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Our 61st annual Piarist ball was once again held at the
magnificent University club in New York City.
The fabulous Laura Angyal Jazz quartet Performed during our
elegant cocktail hour. Guests were ushered into the main
ballroom to the sounds of the renowned Lester Lannin
Orchestra. The University club’s Master Chef’s Culinary
creations graced our dinner plates. At 9 PM the orchestra
took the stage and the ceremonious introduction of our
beautiful debutantes opened the ball. Later, Special guest
violinist Bernadett Nyári Dazzled the guests with an
Electrifying virtuoso show.
The uninterrupted ballroom music continued until 1 AM.
St. Joseph of Calasantz (1557-1648) a Spanish priest,
established the Order of the Pious Schools (known as the
Piarists). He created his first school in 1597 in Rome, to
educate poor children, providing them with knowledge and
skills which would enable them to have a better life.
https://piaristballnyc.com/ |
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The Piarists
The Order of the Piarists was founded in 1622. Besides the
three vows of consecrated life, its members also profess a
fourth, to dedicate their lives to educating the young. The
schools of this new Order soon became well-known and
respected in Italy, Spain, Austria, Poland, Bohemia and
Moravia. Their first school in Hungary was opened in 1642.
According to the wishes of the founder, Piarist schools are
free and they welcome first of all poor children, although
open to all, without any social discrimination. Today they
have schools on every continent.
t the request of the city council of the Hungarian capital,
in 1717 the Order opened a school in Pest. Compared to the
traditional education at the time, the school had its own
specific curriculum conceived in the Piarist spirit. Thus,
special emphasis was given to the sciences and the Hungarian
language. Drama and theatre (the so-called “school plays”)
added to the popularity of the institution. Importantly,
instead of following the cultural mainstream, which favored
German cultural influences and the use of the German
language, the Piarist fathers used Hungarian in their
teaching.
During its history the school had numerous locations. In the
early 20th century the Order built a new modern structure
and facility near the Danube embankment. After the Second
World War, the communist dictatorship confiscated that
building. In the summer of 1953, the Piarist fathers and
their students were given only a few weeks to move to a
designated new location, one-third of the original size,
into a building that was never intended to be a school.
During the communist reign, lasting until 1989, against all
obstacles and pressure from the State, the Secondary School
of the Piarist Fathers of Budapest maintained its fame and
success. Due to the high academic level and excellent
student-teacher relationships, it was among the best schools
in the nation. Throughout their centuries old history, the
Piarists played an outstanding role in educating generations
of Hungarian intellectuals.
Today, the Order operates nine schools in Hungary, in
addition to those it maintains for Hungarian communities
outside the nation’s current borders
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