Speeches of Franz-Llesh Grishaj on the Rights of Albanians in MontenegroThe Hilton Hotel - Washington, D.C.Thursday, 2 February 2006 Shame Has No Limits in the Djukanovic Government By: Franz-Llesh Grishaj
The majestic scenery of this City on a Hill has forever been a beacon of hope and inspiration for the entire Albanian nation. Thus, how fitting that we Americans of Albanian origins, once again, unite side-by-side Old Glory and the Albanian national symbol in our nation’s capital as some of us first did in 1977, when we peacefully marched on behalf of our oppressed people in Kosova. This gathering today is no exception because, as Dr. King so eloquently put it: “I don’t march because I like it. I march because I must, and because I’m a man.” We too, my fellow compatriots, are obligated to march on behalf of the subjugated Albanians who ethnically live on their ancestral lands and yet continue to find themselves in the precarious position of mere subjects. The only difference this time, however, is that, while Kosova is finally on her way to achieving full independence, the Albanians under the jurisdiction of Montenegro, Yugoslavia, are still discriminated upon as they are denied their most basic fundamental rights. Therefore, this peaceful protest is also historic since it is the first of its kind as was the case in 1977. As a rule, diplomatic negotiation requires that you seek for the stars; and even if you fall a little short and land on the moon, you are better off than you originally started. Never in the history of diplomacy has a political body asked for the bare minimal in diplomatic negotiations and we must make sure that it doesn’t happen to us. Albanian representatives in Montenegro literally have the fate of our people in their hands. Thus, with malice toward none and with genuine love for my fellow malesors [highlanders], I am compelled to publicly ask: Are these political leaders worthy of representing the descendants of the legendary Dede Gjo’Luli, the incorruptible Baca Kurti, the patriot-scholar Nikolla Ivanaj, and the flag-bearer warrior Pretash Zeka? Furthermore, are their political aims comparable to the vision land aspiration of these valiant figures who have forever been immortalized and placed on the alter of Albanianism? I must admit, this profound question is not meant to condemn or exonerate anyone, nor is it for me to answer. It truly belongs to you my fellow Albanians, who historically descend from these Albanian territories under the occupation of Montenegro. Nevertheless, until you speak in a united voice, as we are doing today, and stipulate without hesitation or reservation what is rightfully yours within the present political configuration, your legitimate claims will never materialize. Therefore, arise, Malesi arise! And don’t ask, but rather demand, with the moral conviction of an oppressed people – which you are – the freedom that you have been denied! “Freedom is one thing – you have it all, or you are not free.” As a result, it is obvious, that according to Dr. King’s words, you, my brothers and sisters, are still not free! In retrospect, I recall the powerful expression of President Kennedy when he said, “Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate.” Thus, we, in the U.S., exercising our Constitutional rights of assembly and petition, in the words of FDR, “have nothing to fear, but fear itself.” Our justifiable demands on behalf of our oppressed people are based on the moral compass of truth. Consequently, if we are to ensure a future long awaited by our people, we have no other option but to return to the past as a means of exposing our oppressor’s immoral stands. Mr. Djukanovic, you, and your Parliament, have denied Tuzi and its surrounding highlands of Malesia its legal right to unite and self-govern as an Albanian administrative commune within the jurisdiction of Montenegro, which 21 Slav municipalities enjoy. This blatant act of discrimination and injustice clearly illustrates that you, and your government, have failed to remember the historical reality behind the state you freely call your homeland. Various parts of your native state of Montenegro, may I remind you, are comprised of Albania’s lands unjustly annexed by the Congress of Berlin (1878), the London Conference of Ambassadors (1913), the Versailles Peace Treaty (1919), and also secured by the traitorous policies of the Stalinist regime of Enver Hoxha. Therefore, granting a uited commune of Tuzi with its ethnic Albanian enclaves would have been the minimal enactment that you could have ratified, and one that would have been accepted in good faith by Malesia. Yet, in the end, you and your repressive state didn’t even muster the moral courage to show some compassion as an olive branch for the voluminous documented atrocities your forebears have perpetrated throughout the centuries. In truth, if full citizenship is ever to be granted to the Albanians in Montenegro nothing less than a full, united, autonomous ethnic Albanian province within the political borders of present-day Montenegro would be sufficient. Moreover, without shame, your official Montenegrin delegation attends the National Prayer Breakfast this very day. It is apparent that shame has no limits within the Djukanovic administration. However, accountability is knocking at your doorstep. We have no choice but to hold you and your government responsible for denying the Albanians their inalienable rights. Furthermore, we also have a solemn duty to uphold the moral integrity of our own U.S. officials. We cannot allow them to play the role of Pontius Pilate and simply wash their hands and ignore the plight of the Albanians in Montenegro. The Albanians have waited much too long for what are truly God given rights for all humanity. For this reason, as citizens of the epicenter of democracy, we urge our U.S. representatives to pressure Djukanovic’s government in granting all Albanians, once and for all, the right of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness!
