Catholic Kosovo: A Visitor’s Guide to Her People, Churches, Historical Sites, and Her 1,900 Year Journey

By Marilyn Kott

Experience a lesser known aspect of Kosovo and her people by discovering their Catholic past and present.
In this guide, you’ll find locations, visiting hours, driving instructions, Mass and Feast Day schedules for 33 of Kosovo’s Catholic churches and sites. You’ll find background on their 1,900 year history, beginning with the 2nd century Christian evangelizers and converts in the then-Roman province Illyricum. You’ll find stories from present day parishioners, who openly share their heritage and faith.
More than 80 mostly color photos, along with diagrams and contributions from 17 of Kosovo’s Catholics will make you feel you’re already there. Well researched and organized, enhanced with historical and religious background, this guide is for pilgrims and general travelers alike, and even for those who might not ever get to Kosovo.
You’ll be fascinated and moved by Catholic Kosovo.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Jul 30, 2015
• ISBN: 9781483435213

Book preview

CATHOLIC KOSOVO

A Visitor’s Guide to Her People, Churches, Historical Sites, and Her 1,900 Year Journey

Marilyn Kott

Copyright © 2015 Marilyn Kott.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-3521-3 (Electronic Book)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-3520-6 (Color, Paperback)

ISBN: 978-1-329-47423-9 (Black and White, Paperback)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015911356

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 8/15/2015

For Kosovo and Her Peacemakers

May You Be Blessed by the Prince of Peace Himself

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This book could not have been written without the enthusiasm and efforts of several caring people.

The first is Monsignor Dodë Gjergji, Kosovo’s Bishop, who gave this project his time and support from the beginning. He encouraged his parishes to participate, and provided us with access to essential records and photographs. He took the time early on to allow us to interview him, giving us insight and expertise that only someone with his experience and commitment could.

Raimonda Lekaj and Ardian Kolaj were the leaders, organizing the efforts of the members of the NGO AYA Pjetër Bogdani and some additional volunteers, in researching and writing the chapters. Raimonda spent countless hours discussing, reviewing and following up to gain quality products from the volunteers. She also provided two of the chapters (on Pristina and Novosella), while Ardian provided the chapter on Ferizaj.

Father Fatmir Koliqi assisted and enabled us in our correspondence with the Bishop and the parishes.

Klorinda Kaçinari moved mountains, tirelessly and cheerfully translating fourteen of the chapters from Albanian to English. She also provided invaluable feedback, advice and clarification.

Members of the NGO AYA Pjetër Bogdani, and members of Kosovo’s clergy and parishes wrote about their churches, their hometowns, their heroes, and their own experiences. They provided material for this book that only people who live and worship in Kosovo can. They are: Monika Gjoklaj, Raimonda Lekaj, Ardian Kolaj, Father Aleksander Kola, Kristjan Ramaj, Sister Age Qeta, Father Lush Gjergji, Donika Oroshi, Kristjan Simoni, Genta Berisha, Father Dominik Qerimi, Franë Berisha, Leonard Nocaj, Alban Sopi, Father Fabio Moretti and Pierangelo, Kaltrina Gashi, Mark Marku, and Pashk Gjokaj. Paul Eberhart reached into his files for photographs when we hit a hard spot.

My friends Elizabeth Gowing, Doug Morris and Anemona Zeneli introduced me to the process of preparing and submitting books, providing advice and contacts without which we could not have started this project.

My friends Donna Tuff and Doug Morris, and my Aunt Marilyn Jersild were my extremely helpful and encouraging reviewers.

So many people provided hints to places in Kosovo that we could investigate, and encouragement that we had taken on a worthy project. It would be difficult to name them all, but I will give special thanks to Artur and Lola Camaj for their role in recruiting writers.

I’d like to thank you, the reader, for your interest in this book. I hope that you enjoy it and your travel experience. Any profit from this book will go back to Kosovo, to the following three organizations: the NGO AYA Pjetër Bogdani, so instrumental in the book’s creation, the NGO Caritas Kosovo, for its work in helping people all over Kosovo every day, and to the Bishop of Kosovo’s building fund.

Shumë faleminderit and Hvala to the gracious people of Kosovo who go out of their way to make visitors feel welcome. My time in Kosovo was truly special because of your kindness and openness. Peace be with you.

FOREWARD

An Interview with the Bishop of Kosovo (Ipeshk të Kosoves)

Bishop Dodë Gjergji was born in Stublla, in southeastern Kosovo (Yugoslavia at the time) in 1963. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1989, and served initially at the Church of the Guardian Angel, Ferizaj, in central Kosovo. He transferred to Albania, where he was the apostolic administrator and then the Bishop of Sapë, Albania. On December 12, 2006, he was appointed the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Prizren, the apostolic administration of the Roman Catholic Church in Kosovo. During his time as the Bishop, Kosovo won its independence as a Republic, and approved a Constitution in which freedom of religion is protected. Also during his time, ground was broken and construction begun on the Blessed Mother Teresa Cathedral in Pristina. Although construction is not complete, the Cathedral was consecrated in 2010 and has been in continuous use since 2013. Bishop Gjergji speaks Albanian, Italian, and English, along with variations of the Serbian language including Croatian and Slovenian. He’s also been known to play a round of golf on occasion.

