Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece referred to the multifaceted and important work carried out by the schools of the Church during the inauguration ceremony of the new section of the Nursery School which is under the auspices of the Church of Saint Athanasios in Polydroso.
The Archbishop was accompanied by the Protosyncellus of the Archdiocese of Athens, Bishop Symeon of Thespies, who also officiated the sanctification service.
The Archbishop pointed out that several day nurseries and schools were inaugurated this year, stressing that “there were pressure and many requests to build such schools. I do wonder why the parents are not satisfied with the state, which spends a lot of money, and either they turn to private schools or ask the Church to make an effort to provide education. I cannot give the answer, but I believe every parent who decides at a critical time to bring his children here will continue down this path.”
He further emphasized that “the purpose of these schools, and I wish that it will the purpose of all schools, is to provide children not only the knowledge and the experiences, but also the wisdom that comes from above, which many carry in their hearts.”
The Archbishop concluded that “to become a good citizen requires work, and that is what all teachers do. These schools will help every child to become useful. “In other schools, there is also anxiety and hard work, but there are various difficulties and problems for reasons we can hardly understand,” said the Archbishop while noting that the Church would build more schools, if possible. He added that he asked parishes and monasteries and all church institutions for any land property to build such schools, which must become models for our state schools.
