Today the College hosted its sixth annual professional development day for the teachers and staff of the Greek Orthodox schools in Sydney: St Spyridon College (Kingsford), All Saints Grammar (Belmore) and St Euphemia College (Bankstown).

In front of an audience of around 200 people, the event was opened by the College’s Sub-Dean, His Grace Bishop Seraphim of Apollonias. It featured presentations by the Very Revd Fr Apostolos Trifyllis and the Revd Fr Anastasios Bozikis, members of the College Faculty Board, as well Mr Nicholas Augoustinos from the Sydney School of Law of the University of Notre Dame Australia. This year’s theme related to the life and work of the Three Hierarchs, Sts Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom, who are esteemed as patrons of education in the Orthodox Tradition.

His Grace began the day with prayer, and by thanking the schools for their attendance. Fr Anastasios subsequently traced the essential features of classical Hellenic paideia and how these were critiqued by early Christian writers, and in what ways each of the three holy bishops appropriated classical learning for the purpose of the Christian life and the gospel. Fr Apostolos explained the origins of the Feast Day of the Three Hierarchs, and then drew examples from their lives and teachings that touched upon the principles of ascetism, philanthropy, humility, and which demonstrated that the profound ambition of education is the spiritual and moral formation and transformation of students and not merely the imparting of information to them. Mr Augoustinos surveyed the famous work of St Basil, Address to the Youth, and extracted rich food for thought for all those who are entrusted with the complete developmental and educational needs of young people.