St. Josaphat Kuntsevych: Feast Day, Patronage & Prayers
Feast day: November 12 (Memorial of St. Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr)
Patron of: Christian unity and Ukraine.
About St. Josaphat Kuntsevych
St. Josaphat was born around 1580 in Volodymyr, in what is now western Ukraine, then part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and baptized John. He grew up in the Eastern Christian tradition. In 1596 many Orthodox bishops of the region had entered into communion with Rome through the Union of Brest, keeping their Byzantine liturgy and customs. Young John, a merchant's apprentice in Vilnius, embraced this union with his whole heart.
In 1604 he entered the Basilian Monastery of the Holy Trinity in Vilnius, taking the name Josaphat. He became a fervent preacher and a reformer of monastic life, and in 1617 he was made archbishop of Polotsk. He worked tirelessly to renew his clergy and people and to promote unity between Eastern Christians and the Catholic Church, while insisting on respect for the Byzantine rite. The divisions of the time were bitter, and opposition grew violent. In 1623, while visiting Vitebsk, he was attacked by a mob and killed. He was canonized in 1867, the first Eastern Catholic saint formally canonized by Rome. He is honored as a martyr for Christian unity.
Prayers to St. Josaphat Kuntsevych on Daily Catholic Prayers
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