Albanian National Park in Cleveland to feature Mother Teresa

TIRANA, Dec. 13 – Government has decided to contribute with 100,000 dollars to the initiative of Albanian-American Association in Cleveland, Ohio, to create an Albanian National Park featuring the statue of Mother Teresa. The decision comes after a meeting Prime Minister Berisha had last summer with Adem Meta, the Chairman of the Albanian-American Association in Cleveland.
The park will be in the form of an amphitheatre with Mother Teresa statue erected at the heart of it. Presenting the project to PM Berisha, Meta emphasized the importance of creation of this park, highlighting the fact that of the 120 different community groups living in Ohio, only 35 of them have won the right of having their national parks, among which even the Albanian community. “Statues of other leading cultural figures of our nation will also be placed in this park,” said Meta.
Hailing the initiative, Prime Minister Berisha described the project launched on the 100th birth anniversary of Mother Teresa, this powerful symbol of the Albanians of all times, as more meaningful.
“Albania’s favorite daughter, Mother Teresa, will anchor an Albanian Cultural Garden recently approved by the Cleveland City Council for the north end of Martin Luther King Drive,” says Cleveland Cultural Gardens.
The Albanian community plans to raise a larger-than-life statue of the late Catholic nun, who was renowned for her work with the poor of India. She will join a garden chain that already includes Mahatma Gandhi, St. Sava, Christian bishops and Greek philosophers. Events celebrating Mother Teresa’s 100th birth anniversary in Albania culminated on October 19 when the “Millennium Road of Peace” project was inaugurated at the entry of the of the Artificial Lake of Tirana, where square plaques bearing the signature of many Presidents from around the world will be placed in a symbolic gesture for peace and tolerance in the world.
In 1979, Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace, and in 1985 she received the Medal of Freedom from the United States. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 19 October 2003, placing her one step from sainthood in the Catholic faith.