You can find the flyers of scheduled events here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAv3Lz

For 14-year-old Stephen Mueller, the 2026 junior division champion of the St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival, taking gold means much.

A rising high school freshman from Greeley, Colorado, Stephen is this year’s junior winner of the national St. John Chrysostom Oratorical Festival, held in June at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Northridge, California. Prior to his victory, Stephen had participated in the Oratorical Festival only once before in 2025. He attends St. Spyridon Church in Loveland, Colorado with his parents and eight siblings.

The young orator’s speech centered on the Festival’s second topic for the junior division: “Choose a Saint who was a child or young person. How did their faith influence their life, and what can we learn from them?” Stephen opted to speak about St. Hope, a second-century child-martyr who was the daughter of St. Sophia and sister of Sts. Faith and Love. St. Hope is also the patron saint of Stephen’s older sister, Zhanna.

Because of the connection to his sister, Stephen said this topic “spoke to him.” His family adopted Zhanna from Ukraine when she was nine, with Stephen noting that “she’d been through a lot. She doesn’t talk. She needs help with pretty much everything she does.”

He noticed parallels between the story of St. Hope and the story of his sister. “It was something powerful that I could talk to, that really spoke to my heart, something that I could see through my own eyes.”

In his speech, Stephen discussed the hardships his sister had faced in her life and connected them to St. Hope’s martyrdom, encouraging his audience to emulate the forbearance, humility, and child-like faith of the two.

His speech was a long-running labor of love. Each year, the Oratorical Festival begins before Lent and continues as late as June—a marathon for the middle and high school students who reach nationals.

But Stephen did not run the marathon alone: in addition to Zhanna’s influence, he credits other members of his family as sources of inspiration.

“This was my second year doing [the Oratorical Festival], following in my older sister Evangeline’s footsteps. She’s been doing it for years; she reached the national level twice. She definitely does a lot of writing, and my mom writes, my grandma writes, so they loved helping me out with my speech. I give all the thanks to them.”

“My mom reminded me to practice, she would always listen and be there, she would time me, she would do everything. She definitely helped me.”

Stephen also hopes to become a priest one day— a dream ignited by his father’s path to the presbyterate. He said this dream is now possible because of the scholarship prize he received for his first-place win.

“Before we became Orthodox, my dad was a Lutheran pastor. Now he’s pursuing becoming an Orthodox priest,” Stephen said, noting that his father attended Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology and now awaits a potential ordination to the diaconate. “I know [the Oratorical Festival] changed my life because I have a full scholarship to Hellenic College now, and my plan is to become a priest. I look up to my dad a lot, so I wanted to follow in his footsteps. The prize I won is going to be big for the future.”

The words of Archbishop Elpidophoros of America— who attended the Festival in June— particularly inspired the young orator. While in Northridge, His Eminence charged the young men of the competition to consider the priesthood. Stephen recalled the Archbishop saying, “If you’re a young man and you’ve made it this far [in the Oratorical Festival], you have the skill set to maybe be a priest,” words which Stephen said were encouraging.

When asked how the Festival has impacted him, Stephen remarked that it has “built his confidence.” He admitted that he felt nervous before delivering his speech, “but I got through it,” he said. “It showed me that there’s a lot of things that are in my power. If I put my mind to it, I can get it done.”

“So many kids my age think, ‘Oh, I have my whole life ahead of me, I can save worship for later,’ but that’s not the case. You never know which day is going to be your last. You have to devote your entire life to Christ, no matter what.”

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Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology is pleased to announce the launch of a dedicated webpage for The Catechist: The Art of Listening and Teaching, a new Certificate Program in Orthodox Catechism presented by Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology through The Scriptorium Initiative.

The vision for The Catechist program was conceived by His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, together with the Most Reverend Members of the Holy Eparchial Synod, in response to the growing pastoral need to prepare qualified lay catechists to assist the clergy in the Church’s apostolic ministry of teaching. That vision was subsequently developed and given academic form by the faculty of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology under the leadership of its Dean, the Rev. Dr. Eugen J. Pentiuc.

The program is co-directed by Fr. Eugen J. Pentiuc and Dr. James C. Skedros.

Designed for lay leaders, parish educators, ministry volunteers, clergy spouses, recent converts, and Orthodox Christians seeking deeper theological formation, the year-long online program combines recorded lectures and assigned readings with weekly live zoom seminars. Its five instructional modules address the foundations of the Orthodox faith, moral theology and eschatology, sacramental and liturgical life, Orthodox spirituality, and catechetical pedagogy.

Participants may enroll in the Certificate Track, designed for those preparing to serve as parish catechists, or the Enrichment Track, for those seeking theological and catechetical formation without certification requirements.

The inaugural program begins October 5, 2026, with Module I: Foundations of the Orthodox Faith:

• Oct. 5–9, Divine Revelation, Fr. Eugen J. Pentiuc
• Oct. 12–16, Holy Scripture, Fr. Eugen J. Pentiuc
• Oct. 19–23, Holy Tradition, Dr. James C. Skedros
• Oct. 26–30. “I believe in one God…,” Fr. Demetrios Bathrellos
• Nov. 2–6, “And in one Lord Jesus Christ…,” Fr. George Parsenios
• Nov. 9–13, “And in the Holy Spirit…,” Fr. Philip Zymaris

The newly launched webpage provides information about the curriculum, five modules, faculty, schedule, Certificate and Enrichment Tracks, and enrollment.

Those interested in taking courses, participating for enrichment, or enrolling in the Certificate Program are invited to visit www.thescriptoriuminitiative.org/the-catechist/.

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With the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, the faithful of the Archdiocese and the people of New York City are kindly invited to join St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine on Friday, September 11, 2026 at 3:00pm for a solemn memorial service in commemoration of the 25^th anniversary of September 11, 2001. The memorial service will be presided over by Archbishop Elpidophoros, who will lead us in prayer as we reflect on the lives lost, the courage that emerged in the face of tragedy, and the enduring strength that unites our communities.

25 years later, the memories remain—carrying with them profound grief, extraordinary bravery, and a resilience that continues to shape us. Through this moment of silence, prayer, and reflection, we will honor all those whose lives were forever changed and those who answered the call to serve on that fateful day and every day since. In coming together, we hope to renew our commitment to peace, reconciliation, and a future guided by compassion and hope.

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