Long live Malesia!
McNamara Federal Building Mr. Djukanovc – Your Redemption Is In Your Own Hands! By: Franz-Llesh Grishaj Honorable cleric Fr. Anton Kcira, distinguished speakers, friends of our much loved Malesi, and my dear brothers and sisters: Together, we, as a people, marched on Washington, 2 February 2005, a historic day for Malesia because it was the first time that we raised our voice on her behalf. Just a week ago, most of you, on 18 September, marched in front of the United Nations for Malesia – how incidental and profound that it fell on the very day that all public schools honored the Living Document that is the Supreme Law of the Land as it was Constitution Day. How even more remarkable is the fact that the very reason for our march had stemmed from the preamble of the U.S. Constitution, which states, “We the people of the United States in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution for the United States of America.” The Albanians in Montenegro, using the ballot box, supported the peaceful separation from Serbia and overwhelmingly voted for the creation of a new independent Montenegro: one that would be based on the very same precious principles stated above – justice and the blessings of liberty! Mr. Djukanovic, I call you mister, not because you merit it, but because we, the Albanians, have civility! Once again, I find myself behooved to conduct this monologue, as I direct my voice to you because your response to Malesia is one of police and para-military brutality. Is this the way you thank Malesia? No, Mr. Djukanovic no! This is not what our people deserve!! Why, Mr. Djukanovic? Why? Why - do you want to duplicate the injustice that your Slavic forefathers perpetrated on Malesia? You and your oppressive government have insulted Malesia by accusing her as a bhold of terrorism. But most of all, you, Mr. Djukanovic, you are WRONG, WRONG, and WRONG! Do you have the moral courage and integrity to see how wrong you are? You, Mr. Djukanovic owe Malesia a sincere public apology for defaming her noble character and leading an amoral government. In proactive response, our movement is not about militancy, not about terror, but it is simply about justice and liberty for Malesia! It is characterized by this peaceful march today. It is right versus wrong. It is justice versus injustice. It is an unarmed David versus an armed Goliath. Furthermore, we, the Albanians, are not afraid because we have ALMIGHTY GOD and RIGHTEOUSNESS on our side. “Fear not!” sayeth the Lord! Mr. Djukanovic, allow me again - but unlike in D.C., where I only suggested the past of your Slavic forefathers - to illustrate what we, the indigenous people, have had to endure. I will, for time sake only, focus on a hand full of atrocities. (This history lesson is not taught in your schools but we know it all too well). Indeed, you will get a history lesson on your people’s savagery against the Albanians – specifically the portion of Malesia e Madhe [The Great Highlands] unjustly annexed from Mother Albania! In December 1919, 74 men (young and old) from the leading mal (mountain) of Hot were executed in Drume for the sole reason of being Albanians. I respectfully ask that you, my fellow malesors [highlanders] raise your arms high in the air to show Mr. Djukanovic that you are living testimony of the barbarism that his people (Serbo-Montenegro) have perpetrated on the innocent. Look, Mr. Djukanovic, look, because unfortunately for Malesia, this is only the beginning. In 1941, your father’s army, Serbo-Montenegro, invaded Malesia e Madhe under the pretense of fighting Fascism. Your troops were forced to retreat back to Yugoslavia, and conducted a brutal killing campaign against civilians. In April, in Bozhaj, 17 men of Rrapsha, Hot and 1 from Katundi of Kastrat were executed and then dumped into a hole, and covered with a dead horse. And that is not the end of this horrific tragedy. Your retreating army would continue to kill men from the surrounding highlands of Tuzi – thus leaving a morbid trail of death. My own father’s grandfather, Lul Pjeter Camaj was also murdered, as he, at the age of 70 years, attended his flocks in Vuksanlekaj. Therefore, look Mr. Djukanovic look, as I ask all of us who lost a loved one in 1941, to raise our arms high in the air. Raise them, my fellow Malsors [highlanders] from Hoti, Gruda, Triepshi, Koja, and Luhari! Raise them! Let us continue to educate Mr. Djukanovic about the terror