greek Orthodox Church in Cherry Hill, New Jersey had the honor of hosting the Regional St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival of the Delaware Valley District on Saturday, March 7, 2026. The festival is a Metropolis event organized within the ministries of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and held under the spiritual guidance of His Eminence Metropolitan Apostolos of New Jersey.

The St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival is a nationwide program that encourages Orthodox youth to deepen their understanding of the faith while developing their ability to express it through thoughtful reflection and public speaking. The festival brings together young people from different parishes who speak about topics related to Holy Scripture, the teachings of the Church, and the life of the Orthodox Christian.

This year’s Delaware Valley Regional Festival gathered 24 young participants from parishes throughout the region. Divided into Junior and Senior divisions, the students delivered inspiring speeches reflecting both theological understanding and a sincere love for Christ and His Church.

The event opened with welcoming remarks by the chairperson of the festival, Varah Lynette Kappatos, while Alex Birbilis served as the emcee for the program. Closing remarks were offered by the Proistamenos of Saint Thomas Greek Orthodox Church, Protopresbyter Georgios Oikonomou, who expressed the gratitude of the host parish and emphasized the importance of nurturing the faith of young people within the life of the Church.

In an excerpt from his address, Fr. Georgios said: “Today we listened to our young people speaking with clarity, honesty, and faith. Their words reminded us that faith is not only something we teach through books and lessons, but something that must live in the heart. Sometimes their words speak more powerfully than many sermons, because they come from a pure heart and a sincere love for God.

The Church is our true home. Here we find joy, truth, healing, and salvation. And today our children reminded us of that truth in a beautiful way. Their faith gives us hope and shows us that the future of the Church is bright when young people love Christ and are not afraid to speak about their faith.”

The participants of the Delaware Valley Regional St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival were: Chrisanthi Antonouli – St. George, Media
Gabriella Bourantas – St. George Cathedral, Philadelphia, Dimitra Delakis – St. Demetrios, Leo Docimo – St. Thomas, Melina Karagiannopoulos – Sts. Sophia, Faith, Hope & Agape, Eleni Marcantonis – Holy Trinity Cathedral, Wilmington, Katerina Marcantonis – Holy Trinity Cathedral, Wilmington, Justin (Paisios) Moran – St. Luke, Eleni Papadeas – St. Thomas, Alexandra Tsipras – Sts. Sophia, Faith, Hope & Agape, Karolina Antonouli – St. George, Media, Zachary Christou – Sts. Sophia, Faith, Hope & Agape, Zoe Docimo – St. Thomas, Maria Gavras – St. Thomas, Stavros Kalisperis – St. Luke, Victoria Kaltsidis – St. Luke, Christian Kerentzis – St. Demetrios, Christina Marcantonis – Holy Trinity Cathedral, Wilmington, Georgia Rassias – Holy Trinity Cathedral, Wilmington, Apostolia Serevetas – St. Demetrios