More than 100 members of the Albanian community came to St. John
the Beloved Church in McLean to attend Arlington’s first Albanian Mass Oct. 15.
Some came from as far as New York to attend the Mass, which was celebrated by
Father Lush Gjergji, a
biographer and friend to the newly canonized St. Teresa of Kolkata. The
Albanian priest also spoke at the Library of Congress Oct. 14 promoting the message
of Mother Teresa.
“I condensed in a presentation what I have written in 16 books
about Mother Teresa,” said Father Gjergji.
“But today is the peak of my activities because the Mass is the summit
of it all.”
The Mass also was attended by some of Mother Teresa’s family from
Albania. Nikoleta Bucaj, Mother Teresa’s first cousin, attended with her
husband Gjon, son Edward and daughter Nora.
“It’s a thanksgiving Mass for having the opportunity to introduce
Mother Teresa to the parish here,” said Edward Bucaj. “She always wanted to go
up to the poorest of the poor, and she learned this giving nature in Albania
from her mother.”
According to Merita McCormack, a parishioner of St. John the
Beloved, many of those who attended the Mass and reception were not Catholic.
“We are a strong community and we attend each other’s feasts,”
said McCormack. “But hopefully seeds will be planted here today.”
After Mass, everyone was invited to a reception in the parish
center, Floreta Faber, the Albanian ambassador to the United States, said a few
words thanking Father Gjergji for his work.
“Apart from being an exceptional scholar on Mother Teresa’s work,
he has been working with the government to recognize Kosovo as an independent
state,” she said. She went on to say that a lot of people are surprised to find
out that Mother Teresa was Catholic because Albania is generally thought of as a
Muslim country.
“What is important to us is to give a little on what Albanians are,”
she said, ending with the words of Mother Teresa, “Let us always meet each other
with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.”
