St Josaphat

St Josaphat (1584-1623)

Saint Josaphat Kuntsevych was born in Vladimir, Ukraine in the year 1584 of Christian parents of the Slavic rite. He was very devout even as a young boy, praying the Breviary which the priests recite daily. He joined the Basilians in the town of Vilna, being ordained priest after he finished his studies. He attracted many people, especially those who had drifted away from the church. He built convents and monasteries and made other reforms in his order. He became bishop of Polotsk in 1617 when he was only 38, and continued with his reforms, helping the poor and selling some of his property from his Cathedral to help the poor people and those in need. Some people were jealous of his work and in particular, a certain Smotritski made himself an Archbishop, even encouraging people to follow him instead, and oppose the reforms brought about by St Josaphat, a move that caused many conflicts. When the saintly bishop went to calm things down and restore order, they attacked him, killed him and threw his body in the river in Vitebsk. It was November 12, 1623, and he was only 44, and when they brought his body from the river 5 days later, there was a fragrance of lilies and roses around his body. They placed his body in a sarcophagus and many people repented of their opposition to him, including Smotritski who had previously proclaimed himself Archbishop. But he too turned his life around, leading a life of penitence for the rest of his life. Many miracles were attributed to St. Josaphat, and when he was exhumed 5 years after his death, his body was perfectly preserved – only his clothes had decayed. His body was left for veneration, and many people traveled many miles to honor him. He was canonized in 1867 by Pope Pius IX, and his body was transferred to the Vatican Basilica in November 1963, where he rests in one of the side altars. Incidentally, I remember as an altar boy serving Masses at the Vatican, serving a few Masses with a Slavic priest at his altar, where the Mass lasted an hour and a half, with the priest using a whole loaf of bread and a large pitcher of wine during the Mass, their custom in celebrating the liturgy.