Today November 12

Today is the feast of St. Josaphat (born John Kuncevic aka Kuncevyc aka Kuncewycz) (1580 - 1623). He was a real martyr for unity -- although truth be told, unity was forced upon him. Born into the Ruthenian Orthodox Church, he became Catholic when that church united with Rome in 1595. Still proud and traditional, the Ruthenians kept their Slavonic rite even while maintaining absolute loyalty to the pope. John Paul II would have been popular with today's saint, as JPII always said: "The Church breathes with two lungs" meaning the Eastern and the Western rites. Josaphat for his part "could not believe that the traditional devotions and customs of his people, and indeed of the whole Orthodox world, were in any way incompatible with loyalty to a church under the Holy See" - Angelus Book of Saints.

Josaphat was a perfect uniter (indeed he is called the "Apostle of Unity" -- by the Catholics -- though "robber of souls" by the Orthodox!). He was fully loyal to the pope but very much a man of the East: he had been a Basilian monk (before becoming a priest and then bishop of Vitebsk and Pskov), he knew the Byzantine liturgy by heart, he kept every fast in the Byzantine calendar. But unity was strongly opposed by most nobles (who saw it as a threat to their autonomy; Orthodoxy allows for much more state authority than Catholicism does) and by the patriarch of Constantinople and those bishops who supported him. The people, too, were deeply divided by the whole treaty of Brest-Litovsk (uniting Ruthenian and Ukrainian Orthodox Churches with Rome).

A fanatical mob descended on the brave bishop, who would not run. His martyrdom was one of which criminologists would call "overkill": he was beaten with blunt objects, stabbed numerous times. shot, and drowned in a river. The body was submerged for 6 whole days, but when it was fished out, it was found perfectly fresh. In fact, it is still incorrupt. Our great saint's last words were: "I am your shepherd and I should be happy to give my life for you. If it please God that I should die for unity under the earthly headship of St. Peter's successor, so be it. I am ready to die for truth." Strong words. St. Josaphat, pray for us.