that his predecessors caused on our people for no other reason than being Albanians living on our ancestral land. In February of 1945, Bajo Stankovic and his cutthroats murdered the much beloved Albanian Franciscan, Pater Leonard Tagaj, affectionately called Pater Zefi by his parishioners in Traboin and Malesia proper, along with Pjeter Zeku Camaj and Vasel Mirash Camaj. My Camaj uncles (father’s maternal uncles) of whom I am so proud, I love you! Raise your arms high in the air and show Mr. Djukanovic that the Camaj families still mourn these fine men. Look, Mr., Djukanovic look! More innocent blood shed by your Slavic people! Among them also a man of God, and this not being the first. With all due respect, your people have slain Catholic priests and destroyed our churches before! Therefore, all of Traboin, please raise your arms high, peacefully demonstrating that Pater Zefi’s memory will forever live in the hearts, minds, and spirit of Traboin! Look, Mr. Djukanovic look! His spirit lives in Malesia and also in the United States. The onslaught would continue in the village of Selisht, Grude. There Bajo Stankovic and his sadistic men would execute three of Prenk Tom Ujka’s sons: Luca, Doda, and Gjergj Lulgjuraj. With them they also put to death Kole Gjel Caku from the Ujkaj family of Triepshi, as well as the legend of Selisht, Zef Miliqi with his kombare Gjelosh Gjoke Lajcaj from Lulash-Pepaj, Kushe, Hot. As Lajcaj was my grandfather’s (Lukete Marash Grishaj) nephew, I raise my arms with yours, raise them high, dear members of the Gruda, Triepshi and Hoti families for these men who where executed on the hallowed grounds of the Church of Gruda. Look, Mr. Djukanovic look again. Your people’s legacy has been evil and must change!! Mr. Djukanovic, you may say, “But that was long ago, why bring up the past?” We bring up your ugly past because it has unfortunately returned in the form of present torture, thanks to you and your government. For it was your police and your para-military that terrorized Malesia as they invaded homes, brutally beat many Albanians, and imprisoned others on 9 September 2006. Therefore, look and look carefully at the arms raised of those whose loved ones are currently being terrorized. Raise them high! Raise those arms high and show Mr. Djukanovic how his nation’s past is resurfacing at a time when democracy should prevail. Mr. Djukanovic! We, the People, want you and your government to know that the atrocities that your Slavic brethrens have perpetrated may not have been written in your history books; but they, most definitely, are imprinted in our very beings because they have been written with our tears, our sweat, and our blood! All these children of God mentioned today, and the many more not mentioned, had names, faces, and families. Just recall and always remember the plethora of arms that you have seen on this monumental day. And, if you do not have your own copy - Studio Malesia will be kind enough to provide you with a tape of today’s event. Dode (Nikprelaj)! My brother! Send him one -Federal Express-American style! Therefore, my brothers and sisters, what do we want? FREEDOM! I can’t hear you? FREEDOM! And when do we want it? NOW! When do we want it? NOW! Yes, my dear compatriots we want FREEDOM and we want it NOW! In conclusion, we march today, and we will continue to march because we are not afraid to speak on behalf of our oppressed people. The only thing that will stop this peaceful movement for justice and liberty is you Mr. Djukanovic, you. Therefore, on behalf of Malesia, we ask you to stop the police and para-military brutality. We still want to peacefully co-exist as equals because Malesia never was, nor will it ever be, a bhold of terrorism. In truth, Mr. Djukanovic – it is YOU and YOUR people who have terrorized and continue today to terrorize Malesia. Thus, if you will not listen, that is your choice: but, believe me, America is listening and waiting for your response! So repent, Mr. Djukanovic! Repent; for redemption is possible for you and all the rest of mankind. Therefore repent and buildup the moral courage to give our people what we have been missing ever since our forceful incorporation into your country; justice and the blessings of liberty! You have the power to make this benevolent transformation, you can be forgiven (for the Albanians are a forgiving people), and you can achieve personal redemption. The choice, Mr. Djukanovic, is yours.
