Gjelosh Lulashi

Blessed Gjelosh Lulashi Gjelosh Lulashi was born on 2 September 1925, in Ndreaj of Shoshit, Shkodër, Albania of the Dukagjini highlands. From the age of 7, he attended the schools in Shkodër, operated by the Franciscans, and then at the Shkodër Seminary. He served in the military as secretary of the Spitalit Ushtarak të Shkodrës. He was a life-long layperson of the Diocese of Pult and a member of "Bashkimi Shqiptar," Albanian for "Albanian Union". He was arrested and imprisoned in Shkodër on 3 December 1945. He was accused as an Albanian traitor and Vatican spy. On 22 February 1946, after a show trial, the sentences were read. Eight were sentenced to death by shooting: Fr Gjon Shllaku , Fr Giovanni Fausti , Fr Daniel Dajani , seminarians Mark Çuni and Gjergj Bici, lay people Gjelosh Lulashi , Fran Mirakaj , and Qerim Sadiku . The others accused with them were sentenced to prison, for a period that could go from five years to the whole of life, in fact, if they had even minimally transgressed. For Gjergj Bici, the sentence was later commuted into years of forced labor, while Fran Mirakaj is reported to have died in September 1946. At dawn on 4 March 1947, the remaining six were transported to the Catholic Cemetery of Shkodër (Varrezat e Rrmajit), where they were executed. At 6 am, the order was given to the eight soldiers of the platoon, armed with machine guns, to "FIRE". On 5 November 2016, beatification was celebrated at the Square of the Katedralja e Shën Stefanit in Shkodër, presided by Cardinal Angelo Amato.