The year 2010 is announced as the year of the Blessed Mother Teresa, in the 100th anniversary of her birthday. Numerous activities were held in Albania, Macedonia and Kosovo, to commemorate the extraordinary life and work of this Mother, who completely put her life into the service of God and the poorest of the poor. Among these activities, those which will be longer treasured in the memory of those who lived this Jubilee Year are the celebration of the Holy Mass in the Cathedral “Blessed Mother Teresa” in Laç Vau i Dejes, on August 26, in the 100th anniversary of Mother Teresa’s birthday, and the celebration of the Holy Mass in the unfinished Cathedral dedicated to Mother Teresa in Pristine, on September 5, in the 13th anniversary of her death.
The construction of the Cathedral “Mother Theresa” in Pristine, would have its start five years ago with the establishment of the cornerstone ceremony on August 26, 2005, in the 95th anniversary of Mother Teresa’s birthday, by the historical President of Kosovo Ibrahim Rugova, together with the Bishop of Kosovo of that time, H. E. Mark Sopi and the Archbishop of Washington, H. E. Teodor Mek-Keren, hoping that in the 100th anniversary of Mother Teresa’s birthday, the cathedral would be the host in the celebration of the Holy Mass dedicated to her.
September 5 would be the fulfillment of this desire. The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Hajredin Kuqi, numerous representatives of the Catholic Clergy, representatives of the Orthodox Church, Islamic Community of Kosovo, local institutions and ambassadors and representatives of international organizations operating in Kosovo, countless faithful, attended the Holy Mass, officially opening the Cathedral, which keeps the name “Mother Teresa”, led by the Papal envoy, Archbishop of Bar (Tivar), H. E. Zef Gashi, who among other words, would say: “In this land of Kosovo, where many decades before God spoke to Mother Teresa’s soul, today we have this Cathedral dedicated to Mother Teresa. In this Cathedral will resound the word of the gospel, without which it is not possible to think of Mother Teresa”.
At the end of the Mass the Bishop of Kosovo, H. E. Dodë Gjergji, the Assembly Speaker, Jakup Krasniqi and the chairman of the Islamic Community in Kosovo, Mufti Naim Tërnava held their speech on the occasion.
This ceremony was also attended by 12 volunteers and two staff members of Malteser Albania, who at the same time were to provide assistance in medical First Aid. The invitation in this solemnity was made by the Bishop of Kosovo, H. E. Dodë Gjergji, who, until the end of 2006 was the bishop of Sapa and therefore knows very well the structure and the activities of Malteser in all its fields, especially in the medical field, in offering the First Aid.