Education means light. Give the light of Christ to everyone!

GALA - Annual competition 3rd edition

June 17-18, 2023

The Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Canada organized, on Saturday and Sunday, December 17-18, 2023, on Zoom platform, the 3rd edition of the annual Diocesan Gala-Competition. It is already a tradition for students of Church schools in the diocese to present group or individual projects that they have prepared together with their coordinators.

The annual project gala-competition aims to help the children and young people of the Diocese to acquire and share information about the Orthodox faith, customs and traditions using information from online but also encouraging teamwork.

In the two evenings, more than 45 group or individual projects were presented according to talents and possibilities for all age groups. This year's themes were: Icon - window to heaven; by giving you will acquire / the joy of giving to grandparents; praying for the elderly in our community; the joy of faith in the family, Church and school; the Church is the home of my soul; prayer in my life; the role of Church/religious singing in my life; unique project.

The mode of presentation is visual, written or audio digital creation and the format is essay, poem, poster, video, reflections, drawing, photograph. The jury consisting of Protoss. Corneliu Andrașco, Fr. Emanuel Tencaliuc, Mrs. Daniela Bochiș Phd, did not have an easy mission. The presented works excelled in enthusiasm, creativity, love for the Church and Orthodoxy.

The involvement and exhortation of HG Bishop Ioan Casian in the organization of educational activities dedicated to young people and children, the sustained investment in the formation and education of the young generation of Romanian Canadians is a priority in the life of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Canada.

In the closing speech addressed on Sunday, June 18, 2023, the hierarch noted: The quality of the presented projects proves to us that religious education is taken very seriously in our Diocese and gives us hope that in a few years the participants in these competitions will help us in the Sunday Schools or at St. Maximus the Confessor Training Center, transmitting Christian teaching to other generations.

Finally, Valentin Cioană, ROYA's vice-president, gave a brief presentation of the activities carried out and talked about future plans. There were evenings of joy and enthusiasm in which the crystalline voices of children and young people from all corners of Canada gathered around the home of our soul - the Church.

The Education Canada team, through the projects they initiate at the diocesan level, devotes time and love to the formation of generations that, we hope, will produce capable and persevering Christians and priests, endowed with knowledge and grace, who will carry Romanian Orthodoxy further here in the diaspora.

Congratulations to all participants and the list of winners will be published soon.

(notes Carmen Ognean)