Josaphat was born in Lithuania in 1580 and was baptized John. He became a monk in the Ukrainian Order of St. Basil and chose the name Josaphat. He was a self-sacrificing, brave man. Because of his many natural qualities, he was chosen for leadership roles. This would eventually cost him his life. Josaphat became an apostle of ecumenism. He preached union among the Christian churches of the Ukraine. There were three main categories of Christians: the Latin Church, the Orthodox Greek Church, and the Greek Catholic Church. Josaphat became a bishop and took over the diocese of Polotsk in 1617. He spent the next ten years helping the people to know and love their faith better. He organized celebrations of prayer and religion classes. He called clergy meetings and worked with the priests to put into effect rules that helped the people live closer to Jesus. Archbishop Josaphat had great positive influence on people. He was a dynamic leader. But some people who did not want the Church to be united stirred up a mob against him. Josaphat was murdered on November 12, 1623. His body was thrown into a nearby river. He was proclaimed a saint by Pope Pius IX in 1867. ❦ St. Josaphat was a peacemaker and a healer. He wanted to bring people together to live in peace. He believed in stressing what unites people, not what divides them. We can ask St. Josaphat to help us be like him.
Posted on: Tue, 12 Nov 2013 16:54:21 +0000
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