God Protect Malesia!
St. Paul’s Albanian Catholic Church Dedication Dinner St. Paul’s Albanian Catholic Church: The Citadel Where the Spirit of Athleta Christi Reigns By: Franz-Llesh Grishaj Honorable clerics who serve the Kingdom of God, Mr. President Alfred Moisiu and official delegation from the Republic of Albania, political dignitaries, distinguished guests, dear friends, and fellow parishioners of St. Paul’s Albanian Catholic Church: Good evening! At this time, I would like to take this opportunity to publicly acknowledge Father Anton Kcira and the organizing committee along with all of the fine men and women who have made this evening possible by compassionately giving of themselves in time, skills, and finances. I also thank the organizing committee for finding me worthy to speak tonight in this most solemn and historic event - a dedication dinner honoring the just erected statue of Gjergj Kastrioti – Skanderbeg and simultaneously commemorating our 25th anniversary of St. Paul’s Albanian Catholic Church. As I stand before you, I am most honored and humbled. I am also filled with a profound sense of sentimentalism as I reminisce how, as a four-year-old child, I accompanied my parents to the unveiling ceremony of a much smaller and modest statue of Gjergj Kastrioti - Skenderbeg and afterwards its dedication dinner. And here I am today celebrating with you just as I did in Brussels, Belgium on 21 September 1968. How awesome and inspirational that is! Today I declare it to be most fitting and proper that we, at St. Paul’s had his Eminence Adam Cardinal Maida and President of Albania Mr. Alfred Moisiu unveil our statue one year after the sixth centennial of Skanderbeg’s birth. This hallowed event is definitely divinely blessed. And now, as we continue, allow me to take a page from the prominent historian, Dr. Djevat Kortscha, and pose three of my own essential questions concerning Gjergj Kastrioti – Skanderbeg and St. Paul’s Albanian Catholic Church. 1) Who is Gjergj Kastrioti - Skanderbeg? Born in 1405, he was truly a great man: a prince, a lawgiver, a warrior, a leader, a diplomat, the soul of a nation, who embodied the legend that exemplifies the indomitable spirit of the majestic eagle, the soaring bird that represented his family principality and symbolizes the Albanian nation! He was the youngest son of the feudal lord of Kruja, Gjon Kastrioti. At a young age he was taken hostage by the Ottoman Turks (a common practice which prevented ruling Albanian families from waging wars against the Ottoman). In Turkey he was forced into Islam, given the Muslim name Skender, and placed in a military academy. Distinguishing himself with valor and military brilliance, he rose to the rank of full general and was thereafter called Skander-beg (Lord Alexander) by the Turks. On 28 November 1443, Kastrioti returned to his homeland, seized his father’s fortress, raised his family’s principality banner (a black double-headed eagle on a bloody red background) and, at a later date, converted back to his faith of origin - Catholicism. On 2 March 1444, in the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas, the historic Assembly of Lezha was held. There the Albanian lords unanimously appointed Kastrioti as the commander-in-chief of the Albanian resistance army. Until his death caused by malaria on 17 January 1468, Kastrioti led his people for 25 years of fierce battles, without a single military defeat, in a glorious revolt against the Ottoman Empire. 2) Why erect a statue of Gjergj Kastrioti – Skanderbeg on the sacred grounds of St. Paul’s Albanian Catholic Church? We do this because, we, my dear brothers and sisters, can justly and proudly claim him as our own. Throughout our existence, our people have done their utmost to achieve liberty. Yes, my fellow compatriots, we are still striving to be free! Without a doubt, we, as a people, have known more subjugation, degradation, and humiliation than self-rule, admiration, and exaltation. Our oppressors have even attempted to annihilate us from the face of the earth. Yet, although a divided and somewhat still conquered nation, by the grace of Almighty God and the shear resolve to endure – we are still here! So many times, facing David-versus-Goliath odds, our people managed to cast off the shackles of oppression only to be placed under another foreign yoke. Nonetheless, no resistance movement against foreign occupation is more profound and epic in proportion than the one led by Gjergj Kastrioti – Skanderbeg. His heroic and noble struggle for autonomy is what makes him the national hero of all Albanians! His campaign to save Christianity from the incursion Muslim invaders has forever immortalized him in the annals of western civilization. Kastrioti’s valiant crusade for faith rightfully earned him the title Champion of Christendom bestowed upon by Pope Nicholas V (1455-1458) and Athleta Christi by Popes Calixtus II (1455-1458), Pius II (1458-1464), and Paul II (1464-1471). Therefore, as Albanian Catholics, especially from the Great Highlands of Shkodra, we owe our very faith to Kastrioti. For we, must never forget that our forefathers fled to the accursed mountain bholds to sustain their faith vis-ŕ-vis the Kastrioti way. Furthermore, it was their descendants, the valiant malsors [highlanders] of the early 20th century, or more specifically – our grandfathers – who along with the legendary Dede Gjo’ Luli, in defiance to nearly 500 years of Turkish domination, raised the Kastrioti banner on the mount of Bratile-Deqic in 1911. 