Unifier of the Church

In 1054, a formal split called a schism took place between the Eastern Church centered in Constantinople and the Western Church centered in Rome. Trouble between the two had been brewing for centuries because of cultural, political, and theological differences. However, in 1054 a a representative from Rome was sent to Constantinople to try and reconcile the two groups but the to no avail.  In fact, the patriarch of the area was eventually excommunicated and the differences remain until this day.  The split only grew worse from there, centering mostly on whether to except the authority of the Pope and Rome.  There have been many opportunities for reconciliation over the years, but pride and years have always gotten in the way. One such opportunity came about due to the assistance of today's saint.

Saint Josephat of Polotsk

Feast day: November 12
Birth: 1580
Death: 1623
Present day Poland-Lithuania
Patron of Ukraine
Born with given name Ioann Kuntsevych

It would seem that Josephat was born at the right time to be a unifer of the Church.  Soon after he was born an edict was sent out to all the people of the land to seek out peace within the Church.  The king (Sigismund III Vasa) sought to not only unify the Orthodox and Roman Church but to also bring back those who left the faith for Protestantism or who were non-Catholic.  Through various delegations there were compromises made within the various groups; however, there continued to be those who refused to change.

As a young boy being raised in this religious environment, his parents tried to bring balance to his life.  His father was a business man and wanted to please all those around him, but mostly wanted to follow God to the best of his ability and lead his family in the same direction.  In spite of all of this upheaval and indecision, young Josephat excelled in his religious studies. While being instructed as a child on the sufferings of our Savior, his heart is said to have been wounded by an arrow from the sacred side of the Crucified.

Josephat was soon apprenticed to a merchant who influenced his ideas of Church and government.  The merchant approved of the unification of the various religious sects and taught Josephat the importance of unity and adherence to the authority of Rome.

In 1604, in his early 20s, Josephat entered the Monastery of the Trinity of the Order of Saint Basil the Great and was given his religious name as we know him.  In 1609, he would be ordained a priest and soon took on the role of leadership at various monasteries in the area.

By 1617, Josephat would be named bishop and in a year's time would be known as the arch patriarch of Polotsk.  He faced a daunting task of bringing the local populace to accept union with Rome. He faced stiff opposition from the monks, who feared liturgical Latinisation of the Byzantine Rite. As archeparch, he restored the churches: he issued a catechism to the clergy, with instructions that it should be memorized; composed rules for priestly life, and entrusted deacons the task of superintending their observance.  Through all of his efforts to bring unit among the sects, he was able to find hope; however, the governmental interference left to further strife.  This influence of the government led to a separate sect that rivaled Josephat for the rest of his life.

After 1620, according to a historian, sectarian violence over ownership of church property increased and "hundreds of clerics on both sides died in confrontations that often took the form of pitched battles."

The foes of union decided to assassinate him. In a sermon, he himself spoke of his death as imminent. When he visited Vitebsk (now in Russia), his enemies attacked his lodging and murdered a number of his companions. Meekly the man of God hastened toward the mob and, full of love, cried, "My children, what are you doing? If you have something against me, see, here I am." With furious cries of "Kill the papist!", they rushed upon him with gun and sword. Josaphat's body was thrown into the river but emerged, surrounded by rays of light, and was recovered. Upon hearing of this miracle, his murderers ask forgiveness and became Catholics.

After numerous miracles attributed to Josephat were reported to Church officials, Pope Urban VIII appointed a commission in 1628, to inquire into his possible canonization, which examined 116 witnesses under oath. Josaphat's body was claimed to be incorrupt five years after his death. In 1637, a second commission investigated his life and, in 1643, Josaphat was beatified. He was canonized on June 29, 1867 by Pope Pius IX.

St. Jospehat, pray for us...especially for unity of all Catholics under one leadership and for all Christians unified with Christ.