| Nea Smyrni Community | Patissia Community |
| Fr. Kapelas Antonios | Fr. Valaris Nikolaos |
| Fr. Kapelas Michael | Fr. Vidos George |
| Fr. Kapetanios Ignatios | Fr. Dellatolas Nikolaos |
| Fr. Prelorentzos Ioannis | Fr. Kritikos Frangiskos |
| Fr. Prelorentzos Nikiforos | Fr. Roussos Georgios |
| Fr. Levantinos Mathaios | Fr. Fonsos Evangelos |
The
Marist Brothers appear in Greece in 1907 and since then they have
experienced and participated in all the major events of Modern Greek
history (Greek refugees from Turkey in 1922, World War II, the German
Occupation, the Civil War, etc). During difficult times, the Marist
Brothers have always helped and supported everyone in need.
However, they distinguished themselves mostly in the field of education. Inspired
by the life and the educational activity of St Marcellin Champagnat, the founder
of the Order, they are devoted to their task showing altruism and generosity.
The Primary School St Denis was founded in Athens in 1838 under the jurisdiction
of the Catholic Church. The Secondary School and High Schools were founded
in 1888 and the School was renamed Leonteio Lyceum. In 1897 it was transferred
to a neoclassical building at 4 Sina Street. The first Marist Brothers came
to Athens from Constantinople in 1907, settled in the building of Sina Street
and became responsible for the running of the School. Leonteio Lyceum in Patissia
was founded in 1924 and has been active continuously since then. The school
of Sina Street was transferred to Nea Smyrni in 1962 and a year later the Primary
School Chrysostomos Smyrnis was founded as an independent educational institution.
In 1999 Chrysostomos Smyrnis was merged with Leonteio Lyceum in Nea Smyrni.
Today, both institutions under the name of Leonteio Lyceum are run by the two
monastic communities of the Marist Brothers. Approximately 3,500 students attend
these schools. The Marist Brothers, their fellow teachers and the administrative
staff carry on the work of the institutions, which is to educate young people.
They all believe in the Pedagogic Principles of Love, Presence and Simplicity.
St Marcellin Champagnat often pointed out to the Brothers: ‘In order
to educate children properly we must love them and love them all equally.’
The Marist Brothers in the world today
Who are we?
We live in a community and we seek to respond to God’s calling, like the Virgin Mary. We have committed ourselves to the precepts of purity, privation and obedience, according to the Holy Gospel, and we want to be of service to the young, especially to the most forsaken.
Where are we?
- America (North and South) - 20 countries
- Africa - 19 countries
- Asia - 12 countries
- Europe - 13 countries
- Oceania and the Pacific Islands - 10 countries
There are approximately 5,000 friars in 74 countries, working as principals and teachers in 800 schools and 6 universities.
Wherever we may be, we are open to the world and always close to the young, especially to those who live in poverty, loneliness and social isolation.
What do we do?
We want to respond creatively and faithfully to the vision of our founder, St Marcellin Champagnat.
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We have dedicated our lives to the education of the young not only
in primary and secondary schools but in universities, as well.
- We run agricultural and technical schools and participate in volunteer organisations
in the urban fringe. We also join missions in countries of the Third World.
We do everything within our power to be close to young people and to give,
with our presence, love and hope to those who face problems.
Throughout our history, we have had some very difficult times. We mention only
the latest events: in 1994 a Brother was assassinated in Algiers by Islam extremists
and 7 Brothers were executed in Rwanda during the latest racial riots, while
in 1996 four Spanish Brothers were murdered in Zaire in their effort, as volunteers,
to offer love and support to thousands of refugees from Rwanda.
The path we have chosen is not always easy. Nevertheless, we continue our founder’s
work and our creative mission with faith in God and with the Virgin Mary on
our side. Everything we do is Her work.
All the teachers in our schools believe that there are certain essential prerequisites for our work. We must be constantly informed on the latest changes in the syllabus and methods of teaching, aware of the needs of our time, must love the young and be willing to be present in the world of our students. No matter what post we may have in the school, the above mentioned values are experienced and shared by each and every one of us because we are all responsible for the same educational plan.
As Brothers, we share the account of our life as members of a community, the deep knowledge and experience of Marcellin Champagnat’s charisma, our material and spiritual heritage. We have chosen this pastoral mission for ourselves and we are fully committed to the young people’s education and spiritual growth.
As teachers, we offer our personal training, the eagerness to meet our teaching commitments, as well as the experience deriving from our personal and social lives. As Christians, we are the living proof that every human being who is based on the Gospel can find the deeper meaning of life in Jesus Christ.
As educators, we are all called to perform our professional and pastoral duties. We attend conferences with the aim of constantly improving ourselves, searching for the methods that are most suitable for the education of our young. We seek to understand the essence of the Marist education and mentality even better.
The School Principals ought to be able to bring out and experience the fundamental Marist values and urge others to share them, since they represent Marcellin Champagnat more than anybody else within the educational community.
During
our daily work in our schools, we wish to bring hope to the young.
Through our strong faith we respond to the call for the creation of a new world
which will be inspired and guided by love. (Eph. D’ 24)
It is our belief that parents, too, share our values and consider them the most effective way to teach and mould our children’s character. Therefore, we believe that:
- only if we respect and value our children, will they learn to respect and value us.
- only if we are honest and reliable, will they become accustomed to honesty and reliability.
- only if we show our children the right path to communication through dialogue, will they adopt this means to reach understanding.
- only if we prove our love to our children with our actions, will they learn to act accordingly towards us and our family, as well as all those around them and society in general.
“We must offer the children the means to achieve all the perfection of their being, make them complete personalities.”