3) How is Gjergj Kastrioti – Skanderbeg relevant to St. Paul’s Albanian Catholic Church? His relevancy is best described in a brief historical summary of the ramifications that our church endured as we too championed the cause of fatherland and faith. After Albania fell to the Ottomans, many Albanians left the country finding safe haven in Naples, Calabria, and Sicily to establish their ethnic religious communities which still exist today. The founding families of St. Paul’s also left their homeland, immigrating to the United States, searching for the American Dream of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness – the fundamental rights that had been denied them in Stalinist Albania and Communist Yugoslavia. The genesis of St. Paul’s actually begins with Prenk Camaj, the first Albanian Catholic priest to be ordained in the United States on 7 July 1976. In October, the majority of Catholic Albanians asked this fiery dynamic priest, who would eventually electrify the congregation with his weekly passionate sermons at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church (located in Poletown), to be their pastor. Remaining faithful to the past, they named their community St. Paul in honor of the apostle who first preached the Gospel to the Albanians (Roman, 15:19). In September of 1977 a suitable 5-acre site was found on Twelve Mile Road between Ryan and Dequindre in Warren. On the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul (29 June 1980), the first mass was celebrated outdoors by Camaj on the very site where the church would eventually be built a year later. In June of 1981, the construction of St. Paul’s was completed at a cost of nearly $1 million. It is worth noting that donations for the construction of the church not only arrived from Catholic contributors belonging to Albanian Communities throughout the United States and Canada, but also from our fellow Orthodox and Muslim brethrens. On Saturday, 27 June an inaugural dinner was given in the church’s hall. The following day, Archbishop Emund Szoka celebrated the Mass of Dedication. Immediately afterwards a family style festival with food, music, and games ensued until the late evening hours. Another day of celebration continued, thus bringing an end to the three-day-celebration. This joyful atmosphere of jubilee would unfortunately not last long. As St. Paul’s reputation of being a modern-day citadel of fatherland and faith reached the Albanian world, our trials and tribulations began. Immediately following the voluntary departure of Prenk Camaj, the communist governments of Yugoslavia and Albania feeling threatened attempted to crush the revival of Albanian nationalism and Catholicism. UDBA and SIGURIMI sent their atheist exponents who penetrated the community and preyed on misguided individuals who, at best, were intellectually and morally questionable as they became tools of destruction. Our congregation was now experiencing what Kastrioti did when Ottoman and Venetian efforts attempted to undermine his cause through bribes, manipulations, instigations, and coercion. As Kastrioti had to deal with defectors one of them actually being his nephew Hamza - aiding and abetting his mortal enemy the Turks, St. Paul’s also experienced parishioners abandoning the church. Confusion, intimidation, and fear were running rampart in our community, as many of the founding families began to leave, thus causing a floodgate of defections. At one point the church was left in the hands of only fifty or so families including the At Gjergj Fishta Council (first Albanian Knights of Columbus council in the U.S.). For survival we held on to God and each other, realizing that was the only way we would eventual make it. Furthermore, for encouragement, we recalled the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me” (Matthew 5:11). Looking back, we truly were blessed, because we, the few remaining families, not only sustained our church but also forged a bond of brotherhood that still persists today. At times, I must confess, we felt alone and even abandoned by God. Of course, that was not the case – it was man’s thinking and not God’s thinking - because Christ promised us the Holy Spirit who will never forsake the Church. Accordingly, our name sake, St. Paul, teaches, not only are we not alone but the kind of Spirit that has graced humanity, “God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7). Therefore, God was most certainly with us, and eventually He would show us the way. During 1981-1989, the Archdiocese of Detroit sent temporary administrators who