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The Holy Synod of
the
Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania
is Formed
After several years of negotiations among
representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Church of Albania and
Albanian authorities, by the grace of God, the Holy Synod of the Orthodox
Autocephalous Church of Albania was formed. The enthronement of His Eminence
Ignatios, Metropolitan of Berat, Vlora and Kanina, (who is 64 years old and
comes from an Arvaniti background), took place on Saturday, July 18, 1998,
in the city of Berat. His Beatitude Anastasios, Archbishop of Tirana, Durres,
and All Albania, presided over the service, together with two
representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, His Eminence Evangelos,
Metropolitan of Perga, and His Eminence Meliton, Metropolitan of
Philadelphia.
In the afternoon of the same day,
Archbishop Anastasios and Metropolitan Ignatios, making up the first nucleus
of the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania, together
with the two representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, composed an
extraordinary Holy Synod in Tirana. These two representatives have been
involved in dealings concerning this issue with the Albanian authorities
since 1992. During this historic meeting, the Holy Synod dealt with urgent
issues facing the Church of Albania, accepted the previously given
resignations of His Eminence Alexander, former Metropolitan of Gjirokaster,
and His Eminence Christodoulos, former Metropolitan of Korça, (who were not
accepted by Albanian authorities due to their ethnic background) and
afterwards, elected two Albanian hierarchs.
Elected as Metropolitan of Korça was
Archimandrite John Pelushi (43 years old). He previously served as a teacher
and assistant director of the Theological Academy of the Church of Albania.
He graduated from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in America
with a Masters of Divinity degree. Elected as Bishop of Apollonia was the
Reverend Father Kosma Qirjo. He is a 77 year old representative of the
earlier generation of priests, who heroically continued to conduct baptisms
and celebrate Divine Liturgies even during the years of severe persecution.
Archbishop Anastasios, with Metropolitans Meliton and Ignatios, presided
over the ordination of the Metropolitan of Korça in front of a large number
of faithful at the Cathedral of the Annunciation in Tirana on July 20. The
representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate departed for Constantinople
the next day. On July 23, Archbishop Anastasios, with Metropolitans Ignatios
and John, presided over the ordination of the Bishop of Apollonia.
Following all the above developments, the
Holy Synod of the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania is now comprised
Archbishop Anastasios as president, Metropolitan Ignatios, Metropolitan
John, and Bishop Kosma.
The solution of this difficult problem,
which bothered all sides for a long time, especially the Orthodox of
Albania, was generally accepted and agreed.
6th
Year Anniversary of Church Restoration
Faithful believers from
different areas of Albania came to the Annunciation Cathedral in Tirana on
August 2, 1998 to celebrate the sixth anniversary of the official
restoration of the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania. It was six
years ago that His Beatitude, Archbishop Anastasios, was officially
enthroned in the Cathedral of Tirana as Archbishop of Tirana, Durres and All
Albania.
In this joyous event occurred another
historical event – the first Divine Liturgy concelebrated by all the members
of the Holy Synod of Albania. Concelebrating together with His Beatitude
Archbishop Anastasios were His Eminence Ignatios of Berat, His Eminence John
of Korça, and His Grace Kosma of Apollonia.
It was a day of festive gratitude as
various clerics and believers offered congratulations to Archbishop
Anastasios for the work achieved over the past six years, and warmly
recalled stories of love and hope which best exemplified the overall effort
of the Church. As the Archbishop reflected on the past years, he noted that
one of his greatest desires was fulfilled with the establishment of the Holy
Synod. This had been a concern of his from the resurrection of the Church
back in 1991.
The sixth anniversary presented an
opportunity to consider again the progress of the Church in the different
areas of worship, catechism, education, publishing, construction, and social
outreach. The Archbishop continued to ordain graduates from the Resurrection
of Christ Theological School, raising the number of new priests and deacons
to more than 100.
