From container to chapel

The Dominican community in Albania would like to thank the Mission Fund for their donation of Lm500 which will help to alleviate some of the financial burdens in the building of a chapel in the village of PortoRomano. PortoRomano is just one of the many villages on the outskirts of the city of Durrës where the Dominicans have their parish.

On one of the hills of this village, which is home to more than 200 Catholic families, the Dominican friars thought of building a small and humble chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Good Counsel (patron of Albania). This was simply a spontaneous response to the needs of this Catholic community, which gathers at the end of every week for a eucharistic celebration as well as to hold other catechism meetings.

For quite a long time, every liturgical celebration or other activities were organised in a cargo container, which at first helped us to gather the faithful. As time went by, the community at PortoRomano became larger and, with the help of many benefactors, last April we succeeded in having the new chapel blessed. Although this temple is not yet finished due to lack of funds, it is enabling us to celebrate the liturgy in a more dignified manner which befits the people of God.

Thus, on behalf of the local people, we would like to express our gratitude once again to the Mission Fund, hoping that God will repay this generosity with His blessings. We would also like to encourage all the benefactors to persevere in aiding the fund in every way possible, as it helps so many missionaries with such inestimable dedication.