On March 15th in the village of Gerdec, near the capital city of Tirana a terrible tragedy occurred in which the whole village and surrounding areas were basically demolished when an arms factory blew up in several major explosions.  Over 20 people died, hundreds were wounded and many are still missing.  This tragedy was felt deeply by the Orthodox faithful. 
    Within the first hours after this tragedy, His Grace Andoni, assistant to the Archbishop had contacted the emergency response teams to communicate the Church’s readiness to help.

    Immediately the faithful of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania made a concerted effort to pray and gather whatever possible to help those affected, especially the wounded.
    That very day, the Youth Group together with Archimandrite Kozma Prifti went together to the University Center of “Mother Theresa” to give blood and the Church’s radio station “Resurrection” broadcasted continuous requests for believers to help those in need.
    On Sunday, March 16th, His Grace Andoni remembered the victims of the Gerdec tragedy in prayer during the Divine Liturgy.

    In fact a special prayer was made for the victims and their families during the procession of the icons made for the Sunday of Orthodoxy which was that same day.          
    Following Liturgy, the faithful were invited to donate money and from the funds gathered, 100 packages of food were prepared for the many people displaced from their homes by the tragedy.

    On Monday the Secretary of the Holy Synod, Father Jani Trebicka, together with a group from the church brought the food to the Town Hall in Vore (a town near Gerdec).  The workers of the town hall were very grateful especially as this was the first help to arrive.
    A few days later, Archbishop Anastasios went to Durres, to the vacation dormitory, owned by the Ministry of the Interior, where about 400 people who had lost their homes in the explosions were staying.

    There he gave hope to the people and spoke warmly with the director.  His Beatitude not only shared spiritual warmth but physical warmth as well, donating many heaters and blankets and gifts for the children.
    In addition, students and professors from the Orthodox Theological Academy joined forces with the Orthodox Youth Group of Tirana to offer material and spiritual support and organized activities with numerous children who were in great shock from the explosions and all its tragic results.    
    Archbishop Anastasios has declared that the Church’s dedication to help those in need will not fade over time and included a promise to secure funds to rebuild the school or kindergarten in the area destroyed by the explosions.
 
 
Translated and edited by Georgia Gilman
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