began to minister to the needs of the parishioners. Among them Father Robert Keller and Father Douglas Terrien had the longest tenure until the arrival of Father Anton Kcira on 12 October 1989, with him came the spiritual director of the Albanian exiles, Father Daniel Gjecaj, OFM. Who with Father Anton would co-celebrate Mass at St. Paul’s three days later. Sacred Scriptures teaches us that, “People may plan all kinds of things, but the Lord’s will is going to be done” (Proverbs 19:21). Thus, I truly believe that Father Anton was the God-send, the answer to our prayers. His arrival coincided with the beginning of the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe; specifically for us - the demise of Communist Yugoslavia, and the exodus of thousands of Albanians fleeing the last Stalinist bastion, Enverite Albania. From the pulpit, Father Anton spoke of repentance and reconciliation. He publicly called for all those families who had abandoned the church to come back because they no longer had to fear Titoism or Enverism. Kastrioti had emulated Our Lord in accepting repented sinners, such as Moisiu of Dibra, back in his good graces. Similarly, Father Anton also reached out his arms as he welcomed the return of the prodigal sons and daughters. As many families came to understand that these threats were no longer viable, they (most but not all) began to return to St. Paul’s along with the most recent political refugees from Albania proper. Thus began the serious re-birth of our congregation. Immediately afterwards, Father Anton’s organizing and fund-raising skills, combined with talented and dedicated community members and the generosity of the faithful, enabled our congregation to finally pay our debts, purchase the residential home adjacent to our church that was converted into a rectory, remolded the interior of the church, installed a central air system, paved the parking lot, and purchased in 1995 a beautiful 29-acre site in Rochester Hills. The new and much improved St. Paul’s was completed in June of 2002 at an estimated cost of $12 million, and Auxilary Bishop Leonard Blair celebrated the Mass of Dedication on 2 September. In addition to these accomplishments, Father Anton and the faithful also helped the reconstruction of the Albanian Catholic Churches in Albania, Kosova, and Montenegro. They also assisted the Albanians fleeing the systemic terror campaign of Slobodan Milosevic with food, clothing, and various medical supplies; and they actively campaigned for the independence of Kosova, and most recently participated in peaceful rallies on behalf of our people living in the portion of Malesia that is under Montenegro jurisdiction. As a footnote, Father also recruited three wonderful Franciscan Sisters, Gariella Vulaj, Irena Prenrecaj, and Luljana Marku, who I graciously refer to as The Doves of Christ. They are multi-talented and their contributions to the community are beyond measure. Also, please join me in a special acknowledgement for Mr. Albert Shan Degaj, who loyally served our community for 30 years and now needs our prayers as he is very ill. By no means am I tainting this solemn event with politics. However, as a founding family, I am compelled by moral conviction to appeal to you my fellow brothers and sisters; during this most difficult time, for Malesia, our precious Malesi, - we must not allow Montenegro to use the same intimidation tactics that it has used in the past in its failed attempt to destroy St. Paul’s, nor can we sit idlely by as our people are struggling for freedom and human dignity. Instead, we need to have courage as our turbulent past ensures us that as long as we have faith, stay together, and believe in the Inspired Word of God that, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer” (Psalm 18:2) – victory will be ours my brothers an sisters because God is our rock, in whom we take refuge! In retrospect, it is crystal clear that the spirit of Athleta Christi reigns at St. Paul’s Albanian Catholic Church, symbolized by the statue of Gjergj Kastrioti – Skanderbeg, which has been placed in an appropriate site because, just as he dedicated his life in the struggle for fatherland and faith, so too has our church in maintaining her Albanian Catholic identity. Furthermore, it is most important to remember our roots and reflect upon the turbulence of long ago times. Our triumph against overwhelming odds, as epitomized by our national hero, is one that mankind must forever applaud and God will forever bless. Certainly, Kastrioti’s monumental saga validates St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians, 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” Therefore, in closing, I say: “Let righteousness, confidence, and the love of Christ Jesus permeate our lives.” For the glory, and the honor, and the power is the Lords, and His alone – amen!
God bless you all and thank you!!
|
Honorable cleric – Father Anton Kcira, distinguished speakers, ladies and gentlemen, and dear brothers and sisters of Ethnic Albania – so good to see you all today!