By ALBERT RAMAJ

We have very little information about Dom Zef Ramaj's childhood. Dom Zefi was born on 8.1.1882 in Stublël e Epërme (Viti Municipality) and died on 25.12.1914 in Skopje, his parents were father Pali and mother Çila, they had 6 sons and two daughters. Zefi was their fifth child. In the year Dom Zef Ramaj was born, Stublla e Epërme had 24 houses and 149 souls (residents), most of them Albanian Catholics, except for 2 houses that were crypto-Catholic with 10 souls. Stublla belonged at this time to the parish of Cërngorës – Letnica, or as it was called; Montenegro di Scopia. Zefi must have attended the first years of school in Prizren. While he attended another 9 years in Shkodër, 5 years of the 'Normale' school and another 4 years at the Xaverian college, philosophy and theology, until 1905.

Austria-Hungary responded positively to the request of Bishop Troksi that candidates for the Bishopric of Skopje be educated and study in Innsbruck. Other students from all over Albania also studied at this university. One of them was Zef Ramaj.

On September 26, 1905, together with four other Albanians, under the escort of Dom Nikollë Ashta, he arrived in Innsbruck. The travel and accommodation expenses were paid by Austria. The students, apart from the clothes on their backs, had nothing else with them when they arrived in Innsbruck.

The country where Dom Zef Ramaj comes from is marked “Albania”. Among the Albanian students who had studied there are Martin Berisha from Peja, Françesk Karma from Tivar, Shtjefën Kurti from Prizren, Marjan Glasnović from Janjevo, Lazër Shantoja from Shkodra, etc. Here we will also note some of the documents found in the state archive that relate to the then student, Zef Ramaj from Stublla.

On April 24, 1906, the rector of the boarding school, Fr. Michael Hofmann, reported on the four Albanian students: Berisha, Gjergji, Ramaj and Karma. He said that they were progressing not only in the German language, but also in their studies. The rector of the seminary in Innsbruck, Fr. Michael Hofmann SJ, on July 25, 1907, reported that Berisha, Karma, Ramaj and Gjergji had already completed their studies and had returned to Prizren, where they would be ordained as priests.

The rector further speaks of the separation, which he says was difficult for them, but which he hopes will not sever ties and of the good relations of the newly returned with the Austro-Hungarian representatives in their homeland. The rector had paid for the travel expenses for their return to their homeland, as well as for the things necessary for the first mass for the four candidates, and for other things that the Albanian students themselves had requested.

A document that we have obtained from the archive of the theological boarding school, “Canisianum” in Innbruck, notes that Dom Zef Ramaj had gone from there to Prizren on July 8, 1907. Further, it is written about him that; “he was very lively, noble”. According to the same source, we learn that Dom Zefi was ordained a priest in Prizren in July 1907.

The Austrian Consulate in Prizren, through the vice-consul Prochaska, on July 29, 1907, announced that Bishop Troksi had ordained Dom Zef Ramaj from Stublla and Dom Martin Berisha from Peja and also informed about the appointment of Dom Zef Ramaj as a "Cooperator" in the parish of Skopje, i.e. assistant to the then parish priest (of Skopje), Dom Ndue Bytyqi.

According to Austrian sources, Dom Zefi was initially appointed “cooperator” (assistant parish priest) and later parish priest of Skopje. He was also a teacher in the Albanian school near the parish of Skopje, as well as in the Railway School (an elite school for the time, where children of foreign diplomats also studied). The Albanian school (for boys and girls), near the Catholic Church in Skopje, had existed since before 1889.

Since 1893, at the request of Gjon Kajtazi, a teacher at this school, it has been financially supported by Austria-Hungary, with a multi-annual grant of 500 francs. The teachers at this school were: Gjon Kajtazi, Nikollë Rrota, Mate Logoreci, a teacher of Turkish, Gaspër Beltoja, Gapsër Mikeli, Dom Zef Ramaj, two sisters, nuns from Zagreb, one of whom was Protegjena Bekes (Bekaj) from Stublla (Protegjena Bekaj is the aunt of the father of the author of these lines).

On January 31, 1911, the Austrian consulate in Skopje announced that a group of Orthodox Christians from Macedonia, more precisely from Kumanovo, had gone to Archbishop Lazër Mejda, to Dom Pashk Krasniqi, the parish priest in Ferizaj, but also to Dom Zef Ramaj in Skopje, to tell them that they wanted to convert to Catholicism and that for this they were seeking their support and help.

Let us clarify that we are talking about Macedonian Orthodox believers and not about the Catholic community of the Byzantine rite, which still lives to this day in the territory of Macedonia (especially in South Macedonia, in Strumica).

In the report dated 24.3.1911, Consul Heimroth reports that Dom Zefin had been visited by an official to inquire whether there was any hidden interest or material benefit behind the request of the Macedonian Orthodox for conversion to Catholicism? On 8 March 1914, they had also written a very interesting letter in Italian, regarding the case of the conversion of 60 Macedonian Orthodox families to Catholicism.

On December 1, 1913, there were reports of problems facing Catholic believers in Skopje, especially those in the Presidency of the Church Council. Thus, after Rrok Prenk Berisha, a gunsmith, had been fined large sums of money, the local Serbian authorities had threatened him to leave the country or they would imprison him.

