Dom Dede Macaj, clergyman, martyr of the Catholic Church, was born on the mountain of Jushi in Shkodra. He received his first lessons at the Pontifical Seminary of Shkodra, while he completed his studies in theology in Rome. He was ordained a priest on March 19, 1944 and was appointed deputy parish priest of Shkodra. After serving as a priest for about three years, in 1947 he was sent to perform military service in Përmet. During his military service, he was arrested on March 10, 1947 as a Vatican spy. After inhumane torture, he was shot on March 28, 1947, in Përmet, in front of the soldiers of the regiment and trampled by fanatics, until he died under their feet. He was declared a martyr of the Church by Pope Francis in April 2016. (In the photo: Dede Macaj)
Text: Encyclopedic dictionary of victims of communist terror – Vol. V , “West Print”, Institute for the Study of Crimes and Consequences of Communism, Tirana, 2016, page 156.
Photo: © https://kishakatolikeshkoder.com/dom-dede-macaj/
Graphic processing: AHCF
