News from Orthodoxy in Albania
Some samples of the work from the Church's Icon Studio
News from
Orthodoxy in Albania
Occasional Publication of the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania
Number 10 – February 15, 1999
Articles in this issue:
Orthodox Church Assists Kosovo Refugees
Christmas and Epiphany Celebrated Joyously
International Co-workers Assist Church
Tirana Youth Reach Out to Needy
Church Studio Paints and Restores Icons
Orthodox Church Assists Kosovo Refugees in Albania
The Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania, through its social, developmental, and emergency office of Diaconia Agapes, completed distribution of new winter clothing to 6270 children, mostly refugees in Albania who have fled violence in Kosovo. This first phase of its emergency program was achieved on December 22, 1998.
A second phase of helping more than 1050 refugee women with winter clothing was completed in January 1999. After an appeal to the ecumenical family by His Beatitude Anastasios, Archbishop of Tirana, Durres and All Albania, more than $275,000 was secured for the first phase of the project. Supported by and working in close cooperation with the ACT (Action by Churches Together) Network of the World Council of Churches, the Diaconia Agapes office established a six-person emergency staff to implement the emergency program. International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) of North America has also assisted in this effort.
Over the past year, approximately 20,500 Kosovo refugees have arrived in Albania. The Diaconia Agapes office created a program to deliver new winter clothing and boots directly to the Kosovo refugee children daily from November 4 – December 23. The first phase focused on children ranging between the ages of 4-15 years old. Each child received a parcel consisting of a warm winter jacket, a pair of winter boots, socks, trousers, shirt and underwear. Along with distributing 5860 clothing sets to refugee children, 222 sets were donated to Albanian orphanages and handicapped institutions, and 188 sets were given to poor local children.
By October 1998, the majority of Kosovo refugees had left northeastern Albania in an attempt to escape the oncoming winter in the mountainous regions. Working under difficult conditions due to the lack of security on the roads, the emergency team needed to travel thousands of kilometers throughout Albania to reach the Kosovo refugees in 26 different villages and cities. Despite major efforts, they were unable to reach certain refugee families who remained in the northern Bajram Curri district.
The Orthodox Church also found ways to work together with other relief organizations in offering aid to those in need. The emergency team helped distribute food, beds, blankets hygiene products and stoves provided by the Catholic Relief Service, as well as packaged and delivered 7.5 metric tons of second-hand clothing items provided by Christian Aid to refugee families. In accordance with the Orthodox Church’s policy on emergency and developmental work, all aid was given to people regardless of their race or religion.
Christmas and Epiphany Celebrated Joyously in Albania
Tens of thousands of Orthodox faithful celebrated the feasts of Christmas and Epiphany throughout Albania. Archbishop Anastasios led the observance of the early morning Christmas Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of the Annunciation in Tirana. For the day of Epiphany, the archbishop traveled to the southern city of Saranda, where thousands of people came to the newly built Church of St. Harallambos and participated in the annual procession to the sea, where the archbishop blessed the waters.
For the occasion of Christmas, local and national political and religious leaders offered their greetings and best wishes for the Orthodox community of Albania. In Tirana, the President of Albania, His Excellency Rexhep Meidani, and Prime Minister Pandeli Majko led a host of political representatives from all the different parties, including the leader of the opposition ex-president Sali Berisha, in giving greetings to Archbishop Anastasios and all Orthodox believers. Representatives from the Muslim, Bektashi, Roman Catholic and Protestant religious communities also came to offer best wishes.
For the first time in the cities of Berat and Korça, the new Metropolitans Ignati and John celebrated these two great feasts in their respective cathedrals. Following the religious observances, they both received local political and religious representatives who offered their greetings.
I nternational Co- Workers Assist the Church of Albania
During 1998, several long-serving international missionaries left Albania for their homes, and the community of the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania expresses their gratitude for their faithful service. Fr. Martin and Renee Ritsi, with their two children Nicole and Stephanos, returned to the United States after serving in Albania for six and a half years. They were one of the first missionaries who began working with Archbishop Anastasios, when the Church of Albania was resurrected in 1992. Fr. Martin helped to establish the emergency and developmental office of the Orthodox Church of Albania – Diaconia Agapes, to organize the finance office of the church, as well as taught at the Resurrection of Christ Theological Academy, worked with the Tirana youth movement, and helped in the overall administration of the Church. Renee worked with the Tirana Women’s Group and the Medical Clinic. Previously, they had served for three and a half years under Archbishop Anastasios in Kenya. Fr. Martin has returned to America to take over the position of director for the Orthodox Christian Mission Center in St. Augustine, Florida.
