Editor Dalip Greca

Translated by English Editor Rafaela Prifti

Dear Father Arthur Liolin, Honorable Friends, Guests,

It is a privilege to greet you on behalf of the Pan-Albanian Federation of America Vatra, Chairman Dritan Mishto, the Executive Council, the Board as well as the affiliates in the US and Canada. I speak here as the designated representative of Vatra. Concurrently with this event in Boston, the Chairman of Kosova’s Parliament, Kadri Veseli is visiting Vatra’s Headquarters in New York. As you know Noli was the first editor of Dielli, the oldest Albanian newspaper in print to mark its 110th anniversary on February 15, 2019. With the same exuberance the Albanian Orthodox Church of Saint George and the Fan S. Noli Library in Boston commemorate the 110 anniversary of the first Church Service conducted in Albanian by Primate Fan Noli. The Albanian Orthodox Church in America and Vatra have championed the Albanian national cause in the US. The independence movement prompted by patriots lead to the modern state of Albania. Consistently interchanging between Church, Dielli and Vatra, Fan Noli’s name identifies with the foundation of the Albanianism in America with his omnipresence and comprehensive work. In remembering the first church service conducted in the Albanian language, we honor his Eminence Fan Noli and all those who were and are in service of the Albanian Orthodox Church upholding its autocephalous status.

Today’s ceremony comes at the conclusion of a series of events commemorating the national hero of Albania, Gjergj Kastrioti Skenderbeu. The Pan-Albanian Federation of America and its newspaper Dielli have chaired and co-chaired a number of events in honor of his legacy. A special issue of Dielli was complemented with an exclusive design in the anniversary of the Flag Day while each monthly issue included studies and essays on the legendary hero. Jointly with religious institutions and community organizations, Vatra co-chaired a number of conferences and panel discussions. In collaboration with the Catholic Church ‘Our Lady of Shkodra’ in New York, Vatra hosted an event to mark the 550th anniversary of Skenderbeu’s death. Additionally, Vatra was a main contributor to an academic symposium held in Michigan to commemorate the national hero.

Gjergj Kastrioti Skenderbeu Skanderbeg – the iconic leader of the Albanian diaspora in America and Europe, has inspired and greatly infused the patriotic spirit of the nation through the centuries. During the Rescue Albania campaign in June 1917, Vatra’s Chairman Kole Tromara and Dielli’s Editor Bahri Osmani (years later both executed by the communist dictatorship) invoked the legendary period under the heroic leader Skenderbeu to appeal to the national pride encouraging Albanians of America to contribute in reviving the independence of Albania as it was facing great perils of being dissolved during WWI. Thanks to Vatra’s wherewithal and strong connections with Washington DC, including the friendship between US President Woodrow Wilson with Fan Noli as Godfather, Albania was saved at the Peace Conference.

Following the Congress of Lushnja, Vatra Federation invoked the glorious national hero once more during an intense fundraising campaign in order to protect the Albanian state from solvency. The successful efforts by Vatra yielded 198,000 US dollars and the task of the designated liaison was placed with Mid’hat Frasheri, the son of Abdyl Frasheri. Recently Vatra paid homage to Mid’hat Frasheri as his remains were repatriated to Albania with the highest honors.

The veneration of the Pan-Albanian Federation Vatra and its leadership for the iconic hero is also evidenced by the commitment and work of Dielli’s Editors to elevate even further his name around the world. Vatra’s co-founder and editor of Dielli, Faik Konitza, at the age of 22, revealed the nation’s flag and instilled the love for the national symbol. His Albania unveiled the flag of the legendary hero.

Fan Noli, co-founder of Vatra and Dielli’s first editor, known for his outstanding authoritative effectiveness on Skanderbeg completed the book Historia e Skenderbeut in 1921. Noli finalized it with some additions to turn it into a complete work in 1949. The book Historia e Skënderbeut: Gjergj Kastriotit, Mbretit te Shqiperise, 1412-1468 was an acclaimed success and had several reprints. In the 1920s the Albanian translation of Henry Longfellow’s poem by Noli was a peerless linguistic revival across the fields. Dielli’s editor Andon Frasheri had translated from English James Ludlow’s book The Captain of the Janizaries: A Story of the time of Scanderbeg and the Fall of Constantinople. It was published as an addendum to an issue of Dielli in 1930 and in a book format in 1934 by Library Drita in Korce, and once more in 1967 under the title Konstandini dhe Morsinia, with our hero as the main character. Andon Frasheri published another work centered around the hero’s afterlife. Printed in Tirana in 1944, the book I fundmi i Kastrioteve contains 113 pages and includes the author’s inscription: To Fan Noli, the knight of the Albanian literature with gratitude from his disciple. Dielli’s editor from 1963 to 1971, Athanas Gegaj, penned a manuscript titled Arberia and the Turkish Occupation of the XV Century published in Louvain in 1937. It was the PHD thesis Gegaj had presented at the University of Louvain. Fan Noli held this work in very high regard.

Dielli’s editor from 1936 to 1940 and a devout scholar of Scanderbeg, Nelo Drizari, was the first Albanian journalist to graduate from Columbia University in 1926. On the 500th anniversary of Scanderbeg’s death, Drizari authored a monograph written in English called Scanderbeg: His Life, Correspondence, Orations, Victories, and Philosophy. The same year Vatra sponsored the publication written by another former newspaper editor Edward Lico. His book was titled Gjergj Kastrioti Skenderbeu 1468-1968. Xhevat Kallajxhi, a former VOA journalist who also served for ten years as Dielli’s editor wrote several articles and a booklet on the Albanian national hero.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let us remember our national hero Skenderbeu for eternity because a people without memory will perish. Let us never forget the iconic leader of the Albanian Church and the Apostle of patriotism, Fan Noli who the mighty Gods delivered to the Albanians of America to lead and enlighten their minds. Memory eternal!