“… Let us exalt the symbol of the Holy Cross in our conscience, in our soul and in our heart…”
– Divine Liturgy on the Nativity of Theotokos Feast in Dhermi, Himara –
– Celebration on the 20th Anniversary of the Foundation of the Holy Cross Ecclesiastical High School in Gjirokastra –
The blessed visit of Archbishop of Tirana, Durres and All Albania, His Beatitude Anastasios, in the area of the Holy Metropolis of Gjirokastra was busy and filled with emotions. On the occasion of the celebration of the Nativity of Theotokos Feast and the activities organized on the 20th anniversary of the foundation of the Holy Cross high school in Gjirokastra, the Archbishop conveyed messages of hope and his creative vision which is so necessary at our time, both within the orthodox community and the society in general. Countless emotions, prayers of gratitude, a clear vision for the future and a rich program of activities, made up the synthesis of this blessed visit of His Beatitude.
In Dhermi
On Saturday, September 8, the day when our Church honors and celebrates the Nativity Feast of the Most Holy Theotokos, Archbishop Anastasios celebrated the Divine Liturgy at St. Harallambi Church in Dhermi. Lots of faithful were in the church, both inside and outside it, in the area around, in order to participate in the Mystery of Mysteries, and receive the blessing of our Church’s Shepherd. Also His Grace Nathanaiel, the Metropolitan of Amantias, and other clergy concelebrated the Liturgy.
In his sermon and greeting on the occasion, Archbishop Anastasios spoke about the personality of the Most Holy Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ and in particular about Her holy silence: Silence and obedience at the moment when the annunciation news was proclaimed to her by the angel; silence and hope when in exile She was caring for the Son of God; Silence and patience when Her Son was suffering on the Cross. But he referred to certain moments in the Gospel as well. For example, when She accepted the order of the Archangel, when She glorified God during Her visit to Elizabeth’s place and when She asked Her Son and our God to give abundances of happiness to the men during the wedding in Cana.
“Let Her example inspire each of us, who want to be sons of God and pray to Him,” said the Archbishop, “in order to have more unity among us, more forgiveness of one another, bigger predisposition for sacrifice and greater responsibility for ‘obeying the will of God.”
Except the faithful, the Liturgy and the following meetings were attended by personalities of social life in the area, education workers, Church associates, as well as the Mayor of the Municipality, Mr. J. Goro.
The message of hope by Archbishop Anastasios and his vision for the Church to continue its creative work is concrete. Despite the difficulties, the faithful community in Dhërmi and the entire Himara area are experiencing the reality of the complete rehabilitation of the monastery of Sts. Theodore, which was made possible with the initiative, special care and funds provided by His Beatitude. On behalf of the faithful, the local priest expressed his deep gratitude for this incredible miracle which sounded impossible years ago.
Archbishop encouraged the faithful to stay firm in their devotion to Orthodox faith, and recalled the Divine Liturgy back in August 1991, which had a supportive role within the obscure situation prevailing in the country and the decisions that had to be made next.
Concretizing his optimism for the future, Archbishop Anastasios communicated to the faithful the efforts being made for the further expansion of Logos University College with a new Faculty of Humanities in it and its branches of Theology, Hellenic Language and Pedagogy and also made known his objective for building a Lyceum of the “Spirit of Love” foundation in their area as well as the further revitalization of life in that place through the spiritual activities organized in the Monastery of Sts. Theodore.
The Archbishop also visited the church of St. Athanasius, which is recovering after the viciousness in the summer of 2016. That was a sacrilege which became even more severe when certain politicians pretended that a garage was ruined and not a church which was closely tied to the conscience and worshipping life of the local Orthodox community.
Before his arrival to the Metropolis of Gjirokastra, Archbishop Anastasios attended several activities on the island of Corfu, where he was honored by the diaspora of the Seven Ionian Islands and the respective prefecture.
In Gjirokastra
The central event during the visit of Archbishop Anastasios in Gjirokastra was the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Holy Cross Ecclesiastical Lyceum on Sunday, September 9, which coincided to be before the celebration of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
The Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Resurrection of Christ Cathedral Church by Archbishop of Tirana, Durres and All Albania, His Beatitude Anastasios, and the Metropolitan of Gjirokastra, His Grace Dhimitri and the Metropolitan of Kinsasha (Congo), His Grace Niqifor. Lots of faithful, and in particular young ex-pupils of the “The Holy Cross” Lyceum, were united in their prayer to thank God for His rich gifts, and to express their gratitude to the Founder of their school and their Chief Shepherd, His Beatitude Anastasios for his ongoing support and contribution to the school community and society.