Dr. Peter Gilbert, also an American, returned to the States after acquiring a teaching position at St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Dr. Gilbert had been teaching Patristics and Old Testament at the Resurrection of Christ Theological Academy in St. Vlash-Durres for three years.
Elekiah Kihali, a theologian from Kenya and a spiritual child of Archbishop Anastasios from the time he served as acting archbishop of East Africa, returned to his homeland to teach at the Archbishop Makarios III Patriarchal Seminary in Nairobi, Kenya. He was teaching Canon Law and Preaching for the past year and a half at the Theological Academy along with Dr. Gilbert.
Three young nurses from the Red Cross of Greece, Demetra Vergi, Sophia Karathanasi and Lena Tsitsou, also finished a one year term of helping in the Church’s medical clinics of Kavaja and Tirana, as well as giving first aid classes to different groups. When they departed, three other nurses arrived to help in the Church’s overall medical mission.
Georgia Mari, another young woman from Greece, finished serving one and a half years working with the catechism program and youth group, as well as helping in Church administration.
Tirana Youth Reach Out to the Needy
Orthodox youth and university students of Tirana have been responding to Christ’s call to care for those in need for the past three years in a variety of ways. As a part of their Christian responsibility, every Sunday they visit Tirana’s School for the Blind, as well as occasionally visit the local old age home, orphanage, and various hospitals.
This year, an average of 20 students, divided into two groups, spend an hour and a half each week with the 40 resident blind children who range in age from 6-15. This year, they received permission from the director of the school to take the children on excursions around the city. A new part of these excursions, which began at the beginning of the new year, includes attendance at the Sunday Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of the Annunciation. The children look forward to receiving the Archbishop’s blessing, and being warmly welcomed by the faithful of Tirana. Special funds have allowed the students to furnish the School for the Blind with special equipment, including radios, cassette players, and educational toys.
Another occasional outreach of the students is visiting the old age home, orphanage, and local hospitals of Tirana. Here, they take treats, as well as reading material. After any visit, each student is committed to praying for any and all patients they encounter every week.
A new project of the youth in the beginning of February was raising awareness for the need of blood donation in Tirana. A representative of the Tirana Blood Bank spoke to more than 60 university students, as well as the 55 seminarians at the Resurrection of Christ Theological Academy, explaining the desperate situation of the Blood Bank. In 1990, more than 13,000 people donated blood. In 1997, only 1500 gave blood, even though during this same time period the population of Tirana has exploded from 350,000 to 700,000 inhabitants. A positive result of this project was that 55 students donated blood.
It begins with a faint image engraved on a blackened piece of wood. After careful and specialized cleaning, the image becomes clearer. The artist carefully applies his painting skills with a unique restoration technique and the damaged piece of artwork slowly transforms into a beautiful, restored icon.
Three years ago, Archbishop Anastasios blessed the opening of an icon studio for the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania. Icon restoration is only one part of the studio’s work.
Josif Çano, an Albanian iconographer and an active member of the Church’s student group "Sons of Light," serves as the overseer of the icon studio. He helps organize the three main functions of the studio: 1) providing a studio for Albanian artists to prepare icons and mosaics for the churches, 2) teaching icon painting lessons, and 3) offering restoration classes.
Dr. Mihail Larenzakis, a specialist in restoration and conservation of icons and ancient painting, has come to Albania four times. He offers intensive two-week theoretical and practical classes to 15 students. The objective of the ongoing course is to develop a group of artists who can restore and conserve many of the Church’s old and destroyed icons and frescos. At present, the government has returned more than 500 icons in need of restoration. Future plans include work at the historical Monastery of the Virgin Mary at Ardenica and the Monastery of St. Kosma, Kolokondis.
Çano first began offering icon lessons at the Orthodox youth center three years ago. He continues to offer classes daily at the icon studio, where up to ten students may attend. The course include lessons in drawing, designing, and preparing icon paints and wood.
In addition to Cano, the Church employs three other full-time artists currently working on special projects. These include the painting of icons for the iconostas (icon screen) of churches in Durres, Rrushkull, and Shen Vlash, as well as mosaic floor designs for two other churches. Future plans include a wall mosaic of the Annunciation for the cathedral in Tirana.
Funds supporting the icon studio come from the Archdiocese. The icon studio, however, plans to become self-sufficient as it sells icons on request. In March, the studio has plans to relocate into a new and larger Church facility located in Kombinat, a suburb of Tirana.
Historical archive bulletin. Source: http://www.orthodoxalbania.org:80/nb10.htm — Wayback 20001001011322.