Commemoration of the 29th anniversary of the election of Archbishop Anastasios as the head of our Church and the co-celebration of the Divine Liturgy on the feast day of St. John the Forerunner.
On June 24, 2021, our Church celebrates the Nativity of St. John the Forerunner, a feast day which consists with the 29th anniversary of the election of His Beatitude Anastasios as the Archbishop of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. A Panegyric Divine Liturgy was co celebrated by the members of the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Albania to commemorate this significant day. It was headed by His Beatitude Anastasios, the Archbishop of Tirana, Durres and all Albania who celebrated together with His Grace Joan, Metropolitan of Korca, His Grace Dhimitri, Metropolitan of Gjirokastra, His Grace Nikolla, Metropolitan of Apollonia and Fier, His Grace Andon, Metropolitan of Elbasan, His Grace Nathanaiel, Metropolitan of Amantia and Bishop Asti of Bylis.
Due to the ease in the epidemiological restrictions, numerous faithful from Tirana including youth and educators of the educational institutions of our Church attended the service and took the opportunity to give their wishes to Archbishop Anastasios.
At the end of the Liturgy, His Grace Joan, the Metropolitan of Korca spoke on behalf of the Holy Synod and the faithful. He referred to the significance of the church feast and to St. John the Forerunner’s essential role in the Orthodox Church. His Grace Joan mentioned also the historic moment of the election of Archbishop Anastasios by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which turned out to be a special blessing for the Orthodox Church of Albania and for our country.
Archbishop Anastasios undertook the heavy task of rebuilding the Orthodox Church of Albania that was seriously damaged by the unprecedented and long term persecution. The only means to handle this situation was to show love for God and the people. And Archbishop Anastasios was the right person for the given circumstances since he is a unique example of love. In return, God blessed his efforts and the results were remarkable. His Grace Joan wished that God grant another blessed year to our Archbishop with good health and prosperity amidst the turbulent times we are living in. Because in these challenging times our church, therefore the ship, needs a skillful captain to sail it successfully and to take it to a safe destination.
Finally, Archbishop Anastasios gave his thanks in return and emphasized that the rest of our days and life are in the God’s hands but it is up to us to use our time in this life for prayer, acknowledging God’s will and living in the Holy Spirit. Next, His Beatitude shared with the faithful his vision for a series of initiatives he intends to undertake in the following year, such as the restoration of the church of St. Prokopios in Tirana and the expansion of the Protagonist School, the hydro energetic resources, the orthodox clinic, etc.
