On Friday afternoon, the hallways are empty. The students of the Sacred Heart Institute have all gone out to enjoy the mild spring weather already evident in Rome at the beginning of March. For Olivier Lamoril, “coordinator of educational and instructional activities” — more simply called “preside” (principal) by the Italian staff — there is no question of going for a stroll in the Eternal City or enjoying the school’s exceptional view.
Located in the Trinità dei Monti complex, which belongs to the French state, the Sacred Heart Institute (the name of which is usually in French, “Institut du Sacré-Cœur”) can boast of being the school with the most beautiful view in Rome. As on any given day, Lamoril's appointments follow one after another: administrative tasks, meetings with parents, teachers… We manage to squeeze into the busy schedule of this education enthusiast.
In his small office nestled among the classrooms, this man in his early 50s welcomes us under the gaze of John Paul II and a bust of the school’s founder, Saint Madeleine-Sophie Barat. An engraving depicts the Spanish Steps, located just a few dozen meters away: the school is adjacent to the Church of Trinità dei Monti, which overlooks Rome.
Sowing and watering well
Getting Olivier Lamoril to talk about education is easy. He enthusiastically quotes Popes Paul VI, Benedict XVI, and Francis, and finally this phrase from Francis de Sales, which he has made his motto: “It is up to us to sow well and water well, but to give growth — that belongs only to God.”
To “sow well and water well,” the headmaster has prioritized being near to the students and teachers since his arrival in Rome at the start of the 2024 school year. Every morning, he stands at the gate to greet each of the 500 students enrolled here one by one. Likewise, he makes it a point of honor to visit the teachers’ lounge during every recess to chat with the teachers.
“For me, the educational and relational aspects have always taken priority over the administrative aspects of my role,” he emphasizes.
Bringing his military background into education
Olivier Lamoril is, therefore, a man of action. He proved this in a previous life, as before finding his calling in the world of education, he was a soldier. Tall, broad-shouldered, with a square jaw—you could almost have guessed it. “I attended the Saint-Cyr Officer Academy in Coëtquidan [France] before becoming a platoon leader,” he recounts, delving into distant memories. “I took part in two overseas operations: in Côte d’Ivoire and in Kosovo,” he recounts.
Yet, several reasons led him to turn the page. First and foremost, family: “I missed two of my wife’s childbirths,” recalls this father of six, who lost a little girl. It was also while in the military that his calling as an educator took shape. “In the army, there are rules; it’s formative. I liked that aspect of my job, but it wasn’t my primary mission as an officer!”
He therefore decided to start from scratch and take the exams necessary to become a teacher. (In France, if you want to teach at a private school, you have to pass a high-level academic competition, and if you earn one of the spots, you get a job automatically.) He, a man of action, had to get used to a new rhythm. “During the year I spent preparing for the exams, I was a stay-at-home dad with four kids,” he recalls, amused.
A new battle: the 7th-grade classroom
Once he had his Certificate of Aptitude for Professorate of Private Education (CAFEP, Certificat d'Aptitude au Professorat de l'Enseignement Privé) in hand, he was no longer facing four but some 30 children every day. He has never lost the decisive temperament he inherited from his experience as an officer. In 2005, he became a history and geography teacher. “At the time, I knew it was just a stepping stone,” he explains. “I already had the idea of running schools in mind, but first I wanted to experience the joys and challenges of the teaching profession,” he adds.
The former platoon leader, who once commanded 39 men who obeyed his every command, recalls his first religion classes with a rowdy 7th-grade class. “It was a nightmare,” he says today with a laugh. Yet this experience didn’t turn him off. In fact, he was determined to continue teaching even after becoming a school principal in 2010. “I felt it was important to maintain a connection with the students,” he insists.
In 2015, he was transferred to lead a school with 1,250 students; the workload became too heavy to wear both hats. “It broke my heart,” he admits, vowing never to lose that close bond with the students.
Even today, he sometimes lends a hand to the teaching staff, “even though in Italy it’s not very well-regarded for the principal to also be a teacher,” he adds. Upon arriving at this French-run school in Rome, Olivier Lamoril had to adapt to local customs. “Italians aren’t as closely related to the French as one might think,” he notes.
“Rules and love”
Despite this, certain fundamentals remain universal when it comes to raising children in a healthy way. As a member of the Emmanuel Community, Olivier Lamoril held leadership roles within the community’s “education” branch, which runs schools in Africa and Haiti, among other places.
This gave him the opportunity to discover educational approaches that were sometimes radically different, but also the universal needs of young children. “No matter where you are on the planet, to grow up well, a child needs someone to meet them at their level, to give them rules and love,” he explains, while emphasizing the exemplary behavior that every educator must demonstrate.
In Italy, this devout Catholic discovered a “radically different” relationship with religion: “The question of God is a given here!” A pleasant surprise for this school principal accustomed to the challenges sometimes posed by French-style secularism. In Rome, he can implement a dynamic pastoral program, unhindered.
“We’ve just had a crazy year,” he enthuses. “Between the jubilee and the conclave, it’s been incredibly intense.” This reassuring omnipresence of the Church is clearly evident: the high school courtyard, overlooking Rome, offers a breathtaking view of the sea of rooftops and bell towers of the Eternal City.
Cutting against the azure sky, the imposing dome of St. Peter’s Basilica seems to rise from this ocean and watch over the students of Sacred Heart, alongside Olivier Lamoril.
