March - ACO - Nato

[Cultural Heritage]Text by OR-6 Christin Michaud, U.S. Air ForcePhotos by 1st Lt. Maksym Klunnyk, Ukrainian ArmyFor anyone who is Catholic, this sanctuary locatedin Djakovica/Gjakovë isn't an ordinary sanctuary.Having grandparents that were Catholic I wasexcited to see a Catholic church in Kosovo andlearn about it."Sanctuarium divo Thaumaturgo Santonio"was built in 1932 in honor of St. Anthony.Unlike traditional Catholic churches, St.Anthony's is a sanctuary open to andfrequented by people of different faith,including Muslims, Orthodox and otherreligions in the region.From the outside, the traditionalyellow brick doesn't make it seemgrandeur or even catch your eye ifyou drive by. Just a block a wayonlookers notice the new Catholicchurch being built instead. But whathappens inside St. Anthony's is whatmakes it special.The legend of St. Anthony,the name sake of the church,was that he was a Franciscan,priest, preacher, and miracleworker. Nearly everywhereSt. Anthony is asked to intercede with God for thereturn of things lost or stolen.Shortly after his death people began prayingthrough Anthony to find or recover lost and stolenarticles. The anthem of St. Anthony composed byhis contemporary, Julian of Spires, proclaims, "Thesea obeys and fetters break, and lifeless limbs thoudost restore, while treasures lost are found again,when young or old thine aid implore"."The miracles are what attract people from thedifferent cultures here in Kosovo", explained FatherAnton. He told me of one story in which a paralyzed12-year-old girl who came to mass left walking.It touches my heart to see that a nation sometimesdivided can assemble on the grounds of their beliefsor desire for miracles.St. Anthony's will celebrate every Tuesdaybeginning March 20 with a mass in honor of theSaint. It continues for 13 weeks and brings peopletogether from all over to celebrate his name.Mass is held in the evenings and on Sunday. Thesanctuary hosts many weddings in the summer20KFOR Chronicle, March 2007