January 22, the feast day of the apostle Timothy and Saint Anastasius the Persian, has been special and significant to the orthodox faithful of Albania during the last 26 years. It is the name day of our very beloved Archbishop Anastasios, who is the initiator and the accomplisher of a miracle that has been taking place in the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania. On this day a lot for clergy and faithful from the Archiepiscopate and the Metropolitan areas come to personally congratulate the head of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania wishing him many blessed years.
Divine Liturgy was celebrated on this day at the Resurrection of Christ Cathedral, in Tirana, where the Holy Synod of our Church and many clergymen from all areas concelebrated. The church was full of believers coming from all the dioceses, but it was particularly remarkable the large number of Orthodox youth present at the Liturgy. This was the first time that Archbishop Anastasios celebrated as an Albanian citizen. He was granted the Albanian citizenship by the President of the country, Mr. Ilir Meta a month earlier.
According to tradition, an ordination took place also on the day of his celebration. Mr. Paskal Mamaj was ordained to hierodeacon and received the name Anastasios. His Beatitude, Archbishop Anastasios extended his wishes to the new hierodeacon and his relatives and also highlighted the importance of having young people serving the Church as clerics.
In the end, on behalf of the Holy Synod and the Orthodox believers who were present at the event, His Grace Joan, the Metropolitan of Korca gave the respective wishes to the Archbishop.
After the Divine Liturgy, a reception was organized in the main hall of the Holy Synod building, where His Beatitude received wishes for his name day by hundreds of Orthodox faithful and clergy who had come to wish their beloved Archbishop.
