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The Feast of Prophet Elijah at the Church of the Annunciation of the Theotokos in Tirana

July 20, 2026 · 1 min read

Today, July 20, 2026, Archbishop Ioannis of Tirana, Durrës and All Albania presided over the Divine Liturgy at the Holy Church of the Annunciation of the Theotokos in Tirana.

The feast of the Prophet Elijah coincided with the 28th anniversary of the ordination of Archbishop Ioannis to the episcopal rank, which was performed by the late Archbishop Anastasios in this very same Holy Church. After half a century of an atheistic regime, on July 20, 1998, the first Albanian Bishop was ordained, and the Holy Synod of our Church was established.

For 27 consecutive years (1998–2025), Bishop John served as the Shepherd of the Holy Metropolis of Korçë. In 2025, by decision of the Holy Synod of our Church, he was elected Archbishop of Tirana, Durrës, and All Albania.

The festive homily for the occasion was delivered by Metropolitan Gregory of Korçë. At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, Bishop Ignatius offered a heartfelt greeting, in which he stated: “Today is a special day of celebration, because on this very day, 28 years ago, the Grace of God, through the blessed hands of the late Archbishop Anastasios, raised you to the episcopal rank.

Such events hold particular significance…

Source: Orthodox Times · Read the full story →

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Соломія Кузьменко

Thank God that it was in the Church of the Annunciation 28 years ago that the first bishop was ordained after those atheistic years. I remembered how you were in Korcha for 27 years, and now you are an archbishop. It is good that Metropolitan Grigory preached, it would be interesting to hear what exactly he said.

Максим Лисенко

Yes, Solomia, it was in that church of the Annunciation that everything began on July 20, 1998. I remember people saying at the time that after fifty years of godlessness, a bishop had finally appeared. But what exactly did Metropolitan Grigoriy say in the sermon - it would be interesting to find out, maybe someone present will record or tell?