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Boston, a final farewell is given to Father Arthur Liolini

2023-10-08 15:10:18, Kulturë CNA

Boston, a final farewell is given to Father Arthur Liolini

On Friday and Saturday in Boston, Massachusetts, the last respects and memorial ceremony were held for Father Arthur Liolini, the Orthodox priest who for decades led the historic Albanian-American church of Saint George in this city.

Father Arthur Liolini passed away on September 28 at the age of 80. He will be remembered as a cleric who dedicated his whole life to religion and nation. Colleague Burim Goxhuli attended the ceremony and talked with those present about the figure of Father Liolini and the legacy he left behind.

With a religious ceremony, family members, friends and believers at the historic church of Saint George in Boston, said their last farewell to the well-known Albanian-American clergyman, Father Arthur Liolin.

The participants in these tributes remember him as a simple and wise figure, but above all as a good and active man who was committed to the Albanian cause all his life. Father Liolini was a follower of Fan Noli's work, leading for decades the Albanian-American church founded by him 115 years ago. He was also Chancellor of the Albanian Orthodox Archdiocese in America, which includes 12 churches.

Boston, a final farewell is given to Father Arthur Liolini

Father Liolini was a follower of Fan Noli's work, leading for decades the Albanian-American church founded by him 115 years ago. He was also Chancellor of the Albanian Orthodox Archdiocese in America, which includes 12 churches.

"It was a great fortune for the church, or rather for the Saint George's Cathedral. Father Arthur was the man who, more than anyone here in America, managed to make an Orthodox church the church of all Albanians, and this is his credit. He was the one who preached not only religion in the church but also love for Albania, love for the homeland and other good virtues", says Robert Ngjela, a member of the choir of the Orthodox Church of Saint George.

"We were together at lunches and dinners, at my house and his house. He has always been a man not only for religion but also for people. I knew him as a man, more than I knew him as a priest. For me this is very important, because sometimes priests are difficult to approach. He had a soul and I think that we also have the same soul and with that spirit we will continue", says the Albanian-American activist Mark Kosmo.

Father Arthur Liolini played an important role in the restoration of Christianity in Albania, after a quarter of a century where religion was banned during communism, baptizing Albanians who had been deprived of this right by the dictatorship.

Meanwhile in the United States, Father Liolini engaged with the American and Albanian governments to restore diplomatic relations, which had been interrupted for a period of fifty years.

He particularly helped young Albanian immigrants to Massachusetts, while contributing to those in need through various educational, religious, and historical foundations.

"All those who have come and tried them, know the difficulties of the beginning. Maybe it seems to us now that those who come now have it easier, because there are more Albanians who have come, there is support and help for all new arrivals. When we first came, this was the first place we knocked. Here we found that first support and first jobs. Father Arthur spoke to me, he told me to go and see a factory where they hire new workers", says Dhimitraq Demiri, a believer in the Albanian Orthodox Church in Boston.

The preservation of the virtues of Father Arthur Liolini from generation to generation honors his figure, says Dorothy Christo, an Orthodox believer born in the United States and of Albanian origin who is part of the church's board.

"He was a wonderful priest. A true man of God who gladly served the Albanian population here. He was always welcoming, dedicated and an asset to our community. We have a very rich heritage. He wanted us to preserve it and pass it on to our children and grandchildren. As I and many others are doing. I think it is important to continue the tradition and the path he was committed to for 50 years, to continue honoring his memory," says Mrs. Christo.

Father Arthur Liolini also enjoys respect among the American clergy of the Orthodox faith in Boston.

"The first was a man of knowledge. It is very important for a clergyman to be interested in learning, not only about religion but everything else. It is important for those who want to be good theologians and pastors. He engaged and spoke on behalf of the Albanian archdiocese and the importance of its existence. I think Father Arthur had a gift to talk to everyone, to be close to everyone and to help anyone who was interested in Christ," says Father Robert Arida, retired clergyman at Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral in Boston. .

Father Liolini came from a family originating from Boboshtica in Korça./ VOA





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