They did this under the pretext of the alleged activities and political intrigues of Rrok Berisha. This means that Rrok Berisha (from a family of 14 members), a believer in Dom Zefi, was a prominent figure in Skopje at the time.

He also had friendship and cooperation with Alandro Kastrioti, the claimant to the Albanian throne at that time, who lived in Paris. With the penetration of Rrok Berisha and influential people, as reported by the Austro-Hungarian consulate, the Serbian authorities wanted to weaken the Albanian Catholic element in Skopje.

The parish priest Dom Zef Ramaj informs the consulate that Rrok Berisha, with his family of 14 members, will soon leave Skopje for Durrës. On April 3, 1914, the Austro-Hungarian consulate reports on the visit that Dom Zef Ramaj had paid them, in fact he was consulting with them about the new political situation. The consul also reports on Dom Zef's interest in how Catholic Albanians should act on the issue of citizenship and military service, since his believers would be faced with the request of official bodies to declare whether they are determined for Turkish or Serbian citizenship.

The consul explains to Dom Zef that the Peace Agreement between Serbia and Turkey, dated March 9, did not regulate the issues in question for Catholic Albanians, but only for Muslims (who are not obliged to do Serbian military service). Dom Zef Ramaj reports that most of the Catholic Albanians of Skopje, found in these circumstances, are considering leaving their country.

On April 11, 1914, the Austrian consulate reported the hostage-taking of the Prizren-Skopje train. Dom Zef Ramaj (who was returning from Prizren) had also shot on this train, who testified to the murder of a person. According to Dom Zef, the police inspector, Cerovic (known at the time), was also on the train, who when asked by Dom Zef why he was on this train, Cerovic replied: “by chance”.

Dom Zefi reports that the Albanians were blamed for the incident in question, more precisely Jusuf Tabian from Tetovo with his men, and that the state authorities had sent 200 gendarmes to deal with the case. Since Dom Zefi had traveled on this train, it was quite clear to the Austro-Hungarian consulate who had hijacked the train. Later, this very inspector Cerevic had threatened Dom Zef Ramaj and several other priests for many things, even the removal of Dom Zef Ramaj from Skopje.

The Consul of Austria-Hungary in Skopje announces that he participated in the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ in Ferizaj. The Mass, by order of Bishop Lazër Mjeda, was led by Dom Zef Ramaj, in co-celebration with Father Zadrima. The Consul participated in the Mass in official uniform, which he considers very worthy, as well as the participation and appearance of the Albanian Catholic population.

Dom Zef Ramaj served in Skopje from 1907 until December 25, 1914, when he passed away. He had lived and worked in Skopje, in a very difficult time, during the Ottoman Empire, with which there were problems not only administrative, especially in 1910, when the local authorities wanted to build a road on the property of the Catholic Church. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the problems continued with the Serbs, during the Balkan Wars, when the situation of the Albanians, especially the Catholics in Skopje, where he had served as a priest and teacher, was extremely difficult.

The local Turkish authorities were attempting to build a road in Skopje, which was being built, and which also affected part of the churchyard. Dom Zefi had expressed his concern and had also asked the Austro-Hungarian consulate for help in this case.

Dom Zefi, on 20.6.1910, had also filed a complaint with the Turkish authorities, so that the road would not be built as they had planned, since the road also affected some 570 square meters of the Church, while the local Turkish authorities had not foreseen any compensation.

The Austro-Hungarian Consulate considers it reasonable to compensate the church property by the local Turkish authorities. The Archdiocese of Skopje was very lucky, with the appointment of Bishop Mjeda at its head. He was a true spiritual leader in very difficult times for the people of the Archdiocese, such as the First and Second Balkan Wars, as well as the First World War.

The great joy over the appointment of Mjeda as head of the Skopje-Prizren Archdiocese is also shown in an article by Dom Zef Ramaj, published in “Elçija e Zemres s`Krishtit” in 1910, where he writes, among other things, this: “It had been a year and a half since we had been without a Shepherd, without a Priest, and it is true that these days of poverty were very difficult for us.

But the Good Lord comforted us and comforted us, choosing for us a man who was dear to His heart, and who therefore could not fail to have him dear to our hearts. Yes, the Good Lord comforted us and sent for us to be Archbishop Emzot Lazer Mieda. We only know how much we have longed to have a Shepherd, and how our hearts were gladdened, when we felt that this would be Emzot Lazer Mieda, and how eagerly we have waited for him!

Our Priesthood and the whole people rejoiced, for he felt that his name would be with us for years. The parish of Skopje had the privilege of receiving this Lord, who had come from God, to establish us, and this parish, knowing God for his honor, tried to receive him as well as possible.

In Sarajevo, the Glorious Lord warned us by telephone the day he would arrive, and that time, a day before his arrival, he gave special instructions to our people, house by house, both Albanians and foreigners, (our people together are 140 houses) that the young Archbishop Emzot Lazer Miedia was to arrive with 4 companions, and that they were ordered to go out and meet him at the Railway Station. The duel was indeed fought; the women and children were gathered in the church yard. / Memorie.al