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.

CHRISTIAN ETHICS AND CATHOLIC VALUES ARE TO BE THE SOURCE OF TOPICS FOR SPEAKERS
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 about Christian ethics in general and Catholic moral values in particular. The criteria for the Senior Primary school students is yet to be finalised.

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
Criteria still to be finalised.

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