Today we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Josaphat, a Basilian monk who is revered for his unwavering commitment to the unity of the Church and dedication to the faithful of the Eastern Catholic Church.
Born in 1580 in Volodymyr, Ukraine and given the name John Kunsevych, Josaphat was known for his strong prayer life and spiritual nature. First undertaking an apprenticeship in Vilnius, Lithuania and showing a promise in business and turning down a marriage proposal from his master’s family, Josaphat felt a call to religious life and entered the Monastery of the Holy Trinity in Vilnius in 1604. There, he took the name Josaphat and committed himself to a life of asceticism, prayer, and service.
Josaphat sought to reunify Eastern and Western Christian traditions under the Union of Brest, a treaty that sought to bring Eastern Orthodox believers info communion with the Pope while also honoring their Byzantine liturgy and customs. He also undertook publishing a new catechism designed to clarify Catholic doctrines, focusing on the primacy of the Pope. In 1618, he was named Bishop of Polotsk, a region in present-day Belarus that was rife with religious division. His evangelism led to many conversions, but also resentment from some Orthodox believers who felt threatened by his reforms.
Josaphat was martyred by a violent mob on November 12, 1623, inflamed by anti-Catholic sentiment. Beaten, shot, and thrown into a river by his attackers, he forgave those who killed him. After burial, his body was later exhumed and found incorrupt, a sign often regarded as saintly.
Saint Josaphat, pray for the people of the Diocese of Cheyenne, Eastern Catholics, and the peoples of Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, and Ukraine.
