The annual Orthodox Religion Olympiad took place on Sunday, May 16. The Olympiad allows children and young adults of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolia of the Americas to showcase their knowledge of the Orthodox Faith based on their Sunday School lessons. The students from Group B (7-13 years old) learned about the Holy Mysteries of the Church, while the students from Group C (13-18 years old) learned about the lives of several important saints, including St. Demetrius the Great-Martyr, St. Anthimus of Iberia, and St. Seraphim of Sarov. These lessons sought to inspire the students to remain active in the Church, as participating in the Holy Mysteries and venerating the saints are both essential for living a true Christian life.

A total of 54 students (29 from Group B and 25 from Group C), representing 10 parishes across the Metropolia, participated in the Olympiad. The parishes with the most participants were Sts. Constantine and Helen Metropolitan Cathedral in Chicago, IL, St. Nicholas Church in Woodside, NY, and Holy Resurrection Church in Sacramento, CA.

Due to special circumstances this year, the Olympiad was conducted online via Zoom. The participants began by introducing themselves and then played a short game of Kahoot as a warm-up. Afterwards, they had 30 minutes to answer 30 multiple-choice questions on a Google Form. The results from the Olympiad will be sent to each parish individually.

Glory to God for helping the Olympiad run smoothly. May He continue to enlighten the students of our Metropolia so that they may live out the Orthodox Faith and preserve it as the treasure it truly is!

Commission for Education of the Metropolia