– Divine Liturgy presided by Archbishop Anastasios
– Church Service at the same place where the first Liturgy was celebrated in 1991
– Visit to the Monastery of the Dormition of Theotokos in Kostar
On 15 August 2016 in the city of Delvina, in the church of the “Dormition of the Theotokos” a multi-archieratic Divine Liturgy took place which was presided over by the Archbishop of Tirana, Durres and All Albania, His Beatitude Anastasios. Concelebrating were also the Metropolitan of Gjirokastra, His Grace Demetrios and the Metropolitan of Amantias, His Grace Nathaniel. This is one of the most popular festivities for the Orthodox people who call it also the “Passover of August” to emphasize the importance of the feast in people’s conscience and tradition. After the end of the fasting period for the feast of Holy Theotokos, dozens of believers were gathered together to celebrate the feast within a joyful but also deeply spiritual festive atmosphere.
The Divine Liturgy coincided with a jubilee date because the date marked the 25th anniversary of the first Divine Liturgy conducted by Archbishop Anastasios in Delvina when he went on a tour throughout the territory of Albania as a Patriarchal Exarch to view the condition of Orthodoxy. His Beatitude performed the first Liturgy outdoor, under a plane tree on which a wooden cross was placed. It was the place where the old church of the Dormition of the Theotokos had been located, and which was demolished to build the “martyrs’ cemetery” of the city. The view created in mind is such a historic and expressive one portrayed in a photo as well to mark the starting point of the journey of restoration of the Orthodox Church in Albania.
With this event in mind, immediately after the Divine Liturgy, in their procession, the faithful led by clergymen and priests, headed to the place where the new church got built and where the Artoklasia service (Blessing of the Five Loaves) was performed. Beyond the historic event and the emotions related to it, the Archbishop in his speech, added a deep theological dimension to the particular service performed. He said that the Orthodox Church, shortly after the persecution and during all the years of hard work for its rapid resurrection profoundly experiences God’s Miracle of the Five Loaves in the Gospel. His Beatitude spoke about this miracle and how the Lord blessed all the work that was made from scratch. At the same time, he urged the participants in the event to gain another understanding of this miracle of God, the importance of the believers’ contribution. Those pupils in the wilderness offered five loaves and two fish and that was what God exactly blessed and multiplied.
Further in his sermon, Archbishop Anastasios spoke about the person of Virgin Mary and the Gospel of the day. The Most Holy Theotokos is the person who speaks more with her silence and gains the love of the people through her extreme humility that characterizes her behavior. It was not her origin from a noble family, or her wealth and high social position which made her worthy to become the Mother of God but her simplicity and humble spirit instead as well as her obedience to God’s call. In addition the Archbishop noted that there are misleading commenters of the Gospel who claim in vain that God lowers the image of His All-Holy and Pure Mother. On the contrary, her image is lifted up and through her example, He tries to tell us all how to reach the heights of her virtues in obeying and preserving God’s Word. Yes, really “blessed is the womb that bore You, and blessed are the breasts that nursed You” but also blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it! What is attempted in these lines, is not lowering the profile of the Most Holy Theotokos, but reaching the same heights by following the path of God. And by hearing and obeying the word of God we become people who possess humility, obedience, faith, peace, hope and, above all, love. Throughout his visit for several days in the Metropolis of Gjirokastra, His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios kept encouraging the believers to become bearers of love; not of the abstract love, but of the love expressed in works.
Besides the faithful, there were present in Delvina also the Mayor of Saranda, Mrs. F. Koka, MP, Mr. V. Dule, Ambassador of Greece Mrs. E. Sourani, representatives of the community of the area, etc.
Archbishop Anastasios made a brief visit in the Monastery of the Dormition of the Gracious Holy Theotokos in Mesopotam, near Kostar village. Priests and faithful were waiting for him in the small monastery to “welcome him home”, as a little girl who gave him fresh flowers said. Over the years this small monastery has in fact encouraged lots of believers of the Vurgu area and beyond to cultivate their faith. His Beatitude prayed at the monastery’s small church; he praised the community and clergy of the Holy Metropolis of Gjirokastra for their care and the progress made there and spoke spiritual words to the faithful. He spoke precisely about the dimension of tradition and the historical memory. Tradition consists of folklore and popular fairs. But they originate in a much deeper tradition that is the Christian faith, which feeds the branches of this tree and makes up the popular tradition. He spoke also about the historical memory, which reminds us of our sufferings under atheism and the journey we went through to reach the point we are now. And there are even more reasons to thank God for His multitude of gifts and to show our gratitude towards the safest and the fastest intervener, that is the Mother of our God, Virgin Mary.
Archbishop once again explained to the faithful the rules provided on the well-management of our gracious monasteries, until they have a community of their own. These rules are fixed in the latest regulations of the Statute of our Church, adopted last spring. Also the opportunity for a more fruitful and productive collaboration between the communities by avoiding unwanted friction was highlighted.
This blessed visit was the best way of celebrating the 25th anniversary of the arrival in Albania of a spiritual shepherd and all these spiritual unforgettable events for the Metropolis of Gjirokastra such as the consecration of the Resurrection of the Lord Cathedral, the introduction of the new publication “Construction Work in the Metropolis of Gjirokastra” , the consecration of the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul as well as the panegyric Liturgy of the Dormition of the Holy Theotokos in Delvina.
The faithful’s prayer to God and to the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, for our Archbishop expresses also their wish for His Beatitude, Anastasios to enjoy a long life and to have God’s enlightenment in his endeavors for the progress of Orthodoxy.
Translated by: Juljana Kodheli
