The inauguration of the priest Józef Obrembski Gymnasium: May Maišiagala be happy about us

May Maišiagala be happy about us when we will be adult,” the students of the priest Józef Obrembski in Maišiagala sang the school hymn during the inauguration celebration of the gymnasium. Before the inauguration, there was a Mass at the Assumption of Mary Church in Maišiagala which was conducted by the parson of the parish and dean Józef Aszkiełowicz.

During the Mass, the priest Józef Aszkiełowicz said that the school co-operates with the parish and he enumerated numerous achievements of the school. The parson was happy that the school has chosen the Patriarch of the Vilnius Region for its patron brings up the youth with Christian values.

“Dear parents, teachers and tutors! Build your and future generation’s life on strong foundations. The strongest foundation for us is God and his law, Saint Mary the patron of our parish and the personality of Prelate Józef Obrembski, our uncrowned cardinal. Maišiagala and Vilnius Region will be like how we will bring up our youth with being faithful to Christian values,” said the priest Józef Aszkiełowicz during the liturgy. He said that he is sure that thanks to the arrangement of good conditions of education and work, young inhabitants of Maišiagala, Vilnius Region and the whole Lithuania will develop well.

School community and numerous guests went from church to the celebration that began with the hymn that gymnasium students sang.

The head teacher Alfreda Jankowska remind us of the history of the school that was founded in 1773 by the Commission of National Education. She also said what was the way of school to obtain the permit for the transformation of the school from high school to gymnasium.

“Today is the Day of National Education so it is our day. We also celebrate our jubilee as there was the bloom of Polish school in Maišiagala in 1914. After a hundred years in 2014 we obtained the status of gymnasium. I hope that from now on our school will bloom and there will be more and more of us,” said A. Jankowska.

The mayor of the Vilnius District Municipality Maria Rekść thanked the school community for making every effort to develop the school. The accreditation of gymnasium can be one of the completed stages.

“The status of gymnasium is undoubtedly a great achievement for school. Nevertheless, we should remember that school should develop to have more and more students. Your patron is the wonderful Patriarch of the Vilnius Region, the priest Józef Obrembski. I wish you that the next objective of the gymnasium will be giving the school the status of a catholic school,” said Maria Rekść. She is happy that there is good co-operation between the school and the parish of the priest Józef Aszkiełowicz in Maišiagala

At the same time the Major of the district said that Vilnius District Municipality was at the first place in the prestigious ranking of educational investments. The status of gymnasium was given to 15 schools in Vilnius District Municipality and preparations for this required quite big investments and improving the material base of schools.

Maria Rekść with the manager of the Department of Education in the local government in Vilnius District Municipality Lilia Andruszkiewicz gave the congratulation diplomas for the teacher who have contributed to the fact that the school got the status of gymnasium.

“I wish you to have more and more children in your school. This year, there are 160 children. May there be at least 50 more next year and every following year,” said Lilia Andruszkiewicz.

The Consul of the Republic of Poland was present at the celebration and he gave his wishes to students and teachers on the occasion of the Day of National Education

The hymn says that Maišiagala is happy about its students who make the school famous by their patriotic attitude and good deeds in life. At the celebration, there were also former students of this school. There was also the graduate Edyta Tamošiūnaitė who studied there. She was a deputy Minister of Education that during her work in the Ministry was the witness of granting the status of gymnasium to Józef Obrembski School in Maišiagala.

“Life is service and by serving others we can discover happiness in life,” E. Tamošiūnaitė cited the words of a philosopher. She thanked the administration of the school, teachers, the authorities of the district for serving the students and the nation thanks to which the country develops.

The Chair of the Lithuanian Poles’ Electoral Action, the member of Parliament Rita Tamašunienė on the behalf of her party gave the head teacher a congratulation letter and thanked the teaching staff and the whole community for their efforts to develop the school.

“I also give you the cup as a symbol of what you have achieved so far, for example becoming a gymnasium and I wish you good luck and more success,” said R. Tamašunienė.

The head teachers of schools in the neighbourhood and the Maišiagala District Head Stefan Orszewski also wished the school luck and success.

At the celebration on the occasion of the acquisition of the status of gymnasium, there was also the concert of the school students organised under the supervision of Jaś Mackiewicz and the dancing group “Przyjaźń” (“Friendship”) under the supervision of Tatjana Sinkiewicz from the Culture Centre in Maišiagala. The youth showed their singing and dancing talents and at the end they sang a meaningful song „A więc weźmy się za ręce” (“Let’s hold each other’s hands”) encouraging to friendship and co-operation.

Elżbieta Sadajska