This year the Competition has been added to the Term 3 Performing Arts Festival organised by Catholic Education in WA.
16 students (6 from Primary and 10 from Secondary Catholic Schools) have been nominated and are keen to speak at this years’ Speak for Faith Competition.
Dates and sessions for the Primary and Secondary school students have been allocated as per this link and will be held at CEWA Office Leederville in James Nestor Hall.

WHAT IS SPEAK FOR FAITH?
Catenians have a love of their Catholic faith and practice and want to encourage emerging young Catholics to express their faith to the world. Hence, the Provincial Council of the Catenian Association in Western Australia resolved to sponsor a public speaking contest for senior students in WA Catholic Schools.

The aim of the Speak for Faith, Catholic Schools Public Speaking Competition is to provide opportunity and incentive for students of Senior Primary and Secondary Religious Education to speak positively on Christian ethics and Catholic ethos and develop their public communication skills. The Competition was introduced into Western Australia in 2016 with an initial group of five metropolitan schools. The following year all Catholic secondary schools in WA were invited to take part. In 2025 this was expanded to senior Primary School students.

THE SCHOOL AND RE TEACHERS
Teachers of Primary and Senior Secondary Religious Education are asked to identify possible candidates, encourage them and help prepare them to take part in the competition.

THE SECONDARY SPEECHES TO BE ABOUT: CURRENT ISSUES FOR THE CATHOLIC RELIGION AND HOW THE CATHOLIC RELIGION IS AUTHENTIC AND RELEVANT TO THE CHANGING VALUES AND ATTITUDES IN SOCIETY
Senior Secondary candidates are asked to research and prepare a five-minute speech, drawing on the curriculum material studied in Senior Secondary Religious Education, so that they can speak on the connection between religion and life from a Catholic faith perspective.

THE PRIMARY SPEECHES TO BE BASED ON: THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS: E.G. A STORY IN THE BIBLE THAT TEACHES PEOPLE ABOUT GOD AND GOD’S LOVE FOR ALL – THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER IN PEOPLE’S LIVES – WHY CHRISTIANS SHOW ACTS OF KINDNESS AND SERVICE – WHY CATHOLICS FIND PARTICIPATING IN THE SACRAMENTS IMPORTANT FOR THEIR LIVES
Year Five and Six candidates are asked to prepare a three-minute speech, drawing on the teachings of Jesus: e.g. A story in the Bible that teaches people about God and God’s love for all, the importance of prayer in people’s lives, why Christians show acts of kindness and service, why Catholics find participating in the sacraments important for their lives.

STRUCTURE OF THE COMPETITION
Secondary Competition
Each Catholic secondary or composite school is invited to nominate two (2) Senior Secondary Religious Education students (Year 11 and/or Year 12) for the Competition. Each competitor will have a minimum of 4 minutes and a maximum of 5 minutes to speak on his or her prepared topic. Immediately afterwards, the adjudicators will provide the contestant with an unseen topic on which, after a few minutes preparation, he or she will speak for up to two minutes.
Primary Competition
Each primary school is invited to nominate two (2) Primary students (Year 5 and Year 6). Primary competitors will have a minimum of two minutes and a maximum of three minutes to speak on their prepared topic. Immediately afterwards, they will be given an unseen topic. After a few minutes of preparation, they will speak on this topic for up to two minutes.

From the heats, finalists will be chosen.

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2024 winners (May Mintz (John XXXII College), Anja Hughes (St Brigid’s College)
and Hudson Spackman (La Salle College)