Albania
Christmas 2015 – the Interprovincial Community in Albania
Greetings from the Redemptorist Mission in Albania. We want to share the experiences of the first year of our mission in Albania. The interprovincial community of Albania was inaugurated on Monday 22nd of September, 2014, in the city of Kamëz, on the periphery of Tirana. In the initial contract with the Archbishop of Tirana-Durrës, he entrusted us the mission of Pastoral Care for the Catholic population of the largest parish in the country, St John Mary Vianney of Kamëz (Tiranë county), with its subsidiary Kasallë, and the rural parish of the...
read morePerpetual Help in Albania
As always, She precedes us. We have found in the walls of the College of the Daughters of Christ the King of Gjirokastra or at the entrance of the community of the Missionaries of Charity of Mother Teresa, in the center of Tirana. But the catholics of the churches that are part of the Redemptorist Mission in Albania not know our Mother of Perpetual Help, and our community got down to work to “make it known,” according to the mandate that makes 150 years awarded Pope Pius IX to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. The first...
read moreInformation about the Interprovincial Community in Albania (13.09.2014 – 13.09.2015)
The Interprovincial Community in Albania started its missionary activities on Monday 22nd September 2014, in the city of Kamëz, on the periphery of Tirana. At the beginning, the Archbishop of Tirana-Durrës entrusted to us the pastoral care of the Catholic population in the largest parish in the country, Kamëz (Tiranë county), with the church in Kasallë and the rural parish of Luz (Krujë county) – more than 20,000 Catholics. One month later, the archbishop gave us the new established parish in Bathore, located in the city of Kamëz and a...
read moreOur first Albanian summer
Over the summer many activities will take place in our parishes in Tirana. At the moment, we have English language courses taking place, led by 3 people from Ireland. We will soon start our summer camps for children in Kamez, where we will explore the history and mission of the Redemptorists with the children, as well as playing many games in the sun! A group of young adults will be travelling to Belgium to participate in an international youth meeting organized by the Belgium youth organization Chiro. They will stay in several Redemptorist...
read moreSuperior General visits the mission in Albania
The youngest community in Europe was pleased to welcome to receive the Superior General, Fr. Michael Brehl, and General Consultor Fr. Alberto Eseverri from 20th to 23rd February. It was a fraternal visit, with the intention of getting to know the life and mission of the community, the only interprovincial comunity directly under the General Government in Europe. Because of the condition of our house in Kamëz, which is very damp, Fr. Michael and Fr. Alberto stayed in our flat in Bathore, with Fr. Andrzej. They brought many gifts and symbols of...
read moreLetter from the Coordinator, No 19 (7.02.2015)
Dear Confreres, Dear Lay Missionaries of the Most Holy Redeemer, Dear Partners in Mission. Our Mission in Albania Greetings from the community in Albania! I am writing this letter during my first visit to the new Redemptorist mission in Tirana. During my time here I have been greatly impressed by the life and work of the community. Our mission takes care of 3 parishes, and two filial churches, covering an area of approximately by 30km by 10km, where around 30,000 Catholics live. From the first days they have been celebrating mass and...
read moreThe visit of the Coordinator of the CRE in Albania
Jacek Zdrzalek CSsR, coordinator of the Conference of Redemptorists of Europe, visited the new interprovincial mission community in Tirana, Albania, 3-7th February 2015. He was able to meet with the community, individually, and together, and discuss how the new mission has been developing during the first 5 months. Jacek was able to see much of the work in the new mission. He also made courtesy visits to the archbishop and his auxillary. It is encouraging to see that the community has quickly developed links with many other religious...
read moreGrowing our mission in Albania
Advent started for the Redemptorist Mission in Albania with three new churches: St John Paul II Church in Bathore with its filial church in Institut, and St Clare´s church in Arrameras. The shortage of priests working in the diocese means that the Redemptorists were asked to take these three new responsibilities. We continue to work in the parishes of Kamëz and Luz, with the filial church of Kasallë. On the first weekend of Advent we had a retreat day for our young people. Bathore is a pastoral centre full of life, with a community of...
read moreThe beginnings of the foundation in Albania
It was 17:20 when Fathers Laureano Sevillano Del Otero, Dominic O’Toole and Andrzej Michon, the first three Albanians Redemptorists, landed in Tirana, capital of Albania. The sky was cloudy and the road showed the preparations for the upcoming visit of the Pope to the “Land of the Eagles”. The community was received in the rectory of the Cathedral by Mons George Frendo OP, Auxiliary Bishop of Tirana-Durres. There they remained for two weeks dedicated to the study of language and participating in various church meetings,...
read morePreparations for the establishment in Albania
The three confreres who will start the Redemptorist presence in Albania will arrive in the country on Saturday 13th September. Thier preparation has led them to three different nations. The first, not surprisingly, has been Albania. Accompanied by the coordinator of Europe, Fathers Andrzej Michon, Dominic O’Toole and Laureano Del Otero visited Albania for the first time the weekend 13rd -15th June 2014. The four Redemptorists were welcomed by the Bishops of Tirana, Archbishop Rokk Mirdita and Auxiliary Bishop George Frendo OP. On...
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