Welcome to the Church of Saints Peter and Paul — Bajzë

The parish of Bajza was founded in 1825 and at the same time the friar's cell was built. From that year there were also parishes. From 1883 for four years in Bajza there was the Franciscan Seminary of the Reformed, which was then transferred to Shkodra (Gjuhadol).

 

The Church of Saints Peter and Paul with a bell tower was built in 1889-1898. It was built by Fra Luigi Pironi Casagrande from Coriano - Italy (died on 15. 01. 1907). That church and assembly, after the closure of the churches in 1967, the communists demolished them and built a school on that site, which still serves in Bajza today.

 

After the religious liberalization in 1990, mass was celebrated in a large warehouse. The parish was initially served from Shkodra (Gjuhadol).

 

On 04. 07. 1992, the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Child Jesus arrived in Bajza from Italy, but soon they also gained new Albanian sisters. From the beginning, they have been teaching religion and helping in the parish, and in their convent they have an ambulance to help the sick in the area. Since 2000, they have also had the kindergarten "Mother of Good Counsel".

 

The construction of the new church began on June 29, 1994. On Christmas Eve 1995, the first mass was said in the new church – still without doors or windows.

 

The former tobacco fermentation building served as the parish priest's residence at first, until in 1998 the new assembly was built next to the new church. Since that year, Bajza, in addition to the parish, has also had the Franciscan Assembly. Since 2016, Bajza has also been home to the Postulancy of the Albanian Franciscan Custody.

 

In the years 2000-2005, Mons. Prelë Gjurashaj, OFM, Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Bajzë-Pult, had his headquarters in Bajzë. After the parish priest of Bajzë, Fra Anđelko Kamenčić, built the church in Koplik, Mons. Prela in October 2004 divided the parish of Bajzë, establishing the new parish of Koplik and giving it to the Salvatorian friars, together with the branches of Dobra and Jubica.

 

Today Bajza has the following branch churches: Pjetroshan, Vukpalaj, Kosan, Gradec, Fermë and Mokset.

 

During the 25 years after the religious liberation, the parish of Bajza had 4,423 baptisms, 3,648 confirmations and 1,120 coronations. Meanwhile, the people also migrated, mostly to the outside world. Therefore, the parish gradually decreased.

 

On 01. 01. 2017, the parish of Bajza had 876 inhabited and 184 uninhabited Catholic houses in 24 neighborhoods. 3,458 believers lived inside the parish, and 3,556 others outside the parish. So, more outside than inside!