Metropolitan Iosif of Western and Southern Europe met at the end of last week with the young participants in the final stage of the Christian Oratory Festival-Competition “Saint John Chrysostom”.
The event brought together more than 100 young people from the four countries of the Archdiocese — Belgium, Switzerland, France and the Netherlands — at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael in Paris.
The participants answered the question in Romanian, French, and German: “Why am I important for the Church?”
During the meeting with the Metropolitan, the young people proposed themes for future festival editions and shared their concerns with His Eminence, who answered questions mainly on faith and life in a secularised society.
Prizes were awarded by juries in age categories, with support from several Romanian Orthodox parishes in the Paris region.
The “Saint John Chrysostom” Christian Oratory Festival-Competition, organised by the Catechetical and Educational Department of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of Western Europe, was held for the first time this year.
Contestants participated in five age groups: 7–9 years, 10–12 years, 13–15 years, 16–18 years and 19–22 years.
The finalists who took part in the competition at the Paris cathedral had previously qualified through local parish stages and regional stages organised in the deaneries of France, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium during April.
The Metropolitan Cathedral in Paris was purchased by the Romanian state at the initiative of King Carol I of Romania in 1882.
Between 1882 and 1892, the church was restored and adapted for Orthodox worship, being consecrated at the end of May 1892. Following a turbulent period, it was elevated to the status of a Metropolitan Cathedral on 10 May 2009.
Photo: Metropolis of Western and Southern Europe
