Albania: Repairs to the church roof in Fier

The church of Our Lady of Fatima parish in Fier before the renovation. @ACN
The church of Our Lady of Fatima parish in Fier before the renovation. @ACN

High in the upper corners of the church, the plaster was crumbling, and visible cracks were extending across the walls. Last year, in the southern Albanian town of Fier, the people were struggling with the headache of a church in need of renovation and with a leaky roof. In the early 1990s, shortly after the collapse of communism in Albania, ACN helped for the building of this church. However, the work was carried out with the materials and manpower then available, both of which - in those early years of newly won freedom - were very far from modern Western standards.

And so, in autumn 2008 Bishop Hil Kabashi of the diocese of Vlore found himself turning once again to ACN for help. "The church in Fier is currently in a bad state. When it rains the roof leaks constantly. In the beginning, after the changes, everything was built hastily and with poor materials", he wrote. There is also no proper insulation. In summer the church is very hot and in winter ice cold. And the acoustics inside the church are terrible too. The congregation can hardly understand what the priest is saying.

ACN gave €25,000 for the repairs and upgrading, and the work was able to start. Now Bishop Kabashi has written again joyfully, "the work has gone well and the Franciscan Minorites, the parishioners and I myself are all very happy". He reports how the young priests, who themselves helped with the renovation work, have now "begun to work enthusiastically" again in their priestly ministry. The renovation work was completed at the end of December 2009.

For Bishop Kabashi, his task is above all to support the Catholic Albanian people, in the aftermath of the collapse of the communist regime. Up until 1990 every form of religious expression was forbidden. If a cross was found in a house, the owner could be sentenced to death. Making the sign of the cross in public could get you up to 25 years imprisonment. The bishop explains: "After the changes, missionaries came to Albania, mostly Italians, and rekindled the flame of evangelisation. Now we must strive with all our strength to make sure this flame does not go out again. My overriding concern is to support these people as well as possible, above all when, as here, they live in an isolated diaspora situation".

His efforts pay off. Holy Mass is now celebrated every day in Fier, and even on weekdays around 20 people come to Mass. On Sundays there are usually up to 60. The church is centrally situated in the town and holds an important place in the lives of the local Catholics. It is the heart of their community and a favourite meeting place. Next to the church is the parish house, together with the retreat centre, the accommodation block and the workshops where the Sisters and people work together at handicrafts, making tablecloths, knitted goods, handbags and rugs.

Two Franciscan Brothers, both Slovakians, also work with great commitment in the parish and rejoice to see the many new recruits. Today there are 10 altar servers who assist at Holy Mass, and one boy actually wants to join the Franciscan order. The next thing they are planning is to refurbish the retreat centre. "There is still so much to do", says Father Jaro.

To know about this and many other similar projects in favour of the pastoral needs of the suffering Church, please contact our national offices.