In July 2014, we asked for his thoughts about his role as the Bishop of Kosovo, and about his life experience as a Catholic in the region.

1. What would you want Visitors (Catholics and non-Catholics) to know about Catholicism in Kosovo? What would you want them to know about Kosovo?

The Catholic Church is a priceless asset that carries the many treasures yet also the suffering from the past. In order to present a brief summary to visitors to Kosovo, we must travel the paths of the past to find the key facts that everyone should know who lives or visits Kosovo.

The first thing to know is that the Christianity has been in Kosovo (propagated) since the beginning, through Saint Paul and his disciples. Ulpiana was the Metropolitan Archdiocese in the fourth century. They should also know that our church was a part of the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D.

This deep-rooted church has an ancient heritage that is both Latin and Byzantine. The dominance or the contribution of these two rites in our region at any time has depended on the power of each’s influence, and on their competition at any one time. When the Slavs arrived to these lands, they found a well-organized church and harmony between the two rites.

In later times, the Archdiocese of Prizren was the one that survived and is still present today. Currently, the Church of Prizren is the only (Diocesan) Residence in Kosovo. There are 60,000 Catholics organized in 24 parishes throughout cities and villages of Kosovo.

Our church here has always contributed to the work of the Universal Church with martyrs, endurance and testimony. The number of saints our church has contributed to the Universal Church is also great, beginning with Saints Flori and Lauri from ancient Ulpiana. The latest contribution is Blessed Mother Teresa, in whom God’s Love and the nobility of the Albanian people is perfectly combined and formed.

Today we are a small church with great gifts to offer the people of Kosovo. The glory of the Church cannot be seen in today’s circumstances, though. In general it may be found forgotten under the soil of Kosovo. Through the remains discovered recently in places such as Ulpiana, Novo Brdo and Harilaçi we can see how rich this Church was in the past.

Kosovo is a country where many civilization, cultures, empires and ideas have combined and faced each other. As a consequence we have a variety of religions, ethnicities and ethnic groups, traditions and cultures.

2. Please tell us a little bit about the parish community into which you were born.

Stublla is my hometown; near it is Letnica, the ancient Diocesan Sanctuary. That zone is called Karadak, or the Black Mountain of Skopje. The parish of Saint Joseph is located in this village, as is the first Albanian School and Stubllavaça, the highest peak of Karadak. When we talk about Stublla, we cannot avoid mentioning the history of Karadak’s martyrs. Our ancestors were forced to live their religion secretly as motley (Crypto-Catholics) throughout Kosovo. When the Ottoman High Gate of Istanbul recognized the religious affiliation of its citizens, men of this region decided to publicly declare themselves Catholics. For this, Pash Bej Gjinolli of Gjillanit violently deported them to Anatolia in 1846. After they had suffered and experienced misery in the swamps of Maliq, the Great Powers successfully intervened with Istanbul. The survivors, just over half of the original deportees, jubilantly returned home. This episode fundamentally impacted the spiritual and social life of the entire area.

3. Please tell us a little bit about your experience as a Priest in Kosovo.

My experience of being a priest in Kosovo was very short, I served only one year and six months as a new priest in Kosovo. It was the time of the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia and the collapse of the communist system. Everything started to change, and sadly everything led to the war between the nations of former Yugoslavia. Under these circumstances, it was very hard to do anything, we did what was possible. My work as a priest in Kosovo was focused on preparing books, including liturgical textbooks, and the Drita magazine editorial; organizing the charitable activity through the Mother Teresa Society branch in Ferizaj and facing the phenomenon of that time, the poisoning of the children in schools. I remember when we converted the church in Ferizaj into a hospital center for the poisoned children.

From 1991 to 2007, when I took over the duties as a Bishop, I served outside of Kosovo, initially in Croatia and then for 12 years in Albania.

4. How has being a Catholic in Kosovo changed in your lifetime?

I have now reached the age of half of century. During my life, the way of living as a Catholic in Kosovo has changed many times and in many ways. During my childhood, Catholics were categorized in two classes: the overwhelming majority who were in minimal living conditions in isolated rural zones, and a small minority who gained elite status in a few cities such as: Prizren, Peja, Prishtina and Gjakova. In the ’70s, this minority moved to other cities such as: Zagreb, Beograd, and in particular in the coast side of Croatia.

To be a Catholic in that period meant being without a job, without opportunity, without education, excluded from the right to the joint good of the country or to make any decisions for one’s social, cultural or economic life. In short -- deprived of every opportunity. The only place Catholics found hope was in the Church, and with the priests, their main leaders. Conditions completely changed during the ‘90s, when suddenly being a Catholic was a privilege. During that time, the Church played a special role in public life by supporting people’s legitimate requests. The entire Church served the people who suffered from injustice by the regime of that time. This reinstated the collective conscience of the Albanians that the Catholic Church, at any time, was the only Ark, or saving boat, to help the Albanian people overcome the floods. Another aspect present during this time was the people’s movement to change the oppressive and unjust regime – the people were ready to sacrifice everything. Assisting Catholics in public life and assisting the Muslim majority in the struggle for freedom was an imperative of the time, because, only in