The Metropolitan of Kinshasa, His Grace Niqifori, a collaborator of Archbishop Anastasios, and the first director of the ecclesiastical Lyceum, delivered the sermon to the faithful. He talked about the characteristics of living the Orthodox faith in God. He referred to Archbishop Anastasios, as the perfect example who experiences love for the Lord Jesus Christ, and spreads it to every person regardless of their nationality, skin color or belief. Metropolitan Niqifor spoke of the valuable hierapostolic experience that he had, following the example of Archbishop Anastasios in the Church of Albania and stressed that his contribution to the establishment of the Holy Cross Ecclesiastical Lyceum played a significant role in the mission he has now, as the head of the Orthodox Church of Congo in Africa, where the traces of Archbishop Anastasios’ presence, work, and spirit during his stay in that continent, are still so vivid.
On the other hand, Archbishop Anastasios, addressing the faithful, spoke of the celebration ahead of them, which is the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. He draw a parallel between the fact that the Orthodox world celebrates the symbol of the Passion of our Lord and the other fact that in Albania this symbol was abolished for decades. In addition, Archbishop Anastasios expressed his concern over the fact that even today there are people who try to keep us away from the core of Christian faith which is the Holy Cross. The Orthodox faithful who refuse the Word or the faithful who do not endure their personal cross in whatever form or size it comes to them, are not true Christians. Hence His Beatitude encouraged the believers to keep the cross in their consciences, in their hearts and souls, as an invincible protector, an inexhaustible source of life and resurrection, and to walk joyously towards the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
The festive event continued in the hall of the activities of the Orthodox Complex, where there is also the school and its dormitory. Former pupils and school students, former teachers and present teachers, assisting staff and school-based collaborators participated in the spiritual and festive activity that was organized under the auspices of Metropolitan Dhimiter and which will remain unforgettable for the local Orthodox community and the others.
Also former school leaders such as Metropolitan Niqifor, Mr. V. Kuco, Vice-President and Mr. A. Bei, the present President of the school delivered their greetings on the occasion. Deacon Kristi Xhaferri, an ex-pupil of this school, spoke on behalf of former students whereas E. Duko spoke on behalf of the actual pupils. Further on, the Rector of the University of Ioannina, Mr. Jorgo Kapsali and other participants delivered their greetings. One of the teachers of the school, Mr. Koti, talked about the history and evolution of the Holy Cross Ecclesiastical Lyceum. The school choir, which was joined this time by ex-students, filled the festive atmosphere with the hymns of our Church.
Archbishop Anastasios expressed his emotions about the several achievements made till the present. For example, two hundred thirty former students, who received a full scholarship by His Beatitude. Today, are responsible and mature people today who have built their own families. Some of them are graduates in various fields, or successful scientists and professionals, Gospel workers, and staff members in various Church activities, who will never forget their experiencing of the Orthodox faith during their stay in this institution.
The Archbishop encouraged the former members of the Lyceum’s school community to establish and institutionalize their Brotherhood and Community naming it Brothers of the Holy Cross High School community, and to take their first step in preparing a book dedicated to their school and its contribution.
Referring to the main characteristic of the school, that is its freedom and the full respect for all those who have been admitted and are still admitted, without being limited to their scholarship or other conditions, Archbishop Anastasios, recalled the school basic objective which is to sow the seed of hieratic call. “The needs of our country are numerous, the Archbishop added, but the primary thing is to have more Orthodox priests, who will deliver the message of repentance, the coming of God’s Kingdom, the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and will console the people.” He referred to his personal call and decision to dedicate his life to the church and invited the youth to experience God’s call regardless of their age.
At the end of the festivities, there was a lunch for all the participants and guest. There were former students coming from many areas of the country, education workers, etc. Also the congratulation message of His Grace Nikolla, the Metropolitan of Fieri was read during the lunch. Next, present students and ex-students took their word sharing together the emotions of those past school days, their memories from their school life, and their impressive experiences of faith and of the mysteries of our Church.
