Embark on a Linguistic Odyssey: Aetolian College, Elevating Greek Language Learning with Academic Excellence and Cultural Enrichment.
Welcome to Aetolian College, your gateway to Greek language excellence in Melbourne. Our programs, from Kindergarten to VCE, offer a transformative blend of linguistic proficiency and cultural immersion. Rooted in the values of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia, our commitment extends beyond the classroom with flexible schedules. Step into Aetolian College, where language education becomes a journey of heritage, curiosity, and global perspective.
Kosmas of Aetolia
The holy, glorious and right-victorious New Hieromartyr and Equal-to-the-Apostles Kosmas Aitolos (also known as Kosmas Aitolos, and St Kosmas the Aetolian) was born in 1714 in Mega Dendron, Aitolia, Greece, to a father who was a weaver and a devout mother.
He attended public schools, but was tutored by an archdeacon. He taught and then attended a school on Mt. Athos. He became a monk and later a priest at Philotheou Monastery where he remained for two years.
After a time, he felt a calling to do missionary work in Greece, especially in the remote areas where there was a lack of churches and priests for the many unbaptized adults.
As an aftermath of four centuries of Turkish oppression in Greece, Kosmas received the patriarchal blessing in 1759 to travel wherever needed, for however long, with complete independence, to breathe life back into Christianity in Greece.
Kosmas travelled in Greece, its islands, and Albania for 25 years, founding over 200 schools, as well as charities and rural churches. He travelled by foot, by donkey and by ship. When he came to a village he would ask the villagers to plant a large wooden cross in the village square. Then he would mount a bench next to the cross and preach to the villagers about the love of God and the Orthodox faith. The Muslims tried him on charges of conspiracy and sentenced him to hang in August 1779 in Albania.
However, one account reports that he prayed and gave up his spirit before this could occur. St. Kosmas received from God the gift of prophecy, and was known to have prophesied of the telephone, airplanes, and aerial bombings. Patriarch Athenagoras glorified him in 1961.
His feast day is celebrated on August 24.
Aetolian College - Ελληνικό Κολέγιο
«Άγιος Κοσμάς ο Αιτωλός»
The value of the Greek language is priceless. It is a language that has been spoken continuously for 40 centuries until the present day which has contributed to the development of European and world culture.
With the main goal, to preserve and pass on the Greek language, our cultural identity and heritage, through Orthodox religious values, the Holy Archdiocese of Australia, in Victoria, united all the schools of the Parishes and Communities creating «Aetolian College» (Ελληνικό Κολέγιο «Άγιος Κοσμάς ο Αιτωλός»).
The College operates after hours during the week and on Saturday mornings in various suburbs throughout the Melbourne Metropolitan Area. Classes are offered from Kindergarten to VCE. In order to achieve the preservation of the Greek language and identity to the next generations, students will be taught Greek, through academic programs tailored to their needs.
The lessons take place in a pleasant environment with suitable facilities.
Aetolian College Goals
The goals of “Aetolian College” are:
To teach students the Greek language through remarkable programs that follow the core curriculum of the Department of Education, Victoria. The programs cover basic communication skills (comprehension, oral and written) as well as intercultural skills.
To focus on the design of the curriculum as well as the class structure and the individual student needs.
To further create cultural content programs, in order for students to come in direct contact with the Greek culture and the Orthodox faith.
To provide students with the necessary assistance, in order to fulfill their personal goals, focusing on obtaining an achievable result to assist them in their higher education studies.
To promote our cultural identity through the teachings of the traditions, Greek history and Greek customs.
To be in a safe and pleasant environment where students can appreciate the value of learning the Greek language.
