News from
Orthodoxy in Albania
Occasional Publication of the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania
Number 5, August 18, 1997
Articles in this Issue:
Church Responds to Emergency Needs in Midst of Crisis
Danger in Vlore
Resurrection of Christ Theological Seminary Reopens
Seminary Graduate Becomes Monk
Publication Ministry Continues to Reach Out
Participation in Second European Assembly
10 Tons of Milk Distributed
Church Celebrates 5 th Year Anniversary of Its Restoration
During the past six months of national crisis in Albania, when much of the country faced total anarchy and chaos, the Orthodox Autocephalous Church tried to minister to the physical needs of the suffering people, regardless of religion or race. In addition to emergency relief, the Church continued its overall objective of strengthening the local communities by sharing the good news of hope, peace and salvation which our Lord Jesus Christ offers.
Recently, the most concrete sign of the Orthodox Church's outreach has been in its emergency relief effort. From the beginning of the crisis which engulfed Albania in March, the Church responded immediately to distributing bulk food commodities and medicines to hospitals, orphanages, elderly homes and other state institutions, as well as to needy and desperate families. Under the leadership of His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana and All Albania, the Church's relief program was the first of any national or international agency to be implemented, when Fr. Syridon Simandiris began overseeing distribution of large quantities of food throughout the country on March 18.
Over the past six months, at least 545 metric tons of bulk food commodities and medicines have been disbursed by the Orthodox Church. More than 320 tons of this aid has been donated by countless churches and believers in Greece. One example of the generosity given to Albania was the Archdiocese of Athens, where 143 parishes gathered 126 tons of aid for distribution to the most needy people of Albania.
The existing chaotic situation made deliveries very difficult, especially down south. Still, Fr. Simandiris oversaw distribution of aid to more than 60 villages and cities.
Along with aid coming from Greece, the International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) of North America, in conjunction with the Action of Churches Together (ACT) Network of the World Council of Churches, offered another 225 tons of food parcels to the Orthodox Church. Diaconia Agapes, the social and development office of the Church, completed delivery of this aid directly into the hands of 15,164 vulnerable families in ten different regions throughout the country.
Working with dozens of local implementing partners at 52 distribution points, the DA/IOCC staff traveled more than 17,000 km (10,000 miles) over a three month period. Five tons of food parcels were delivered daily to poor families regardless of their religion. In addition, medicines were delivered to the St. Luke health Clinic in Tirana.
Due to the ongoing security risk throughout Albania, the Church worked closely with the multinational military force which provided escort and full protection during distribution. The DA/IOCC program was successfully completed on July 19.
One example of the danger in delivering relief aid in the midst of crisis occurred in Vlore. One hundred and thirty Italian soldiers accompanied the Diaconia Agapes workers during their delivery. The program had been organized to deliver 360 food parcels (equivalent to five tons) at the Orthodox Church of St. Theodore. Word had spread that aid was being distributed to the poorest families. More than 1000 local citizens showed up. The restless crowd started to panic. Pushing, shoving and then fighting broke out within the crowd. Some people from nearby apartment buildings began shooting machine guns in the air.
The military force quickly took control of the situation by sending soldiers atop the apartment buildings. Quickly the shooting stopped. Still, the unsettled crowd panicked when they realized all would not receive food. Some threw stones at the workers, and the supervisor of the project was hit on the head with a stone. The military force helped the staff safely finish their distribution and depart without further mishap. The DA office, however, was asked not to come back to Vlore with more distributions because of threats made to the local priest, Fr. Ilia.
Prices have increased more than 17% in one month for staple foods, while inflation has greatly decreased the value of the Albanian currency. In January 1997, the dollar was exchanged for approximately 105 lek. By July, the dollar was changing for 179 lek (and even reached 190 one day). Food exists in the country, but people are having great difficulty affording it.
“ Resurrection of Christ” Theological Seminary Reopens
After having interrupted the school year due to the State of Emergency which engulfed the entire country in March 1997, the “Resurrection of Christ” Theological Seminary re-opened its doors on August 4 in order to finish out the 1996-97 scholastic year.
