St. Josaphat

Embracing the Union of Brest

St. Josaphat was born Ioann (John) Kuntsevych around 1580 in Volodymyr, in the region of Volhynia in present-day Ukraine, to an Orthodox Christian family. As a young man apprenticed to a merchant in Vilnius, he was drawn into the great religious question of his time and place: the Union of Brest (1596), by which many Ruthenian Byzantine-rite Christians entered into full communion with Rome while keeping their Eastern liturgy and traditions. John embraced the Union wholeheartedly.

Basilian Monk and Archbishop of Polotsk

In 1604 he entered the Basilian monastery of the Holy Trinity in Vilnius, taking the name Josaphat. Known for severe asceticism, long hours of prayer, and powerful preaching, he was ordained a priest, became superior of several monasteries, and worked to reform Basilian monastic life. In 1618 he was named archbishop of Polotsk, a see in deep disorder, where he set about reforming the clergy, holding synods, publishing a catechism, and tirelessly promoting unity between the Eastern churches and Rome.

Opposition and Death at Vitebsk

His efforts won many to the Union but also provoked fierce opposition from those who rejected it, and even criticism from Latin-rite Catholics who mistrusted his insistence on preserving the Byzantine rite. On November 12, 1623, while making a pastoral visit to Vitebsk, he was attacked by a mob, struck down with an axe blow and a gunshot, and his body was thrown into the Dvina River. He had foreseen the danger and accepted it, praying that he might give his life for the cause of unity.

Canonization and Relics in Rome

Josaphat was beatified in 1643 and canonized in 1867 by Pope Pius IX, becoming the first saint of the Eastern churches to be formally canonized after a full Roman process. Since 1963 his relics have rested beneath the altar of St. Basil in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. His feast is celebrated on November 12, and he is honored, especially by Ukrainian Greek Catholics, as a martyr for the unity of Christ's Church.

Significance

Few causes have cost as much as the unity of Christians, and this Eastern Catholic archbishop gave his life for it. He loved both communion with Rome and the Byzantine liturgy of his people, and he refused to give up either one despite opposition from many sides. Especially dear to Ukrainian Greek Catholics, he continues to inspire prayer and sacrifice for the healing of divisions in Christ's Church.