Construction projects proceeded at an
noteworthy rate these past six years:
- the two million dollar theological
school complex
- construction or restoration of the
ancient monasteries St. Vlash, Ardenica, St. Kosma, and Svernec
- 70 new churches from their
foundations
- 65 reconstructed or restored
churches
- more than 100 refurbished churches
- 15 new chapels,
- new metropolitan centers in Tirana,
Gjirokaster, Korça, and Berat
- kindergartens in Tirana, Durres,
Kavaja, Korça, Lushnje
- three medical clinics
- including the new Annuncation
Diagnostic Medical Center in Tirana to be opened later this year
- a Church workshop in Tirana,
housing a new candle factory, wood factory, printing house, icon and
restoration studio
- and many other projects
Looking at these results, it is obvious
that the Orthodox Church is one of the most serious investors in Albania,
offering work to dozens of local companies and hundreds of laborers. But
there are two observable characteristics – first, she does not receive any
special privileges from the government; and second, she does not take any
income outside of the country.
This September the Holy Cross
Ecclesiastical College (for high school boys) will open in Gjirokaster. This
past year also saw the opening of the Church Radio station “Ngjallja”
(Resurrection).
Youth movement in numerous cities and
villages continued to grow. The first national youth music festival was a
success, as well as a summer camping program with more than 350 participants
(see other articles in this issue). Different youth groups and seminarians
offered outreach in the area of catechism and social work. Church
kindergartens continued to expand, and new plans are being contemplated for
a Church orphanage. In general, many are coming forward for catechism and
baptism, including people from non-Orthodox backgrounds or families.
In the area of social welfare, the Church
continued to reach out to needy people through its Diaconia Agape ministry.
Over the past years, thousands of tons of emergency aid, food, clothing, and
medical supplies have been delivered through the Church to thousands of
people irrespective of their religious persuasion. A mobile dental clinic
began functioning, traveling to different villages and offering free dental
care. Countless individuals and organizations, known and unknown, outside
Albania have offered generous donations, for which the Church is grateful.
Church medical clinics in Tirana,
Korça, and Kavaja presently function, with plans for others to open soon in
Lushnje and Gjirokaster. Rural developmental programs involving agriculture,
water supply, and guidance in health and domestic management have been
implemented. Also groups of Orthodox women in various parishes are
developing their own particular activities in the field of human welfare.
On the whole, the church offers an
invaluable contribution to the contemporary society, acting as a vibrant and
creative entity instilling hope for the future in both spiritual and
concrete way.
Summer Youth
Camps a Success
More than 400 youth from ages 8-30
participated in five different Church camps throughout the month of July and
early August. Two boys’ camps (for ages 13-17, and 18-30) were held on the
scenic island of Svernec, Vlora, in the ancient Monastery of the Nativity of
the Virgin Mary. Each camp was 14 days long, and included a program of daily
worship services, Bible study, spiritual discussion, sporting competition,
swimming at the beach, and Christian fellowship. Another camp was held in
the mountainous area of Vithkuq, Korça, for high school boys from the Korça.
Two girls’ camps were held at the
Resurrection of Christ Theological Seminary in St. Vlash, Durres. The older
girls camp (ages 16-25) lasted for two weeks, while a children’s camp (ages
10-15) lasted for four days. The girls program was similar to the boys, with
the addition of an outreach program to an old age home and an orphanage.
Syndesmos
Youth Meet in Albania
On June 26 to July 6, 1998, 46 young
Orthodox Christians from Albania and nine other countries met at the
Resurrection of Christ Theological School in St. Vlash, Durres for a
Syndesmos meeting. Syndesmos is an international Orthodox organization that
brings together young adults from all over the world to share their common
faith. The theme of the conference was “Making Disciples of Christ.”
The purpose of the conference was to enrich
the faith of the young Orthodox Christians with a variety of activities
during the 10-day retreat. The first part of the retreat included
presentations from keynote speakers, small group discussions, and
interactive workshops. The last four days of the retreat was occupied by
travelling together to historic and spiritual sites of Albania.
