The inauguration of the Wladyslaw Syrokomla Gymnasium in Vilnius

The inauguration ceremony of the Wladyslaw Syrokomla Gymnasium was held on Friday (12 May).

The celebrations began with a holy mass, which was celebrated by Father Miroslaw Grabowski in the Church of St. Raphael the Archangel in Vilnius. “I encourage you to spread your wings. On one hand, wings of faith, and on the other, wings of mind and skills. And to reach on these wings the goal of knowing the good and the God’s Love”, said Father Eduardas Kirstukas during the sermon.

During the mass, a new banner of the school was hallowed, which was given to the institution by the sixth promotion of graduates.

After the mass, the participants of the inauguration moved to the gymnasium, where they handed the hallowed banner to the school principal and the student board.

“The first promotion of 16 students left the school in 1959. In 1971, the school moved to the new building at Linkmenų 8. Another important date in history was 22 May 1989, when the school was named after Wladyslaw Syrokomla, a poet of the Romantic era”, said the school principal Danuta Silienė.

The ceremony was attended by representatives of the Polish political world in Lithuania, the Polish diplomatic corps, and by other schools and guests from Poland.

“I have the great honor to congratulate on behalf of the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania – the Union of Christian Families on the occasion of the inauguration of the Wladislaw Syrokomla Gymnasium. (…) We are all very happy that we have a gymnasium (…), the famous in the past, 19th largest Polish school in Lithuania. And Polish education is a great value in itself “- emphasized MEP Waldemar Tomaszewski.

“This fact is especially appreciated because we have been observing with concern and care the problems that the school has been encountering through the process of accreditation for a long period of time. We are happy to see that thanks to the persistent and consistent actions of the school’s principal and students’ parents, with the support of Polish organizations, all the difficulties have been overcome”, wrote in his letter Jarosław Czubiński, the Polish ambassador. The letter was read by Irmina Szmalec – the Third Secretary of the Consular Section of the Polish Embassy in Vilnius.

The congratulatory letter was also sent by the mayor of Vilnius, Remigijus Šimašius.

After the speeches, the artistic part began, and later the guests were invited for a trip around the school and refreshments.

The Ministry of Education and Science awarded the school the status of a gymnasium in December 2016.

The Wladyslaw Syrokomla Gymnasium is the largest Polish school in Vilnius. Currently 822 students attend the facility.