On Sunday, October 11, the Metropolitan Church of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, in the community of Panagia Imbros, “flooded” with beautiful childish smiles and indescribable emotion.
Metropolitan Kyrillos of Imbros and Tenedos performed the sanctification rite for the beginning of the new school year, as well as for the beginning of the Sunday schools in the churches of the island.
All the priests, headmasters and teachers of Greek schools were present, as well as students and their parents.
In his speech, as reported by vema.com.au, Metropolitan Kyrillos addressed the young with love who are the future and hope of the Imbrians. He urged the children to work for the acquisition of knowledge in school and to try to become good, moral and virtuous individuals. “You may be wise, know everything and have acquired knowledge, but if you do not have virtue, this wisdom is something like madness,” he remarked. “And we find such examples in history,” he added, “where people with great education and a lot of knowledge, but without virtue and without spiritual life, ended up becoming a threat to humankind.” “And they did so much harm to humanity,” he continued, “that today we do not even want to say their names. That is why I say that wisdom must be combined with virtue.”
Finally, the Metropolitan asked the children to go to church every Sunday, to help the priests and, in general, to stay close to the Church so that “we can all become a big family again, grow up together, love and support each other.” He conveyed the wishes, the blessing and the love of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew while he wished God to enlighten and to protect the school community so that it could move forward with its work and mission.
It is noted that the courses in the Greek schools of Imbros are offered online in the framework of the COVID-19 while only the senior students will be offered both distance- and proximate-learning courses this year from today, Monday, October 12. In this context, these students will go to school two days a week.