Other activities included morning and
evening worship services (offered in Albanian, English, Greek, Slavonic, and
other languages) fellowship, and discussions which all contributed to an
atmosphere conducive to spiritual growth.
Countries represented at the meeting were
Albania, America, Czech Republic, England, France, Greece, Holland, Poland,
Russia, and Syria.
Seminarians
Finish Catechism Program with 190 Baptisms
Eighteen students from the Resurrection of
Christ Theological School of St. Vlash-Durres (Albania) finished a one month
catechism program on July 19, 1998. Over the past month, these students
visited 11 villages daily, offering catechism lessons, teaching songs, and
playing games with more than 450 children and youth. The goal of this
project was to offer an Orthodox witness in villages where a strong
catechetical effort in educating the youth and preparing them for baptism
has not been present.
During the final week, priests from
different areas came and baptized more than 190 children and youth. The
largest baptism took place in the Adriatic sea, near the village of Seman
and the ancient monastery of Apollonia, where four neighboring priests
baptized 95 people. In the mountain region of Shpati, a two hour rugged
journey from Elbasan, 60 children were baptised. Two years earlier in this
same area, student catechists had prepared 150 children, who later were
baptised. The final group worked in three villages of Korça, finally
baptizing 35 youth.
Students from the seminary were divided
into four groups, covering three general areas of Albania. Students in the
Muzeqe area stayed at the Monastery of the Virgin Mary – Ardenica. The group
in Shpati rented a house in the general center of Gjinar, and then walked to
villages as far as two hours away to do their catechetical work. In Korça,
one group stayed at the Mitropoli of Korça, daily traveling to two
neighboring villages, and the other group lived in the Monastery of Kamanica
and worked in that predominately non-Christian village.
First
National Youth Musical Festival
"Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new
song, And His praise in the congregation of Saints." (Psalm 149:1)
More than 170 youth from 14 different areas
of Albania participated in the first National Orthodox Youth Musical
Festival on June 21, 1998. Beautiful Orthodox hymns, original Christian
melodies, and traditional folk songs entertained an audience of 500 people,
including His Beatitude Anastasios, Archbishop of Tirana and All Albania.
An all girls group from Korca won first
prize after they sang a beautiful rendition of the prokeimenon from the
feast of Pentecost, "Who is so great a God as our God," together with a
traditional song from Korca. The youth group from the village of Kelcyra,
near the city of Permeti, won second place. Third place went to the youth
group of Selenica, who sang an original song entitled "St. Athanasi." Other
youth groups participating came from the cities of Durres, Lushnje, Kavaja,
Fier, Vlora, Elbasan, Gjirokaster, and Permeti, and the villages of
Bubullime and Libofshe.
The Music Festival gathered youth for three
days with the central goal of encouraging the youth from the different areas
to come to know one another and to exchange musical talents and
youth-oriented ideas. The participants arrived on Saturday evening at the
Holy Resurrection of Christ Seminary at St. Vlash - Durres. The gathering
began with a Vespers Service, dinner, and introduction of youth groups.
On Sunday, the youth traveled to the
Annunciation Cathedral in Tirana for the Divine Liturgy. After the liturgy,
the Tirana youth hosted a cocktail for all participants at St. Prokopi
Church in the central park of Tirana. While at St. Prokopi, each group
performed a recording of their musical selections at the Church's
"Resurrection" radio station. The competition was then broadcast the
following week over three successive days.
After the recording, the participants
enjoyed lunch with Archbishop Anastasios. Immediately following lunch, the
participants had a final rehearsal before the concert that evening. The
Festival took the format of a competition, with each group being judged by a
panel according to three criteria: musical quality, appearance, and
originality.
A highlight of the National Musical
Festival was an inspiring drama by the students of the seminary on the Life
of St. George the Great Martyr. Also, young girls from Tirana's catechism
and choir groups opened the Festival with several musical selections, and
closed the concert with a dance performance. Archbishop Anastasios announced
plans for the musical festival to become an annual event. Future plans
include possibly adding another day for groups to perform more musical
selections and traditional dances from their area.
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