Classes will continue and an exam period will ensue during August and September. The third year class of 21 students is expected to graduate by September 26. Two students from the third year have already been ordained to the diaconate: Jorgaq Gjata on August 10 in the Cathedral of Tirana, and Vasil Skordileva on the Feast of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, August 15, in the newly built monastery Church of St. Vlash, Durres. The majority of other students will soon be ordained to serve in their local villages and cities.
New students for the upcoming scholastic year will be interviewed at the end of September. The official school year of 1997-98 will begin on October 13 with a Divine Liturgy at the Church of St. Vlash, Durres.
On the Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ, August 6, 1997, Archbishop Anastasios tonsured Dimitri Prifti as a monk with the new name Kozma. Fr. Kozma became the first graduate of the Resurrection of Christ Theo-logical Seminary in St. Vlash, Durres to become a monk. He graduated from seminary in May 1996, and has been living as a novice at the Nativity of the Virgin Mary Monastery in Ardenica for the past 15 months.
On the following day, all the students of the seminary went on an excursion to the Ardenica monastery to attend the ordination of the monk Kozma to the holy diaconate.
Deacon Kozma became the second indigenous monk of the Church in Albania. The first monk tonsured, ordained to the diaconate and later to the priesthood was Archimandrite Joan Pelushi.
Presently living at the Monastery of Ardenica are five other graduates of the seminary who hope to be tonsured monks.
Since the reopening of the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania in 1991, a priority of Archbishop Anastasios has been the establishment of a Publication Office which would disseminate liturgical, catechetical, theological, spiritual and historical material, along with general Church news.
A printing press was acquired in 1993 and a translation department and catechism office established. Thirty-four titles are already in circulation. Liturgical and prayer books include: 1) the official “Book of Holy Services of the Orthodox Church” which has the Matins, Vespers, Divine Liturgies of St. John Chrysostom and St. Basil the Great, and the Presanctified Liturgy; 2) a pocket-size book of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom; 3) a pocket-size book of the Matins, Vespers and Compline Services; 4) the Para-clesis to the Virgin Mary; 5) the Lamentations of Holy Friday; and 6) the Church Calendar of 1997.
Theological titles include: 1) Holy Communion; 2) There is No More Beautiful Faith Than Christianity; 3) The Gospel as the Base of Life; 4) The Holy Cross; 5) Faith; and 6) Ortho-doxy.
Catechetical books include: 1) What Do Orthodox Christians Believe, 2) Orthodox Religious Lessons 1,2,3; 3) the kindergarten manual “In the Lap of Christ”; 4) Jesus Christ – Our Savior; 5) Promise and Realization: Kingdom of Heaven; 6) Faith and Life; 7) The Church: The Road to Holiness.
Spiritual and Historical books include: 1) History of an Indian Prince; 2) Lives of the Saints Vol. 1-8; 3) History of the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania until 1944; 4) A Glance at the Monastery of Pogoni.
In addition to these various books, a monthly newspaper NGJALLJA (“The Resurrection”) is distributed throughout the country. This newspaper includes timely national and interna-tional Church news, along with spiritual articles. When the need arises, occasional special addi-tions of Ngjallja are published.
The latest publication has been a translation by Fr. Joan Pelushi of the first two volumes of Fr. Thomas Hopko’s book “Orthodox Faith.” Volumes one and two are entitled Doctrine and Worship. Also, soon to be released is a publication of St. Basil’s treatise “On the Holy Spirit.”
His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios led a delegation of three persons from the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania to the Second European Ecumenical Assembly in Graz, Austria on June 23-29.
Seven hundred delegates representing more than 150 European Churches were present. The only two primates of Autocephalous Orthodox Churches which participated in the affair were Patriarch Alexi of Moscow and Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana.
The conference theme was “Reconciliation: Gift of God and Source of New Life.” Archbishop Anastasios was appointed co-moderator for the session on “Understanding Religions and Dialogue in a New Context.”
The delegation of the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania included Archbishop Anastasios, Mr. Artan Kosti, and Mr. Andi Nikolla. Following this conference was the 11th General Assembly of the European Council of Churches from June 29-July 3. Representing the Orthodox Church of Albania was Archimandrite Joan Pelushi, Ms. Nina Gramo, and Mr. Irine Pandeleimon. The Church has been a full member of the CEC since 1994.
