Saint Mary's School
FRANCISCAN MISSIONARY OF THE SACRED HEART
The Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart were founded in 1861 at the monastery of Our Lady of the Angels in Gemona, northern Italy. The pioneer of this effort was a young, noble and charismatic French Duchess, Laura Leroux de Beaufremont, who, with the grace of the Holy Spirit and with full awareness of her mission, founded this religious community with the primary purpose of organizing and staffing missions. In this effort, she was supported and helped by Father Gregory Fioravanti, a Franciscan friar, endowed with wisdom, prudence and faith in Divine Providence, whom she unexpectedly met on one of her trips to Venice.
In November 1872, the Sisters received the Missionary Cross and the Archbishop's blessing and left for Constantinople where they took over the management of foreign-language schools and orphanages among the Muslims, following the example of Saint Francis of Assisi with the Sultan in Egypt.
Over time, the Sisters also served on various islands in Greece and in 1923 they came to Cyprus.
The Saint Mary School, founded on Agios Andreou Street in 1923 under the name Terra Santa and transferred in 1965 to the headquarters of 1A Georgiou Grivas Digenis, always under the spiritual guidance of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, participates in the education of children and young people by offering them the necessary and indispensable knowledge, so that they can continue their higher education in universities around the world, having as a privilege an excellent knowledge of European languages (Greek, English, French, Italian).
The primary goal of the School is also to cultivate in its students the concept of equality regardless of origin, gender, age or religion. Among other things, it guarantees the right to education and the right to free expression, but in a way that does not offend the reputation and personality of others. It cultivates self-confidence and self-esteem, offering the spiritual and moral values that will make them correct, useful, complete and responsible citizens in society.
The educational mission, which the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart carry out in the school in collaboration with lay educators, is implemented for the benefit of children, adolescents and young people, who need love, values and culture, because, as the Sources of the Order say: “the reform of the family and society depends, to a large extent, on good education” (III p. 46).
Faithful to the mission of the Order, the “Saint Mary” school is open to students of every social class, religion, nationality and culture and promotes the human, Christian and cultural formation of children, adolescents and young people and collaborates in the construction of a civilization based on the values of justice, freedom and peace.
Children and teachers come together in the most harmonious and natural way, and give the school a multicultural and multinational character, within which personal dignity, cooperation, coexistence and mutual respect are embedded, ensuring a warm, welcoming, attractive and safe environment.
The issue of discipline and the assumption of personal responsibility by each person constitutes a compass for the right path in life and is set as an objective goal higher than high academic performance.
