Albanian bishop's 2022 visit to Detroit — home to a large Albanian diaspora — led to a 'close relationship' with archdiocese
DETROIT — The Archdiocese of Detroit, under Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron, had an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to the universality of the Catholic Church by supporting the rebuilding of the parish house in the Diocese of Sapas, Albania.
Bishop Simon Kulli of Sapa visited the Archdiocese of Detroit in August 2022 and spent time with Archbishop Vigneron. In his role with the Episcopal Conference of Albania, Bishop Kulli serves as president of emigration for Albanians, which entails caring for the wellbeing of the Albanian diaspora around the world, including those in Michigan.
The Catholic Church in Albania has struggled to rebuild its resources since the fall of the communist regime 34 years ago, Bishop Kulli wrote to Detroit Catholic.
Southeast Michigan is home to one of the largest Albanian Catholic communities in the world outside of Albania, including two parishes in the Archdiocese of Detroit: Our Lady of Albanians in Southfield and St. Paul Albanian in Rochester Hills.
“(Leading) the diaspora has led to a closer and more fraternal relationship with this Archdiocese, particularly with His Excellency Archbishop Vigneron," Bishop Kulli wrote. "This close relationship is thanks to the great care and encouragement that the Archdiocese … has shown over the years for the Albanian parish, making it possible for this community to preserve its identity while also integrating into the local Church.”
“During this meeting (with Archbishop Vigneron), we had the opportunity to share our dioceses' experiences and different challenges," Bishop Kulli continued. "Since that moment, I have held great respect and admiration for His Excellency Vigneron and the Archdiocese he leads as a true Shepherd.”
Bishop Kulli explained that the Diocese of Sapas is very poor and struggles to find the funds to sustain it. Following his visit in 2022, Bishop Kulli said Archbishop Vigneron pledged $50,000 to help restore the Naraç Church and the parish house in Dajç of Zadrima, a small village in northern Albania.
“With those funds, we were able to complete the plumbing installations, tile flooring, plastering, finishing, and installation of electrical wiring,” Bishop Kulli wrote. “This was a tremendous help for me, as the house had remained uninhabited for many years, and I had no place to shelter the missionaries serving this parish and others in the surrounding area. The donated funds provided significant support in enabling work to be carried out on this parish house, though it is still not habitable.”
There is still more work to be done, Bishop Kulli said, including the installation of doors, shutters and furniture, and the diocese still needs to come up with the necessary funds to finish the work on the parish house and begin work on the Church.
At the time of the fall of communism, Bishop Kulli was a seminarian, and he experienced how the efforts to restore the Church in Albania are ongoing and require immense effort.
“Since I was still a seminarian, I have witnessed the entire process from the beginning of the Diocese, which I have now led for seven years,” Bishop Kulli wrote. “The Church in Albania is a poor Church, especially my Diocese, which is largely situated in mountainous areas and faces significant economic hardships. The lack of income means that the Diocese encounters great difficulties in its upkeep and, above all, in its evangelizing mission. This is evident in our inability to secure even the most essential resources needed to further our evangelizing mission. Often, we have lacked vehicles to travel to these remote and hard-to-reach areas.”
Bishop Kulli said the diocese struggles with a shortage of priests and vocations; he has encouraged his diocese to pray especially for vocations and instructed his priests to hold adoration of the Blessed Sacrament more regularly.
While work is ongoing and the struggles are not completely gone, Bishop Kulli explained the donation helps to alleviate some of the burden and help further the diocese’s mission.
"The donated funds are an immense and essential help for us. Our diocese strives to offer its believers the best possible care and service, bearing in mind that our focus is mission life and evangelization,” Bishop Kulli wrote. “Every fund goes towards the benefit of this mission. Funds are necessary for the construction and maintenance of various structures used for the parish, such as catechism halls, oratories, meeting rooms for youth gatherings, and transportation resources."
