3068 Salesian ordinations in Albania
austraLasia #3068

Salesian ordinations in Albania

 SHKODËR: 12 May 2012 - We do well to remember those of our Region who are far away from their home country and indeed the Region, and today it is appropriate to call attention to A Salesian missionary from Vietnam who accepted the challenging call to the relatively new presence in what was the last bastion of communism and the Eastern Bloc in Europe. On May 12 at 100.00 am, John Baptist Huu Hien was ordained priest in St Stephen's Cathedral, Shkodër (The Italians call it Scutari, and Albania, in Salesian terms belongs to the Southern Province of Italy, IME).

Fr John Huu was not alone. Ordained with him was an Albanian Salesian, Fr. Bledar Huba. The ordaining prelate was Angelo Massafra OFM, Archbishop of Shkodër .

Fr Bledar had studied compelted his theological studies in Messina, While Fr Huu was at Gerini in Rome. He came to Albania in 2006, then went to Gerini to begin his theological studies in 2008.

The Salesians had made a brief start in the city in 1992, the year the Communists were routed in elections, so this year is the twentieth anniversay of Salesian presence in Albania.

Blessed John Paul II appealed to all the Major Superiors of all Congregations to send missionaries there. Fr Egidio Viganò, 7th Successor of Don Bosco, heard  the Pope’s invitation and urged the Superior of the Southern Italian Province (IME), Fr Luigi Testa, to consider the idea of a missionary expedition.

After some informal contacts the Salesians arrived in Albania, at Shkodër (Scutari) on 24 September 1992. The pioneers were: Fr Michele Gentile, from IME; Fr Zef Gashi, from the Slovene Province; Fr Renato Torresan, from the then Roman Province;  Salesian Brother Francesco Gippetto, from the Sicilian Province and two young Salesians in formation, Dominik Qerimi and Lek Oroshi, both from Slovenia; they were shortly joined by  Fr Oreste Valle from what was then the Vice Province of Sardinia. The Salesian Sisters also arrived in Tirana. For them it was a return, since prior to the communist dictatorship they had earlier been there since 1905.

In December 1992 the Salesian group  divided into two: a part remained in Scutari having transferred to the Italian Consulate Building just renovated, the others went to Tirana where they began pastoral activities. In 1997 there were fresh revolutionary movements but the Salesians stayed with the people, who appreciated the good they were doing: the parents of the pupils and friends of the centre in Tirana guarded the new vocational training centre to successfully prevent any looting or damage.

Since 2000 the Salesian presence in Kosovo – which before the official repression which began in 1967, depended on the Slovene Province – was also entrusted to IME; at Pristina a large vocational training centre was built. In 2010, at the suggestion of the Rector Major, Fr Pascuál Chavez,  a new foundation was established in Kosovo, at Gjilan, 40 km from Pristina.

At present there are 11 Albanian Salesians of whom 7 are priests, one a deacon shortly to be ordained, one student of theology and two of philosophy. In addition there is a young prenovice and several in a process of vocational discernment. Much has happened since 1992. The seed that was sown twenty years ago has now become a small tree, and our Vietnamese confrere, Fr John Baptist Huu is one of the good and brave men who have kept it alive.