“ Understanding Religions and Dialogue in a New Context”
“…The acceptance of others as they are, with deep respect for their freedom and without wanting to impose on them Christian views, is what makes it easy for us to converse and commune with members of other religions or ideologies, to respect unreservedly their human rights and to co-operate with them in a common effort to ensure universal acceptance and protection of those rights, peaceful co-existence and creative common effort toward a universal “koinonia” of love. In the encounter and dialogue with people of other faiths we have to proceed with deep respect, sincerity, discernment, openmindedness, humility, love, hope and joy . . .”
– from Archbishop Anastasios’ presentation at the Assembly
1 0 Tons of Milk Distributed
On August 3, 1997, ten tons of canned milk was given to the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania from donors in Greece. This milk is being distributed by students of the Resurrection of Christ seminary to the local orphanages, school for handicapped children, old age homes, hospitals, and numerous poor families in the cities and surrounding villages of Durres, Kavaja and Tirana. Distribution hopes to be completed by mid-September.
Church celebrates 5th year Anniversary of Its Restoration
On August 2, 1997 the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania celebrated the fifth year anniversary of its official restoration from the ashes of its destruction by the former atheistic State.
It was five years ago that His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios was officially enthroned in the Cathedral of the Annunciation in Tirana as Archbishop of Tirana and All Albania.
A packed church warmly congratulated the Archbishop for all his work and contributions to the Church in Albania, as well as to the country in general these past five years.
His Beatitude was chosen by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in January 1991 to come to Albania and assess the situation of the country and how best to restore the Orthodox Church after 46 years of persecution and destruction. Before this calling, Archbishop Anastasios was serving as acting Archbishop of Irinopoulis of East Africa for the previous 10 years (1981-91), as well as full-time professor of the History of Religions at the University of Athens.
Over the past five years, the Archbishop has directed and inspired the Church’s work at a fast pace in all the areas of liturgy, catechism, education, publishing, and social and building work. Since 1992 there has been a Theological Seminary running a three-year course of study. Up to now 80 new priests have been ordained and Orthodox parishes have been established in the major cities and in approximately 400 villages. Sixty-seven new churches have been built from scratch (fifty of them are all but complete), as have 15 chapels; another 63 have been reconstructed or restored and dozens have been refurbished. At the same time the Church of Albania has been acquiring important buildings for Church use: the Theological Seminary complex, the Archbishopric and administrative offices, two Diocesan centers, three cultural centers, two guest houses, a candle factory, etc. Numerous Church projects are still in progress.
In particular there is a strong youth movement in numerous cities and villages. These groups are offering outreach in the area of catechism and social work. Two sites have been purchased to use for youth camps. The program involving young people starts wherever possible right from infancy, through a system of kindergartens (in Tirana, Durres, Korça, Kavaja). In general, many are coming forward for catechism and baptism, including people from non-Orthodox backgrounds or families.
In the area of social welfare, the Church has reached out to needy people through its Diaconia Agape ministry. During the past five years, thousands of tons of emergency aid, food, clothing, and medical supplies have been delivered through the Church, not only to thousands of Orthodox believers but also to many others in need, irrespective of their religious persuasion. Countless individuals and organizations, known and unknown, outside Albania have offered generous donations.
Since 1995, the medical center “St. Luke the Evangelist” has been functioning in Tirana. Two other clinics are preparing to open shortly in Korca and Kavaja. In the mountainous regions of Shpati and Korça, programs in rural development have been inaugurated involving agriculture, water supply, and guidance in matters of health and domestic management. Also groups of Albanian Orthodox women in various parishes are developing their own particular activities in the field of human welfare.
At the same time the Church’s extensive construction program is contributing to economic development, offering work to dozens of local companies and hundreds of laborers. On the whole the contemporary Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania is recognized at home and abroad as a vibrant, creative entity, making an invaluable contribution to the times we live in, critical as they are for the Albanian people.
Historical archive bulletin. Source: http://www.orthodoxalbania.org:80/nb5.htm — Wayback 20010306221834.