– Divine Liturgy at the Resurrection of Christ Cathedral –
– A Cordial Meeting with the Faithful and Students –
– The Inauguration of the Spirit of Love High School –
A visit full of blessings and spiritual gifts was the one paid by Archbishop of Tirana, Durrës and All Albania, His Beatitude Anastasios to the Holy Metropolis of Gjirokastra from September 23rd to 25th, 2017.
The climax of the events was the Divine Liturgy celebrated on Sunday, September 24, at the Resurrection of Christ Cathedral in Gjirokastra. The Metropolitan of Gjirokastra, His Grace Dhimitri, together with the Metropolitan of Amantia, His Grace Nathanail accompanying the Archbishop, as well as all the clergy of the Metropolis concelebrated the Divine Liturgy. Lots of faithful from the city of Gjirokastra, as well as from the places around had come to receive the blessings of the Archbishop and to express their heartfelt congratulations to him on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of His Enthronement as well as to extend their thanks for everything he has done and constantly does with self-denying sacrifices for the overall advancement of the Church and our society.
The atmosphere in the church and in the surrounding area was panegyric and the participants’ joy for the presence of the Archbishop was felt amidst the believers and in the entire community. During the Liturgy, the Archbishop delivered a worthy practical word about the faithful’s donations and their contribution to the empowerment and support of the Church activities. “Perhaps, we started our journey very late due to the given historical situation in the country and especially the economic difficulties of the people, but now it is the time to return to the tradition of the Orthodox Church. Every day, but especially on Sundays, the believers should not come empty-handed in the Church; they should try to provide, to donate, to support the weakest people, to contribute to the Church’s charitable activity for the combat of poverty and for helping the sick and the disabled. All that is needed is financial means, which for centuries have been generously offered to believers. This lesson should be learnt also by the younger generation…” claimed the Archbishop, taking advantage of the numerous young people and students present at church. And he continued saying that, “…the one who benefits the most is the one who gives rather than the one who receives. This is a lesson that, if you adhere to it, will value it throughout your life. “
In his Sermon on the Gospel of the Day, the Archbishop spoke to the faithful about the dilemma contained therein, which is also a challenging dilemma presented to every person and believer each day of their life. This dilemma is about whether one should take the side of experience and its impositions or the message of God. The fishermen-apostles had to choose between their experiences as drunkard fishermen on one hand, at the passage in the Bible where they confessed that during the whole evening, which was the right time for fishing, they had not caught anything, so what was the point in throwing their fishing nets in the middle of the day and, on the other hand, the command of God: “Cast nets with confidence in my word”. And of course the result is expected.
But in order to experience this blessed dilemma as the apostles did and to choose not according to experience but to God’s command, four preconditions need to be fulfilled: belief in the word of God, unconditional obedience to His will, humility to avoid even the slightest sign of selfishness, as well as the courage to follow God’s way to the end.
The Archbishop argued about such an Evangelical moment providing his experience during the 25-year journey of the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania. Considering the conditions where the country and the Albanian society found themselves in the 1990s, in a place filled with bunkers and where the wind of despair and abandonment was so fierce, the ierapostolic efforts could not survive but only a few months. Nonetheless twenty-six years of creative work and unimaginable blessings for our Church and society proceeded. When the majority of the advanced initiatives of our Church were undertaken throughout these years, the experience would manifest only refusing arguments, but obedience to the Lord’s commandment transformed them into blessed realities …
The Metropolitan of Gjirokastra, referring to the many enthusiastic youth present at the church reminded the Archbishop that when the Church’s renewed effort began, the little children were the first who came by, but nowadays there was a difference. And he continued to claim that, “These youth and children are yours, because they are grown and educated in the schools that you have set up and supported.”
Afterwards, in remembrance of this visit and common Divine Liturgy, almost a year after the consecration of the new Cathedral, Metropolitan Dhimitri gave the Archbishop an archieratic staff, thanking him for everything he has offered for the reestablishment of the Church structures especially in the Holy Metropolis of Gjirokastra.
In the premises of the activity hall of the Spirit of Love Albanian-Greek 9-year school there was a reception and a celebrating program organized by the students of the church educational centers. In his meeting with the faithful, Archbishop Anastasios reiterated his constant encouragement that the Orthodox community of Gjirokastra and of the surrounding areas should not be a closed one, but a window instead which stays always open to the whole society, just like the Orthodox Church should be: a receptive and radiant Church which keeps spreading the gifts of the Holy Spirit such as love, peace, generosity, patience, etc, to all the people.
Archbishop Anastasios also met with the clerics of the Holy Metropolis, most of whom were ordained by him, supporting and empowering with his father’s words their mission and their hard work for the revival of the small parishes and local communities, which is in fact the most precious work of our Orthodox Church.
* * *
On Monday, September 25, before returning back to Tirana, Archbishop Anastasios paid a visit at the premises of the Emaus Educational Complex where the inauguration of the Spirit of Love High School took place. This was another sacrificial gift of the Archbishop who constantly contributes to the qualitative education of our new generation.
The blessing service was carried out in the Chapel (Paraklisis) of the Resurrection of Christ Cathedral. Archbishop Anastasios and Metropolitan Dhimiter cut the bar of inauguration. After reconstruction works, the complex offers ideal conditions for the full extent of the teaching and the extracurricular process of this high school.
Then, in the multifunctional hall of the complex, a celebrating program followed which was attended by the Metropolitans Dhimitër and Nathanail, the Regional Director of Education, Ms. Lindita Rova, the Consul of the Greek Republic in Gjirokastra, Mr. Vasilios Tolos, the staff and collaborators of the Spirit of Love Foundation, clerics, parents and residents from the city and the nearby areas. In very warm and cordial words, on behalf of the first generation of students and the chosen faculty, the school director, Mr. Theodhori Qesku expressed his gratitude for the Archbishop to whom this school was dedicated and wished him for the 25th anniversary of his enthronement. Speaking of the school’s intentions, he said that the orientation would be based on the rich teachings of our Archbishop as their spiritual shepherd, but also on the work of the teachers and the auditors. He continued highlighting that the core features of the new educational institution would be: thanksgiving, testimony, and hope.
Archbishop Anastasios wished that the school achieves the intended results and proves to be worthy to the Church and its community, but also justifies the dignified investment made available to her. He also wished the students in particular that their fresh environment be never infected by the characteristic microbes of school societies, such as envy, jealousy and selfishness, but on the contrary, be filled with love, solidarity, and healthy competition. In general, the Archbishop urged that this school of the Spirit of Love Foundation, whose founder and president is His Beatitude himself, should be the center of works of love, truth and beauty inspired and supported by our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Incarnated Love of God, the Perfect Beauty and the Absolute Truth. He congratulated also the pedagogical staff who managed to put to practice the school curriculum and have the facilities equipped in a very short time period.
The 9-year school music choir made the atmosphere much warmer and gave life to the complex.
At the end, the Archbishop and the participants visited the school environments, the classrooms, the running laboratories as well as those which were about to start functioning and the school library.
