Archbishop Anastasios visits the Metropolis of Gjirokastra
The Albanian Orthodox Church
It was a special blessing for Gjirokastra to be visited by His Beatitude Archbishop of Tirana and all Albania, Anastasios. Coming from Cyprus, where their university, in a splendid ceremony, had declared him, “Honorary Doctor,” Archbishop Anastasios filled the hearts of believers of the Metropolis of Gjirokastra with joy. On Sunday, June 20th, in the Church of Archangels in Varrosh, Archbishop Anastasios, together with the Metropolitan of Gjirokastra, His Eminence Dimitrios, led the Divine liturgy. The church was crowded with believers, not only from the city, but from all areas of the Metropolis. The presence of many youth groups and schools of catechism of our Church was impressive.
After the Liturgy, all the participants and many citizens departed for the area located in a central point of the city, in which the new Cathedral Church of Gjirokastra will be built. The laying of the cornerstone, along with a service of the Blessing of the Water was done by Archbishop Anastasios. It had been the Archbishop himself who took cared about purchasing the land several years ago, as well as studying and implementing the projects for this work which is so important for the Metropolis. The Archbishop, after speaking about the numerous barriers that exists to-date regarding the Cathedral’s building permit, communicated some good news: Along with the church, there will also be built another building for the church’s educational complex, with rooms for spiritual and cultural activities, etc.
The ceremony was also attended by Labour Minister, Mr. S. Ksera, the Mayor of Gjirokastra, Mr. F. Bime, the Consul General of Greece in the South, Mr. J. Rizopullos, Deputy and Chairman of PBDNJ, Mr. Vangjel Dule, and representatives of local authorities, etc. The service was a chance for the Archbishop to emphasize once more the importance of building a new Orthodox church as a center of prayer, brotherhood, and social reconciliation which must radiate love everywhere. The Archbishop also spoke of the sensitivity and care of the Orthodox Church and of the choice of architecture for beauty in general.
The Mayor of Gjirokastra, Mr. Flamur Bime, invited the Archbishop to visit the headquarters of the municipality. The visit took place on Monday morning. The Mayor and two deputy chairmen welcomed pleasantly the Archbishop and they had a warm conversation. The Mayor spoke with warmest words for the work of Archbishop Anastasios in rebuilding the Orthodox Church in our country; but also for his public activity in general and more specifically in promoting and deepening the on going valuable experience and cooperation of the coexistence of religious communities in Albania. They also spoke about the perspective that will be opened for the Orthodox community in the South with the building of a new Cathedral Church of the Resurrection of the Lord, and the educational complex that will also follow. It was emphasized that meetings of this nature and, in particular, the cooperation between local authorities and the Church are beneficial for the community and the City; they are supportive from the perspective of improving the lives of its citizens. In this context, Mr. Bime thanked the Archbishop for the donation recently given to the City of a number of urban waste bins as part of an environmental program.
The City Council of Këlcyra was keeping a pleasant surprise for Archbishop Anastasios: by unanimous decision one of the streets in the center of the town was named for the Archbishop. The Archbishop attended the ceremony of placing the marble tile with the name of the street. Many believers, together with their priests, and the local authorities of the town organized a warm welcome for the Archbishop. In the Church of the Evangelization of the Theotokos and the Lord’s Resurrection, a short prayer was made and the Archbishop, always accompanied by His Eminence Dimitrios, gave a warm greeting, referring to the extraordinary progress that has been made in the Orthodox Church; to its resurrection after the atheist persecution for many years, as well as the effort of each believer, in particular, to continue to be renewed spiritually and strengthened in his faith in God. The Mayor of Këlcyra, Mr. Agron Tahiri, on the square in front of City Hall read the decision honoring His Beatitude. He said, this honor is for Archbishop Anastasios as a person, for his multidimensional work to resurrect the Orthodox Church, for the promotion of the peaceful coexistence and cooperation between religious communities in the country, but especially for his care for Këlcyra.
In Këlcyra the magnificent church in the city center, which honors the Evangelization of the Theotokos and the Resurrection of the Lord, has been among the first works made by Archbishop Anastasios. In addition, the Archbishop also took care of interior appointments and the decoration of the church. With care and financial support, Archbishop also bought a building, which serves as a youth and spiritual centre. Very close to the town, in the Gap of Këlcyra, the Archbishop built, from the foundations, the new Monastery of Saint Nicholas, which had been completely destroyed. It is a place of prayer for the residents of the area (not just Christians). The most important among all of these is the help that has been provided by Archbishop Anastasios in support of youth. Many youth of the area continue their studies in the educational centers of the Church with scholarship provided by the Archbishop; while dozens of others, year after year, participate in the youth camps of the Church. Following this a symbolic reception took place in the spiritual center, where they exchanged greetings and a short program of traditional folk music was given by the youngest members of the Orthodox Spiritual Centre of Këlcyra.
On Monday afternoon, June 21st, His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios, along with His Eminence Dimitrios, took part in the festive event of the schools of the Church, which he himself had established. The Church Lyceum, “Holy Cross,” and the professional high school, “Apostle Paul,” had organized the distribution of certificates of acknowledgment of the end of this school year. Different prizes were also given for those who were distinguished in various subjects and sectors of educational activities, both inside and outside of the school. The Archbishop told the students to continue to implement the useful lessons that they had taken in school; to be distinguished for their integrity and to radiate everywhere the Orthodox faith. As far as for the professional school “Apostle Paul,” Archbishop Anastasios communicated two important items of news: The cycle of study will now be completed in four years in order to allow the students to continue university studies, and also a specialty for nurses will be opened immediately.
Correspondent of Newspaper Ngjallja
Translated Ana Meni
Edited by Anastasia Pamela Barksdale
