St. Josaphat Kuntsevych (about 1580–1623) was a Basilian monk and Archbishop of Polotsk who gave his life for the unity of the Eastern Christians of his land with the Catholic Church, and was killed by a mob at Vitebsk on November 12, 1623. He was the first saint of the Eastern Catholic Churches to be formally canonized by Rome, and he is honored by Ukrainian and Belarusian Greek Catholics as their great martyr. His feast day is November 12. Below are his story, the prayer of his feast, and a prayer to St. Josaphat for Christian unity.
A short prayer to St. Josaphat, written for this page:
St. Josaphat, good shepherd who laid down your life for your sheep,
pray for the unity of all Christians,
for the Churches of Ukraine and Belarus,
and for all who suffer for the faith. Amen.
Who was St. Josaphat?
John Kuntsevych was born about 1580 in Volodymyr, in the region of Volhynia, then part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and today in Ukraine, into an Orthodox family. As a boy he learned the Church Slavonic prayers of the Byzantine liturgy by heart. Apprenticed to a merchant in Vilnius, he came to accept the Union of Brest (1596), by which many Orthodox bishops of the region entered into communion with Rome while keeping their Eastern liturgy and traditions.
In 1604 he entered the Basilian monastery of the Holy Trinity in Vilnius, taking the name Josaphat, and was ordained a priest in 1609. He was famous for his preaching, his austerity and his care for the poor; he once pawned his own episcopal robes to help a widow. In 1617 he was consecrated bishop and in 1618 became Archbishop of Polotsk, where he worked to reform the clergy and win his people to unity with Rome. His work stirred bitter opposition, and on November 12, 1623, a mob broke into his residence in Vitebsk and killed him with an axe and a bullet. His body was thrown into the river. Its recovery and the miracles that followed converted many, including some of his opponents. He was beatified in 1643 and canonized by Pope Pius IX in 1867. His relics rest beneath the altar of St. Basil in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
The prayer of his feast
From the 1916 daily missal:
Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, within thy Church the spirit which animated thy blessed Martyr and Bishop Josaphat to lay down his life for his sheep, that through his intercession, we also may be moved and strengthened by the same spirit to give our lives fearlessly for our brethren. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the same holy Spirit, God world without end. Amen.
Christ’s words that Josaphat lived to the end (John 10:11, Douay-Rheims):
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep.
Praying for Christian unity
St. Josaphat is honored as a martyr for the unity Christ asked of His Father at the Last Supper (John 17:20–21):
And not for them only do I pray, but for them also who through their word shall believe in me;
That they all may be one, as thou, Father, in me, and I in thee; that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
Today the Church prays for unity with the Orthodox and all Christians in charity and dialogue, especially during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, January 18–25.
What is St. Josaphat the patron saint of?
St. Josaphat is the patron saint of:
- Christian unity between East and West
- Ukraine and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
- Eastern Catholics everywhere
Feast day
The memorial of St. Josaphat is November 12, the day of his martyrdom. Before 1969 it was kept on November 14.
Frequently asked questions
Who was St. Josaphat?
A Basilian monk and Archbishop of Polotsk, martyred in 1623 for promoting the union of the Eastern Church of his land with Rome.
When is the feast of St. Josaphat?
November 12.
Where are St. Josaphat’s relics?
In St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, beneath the altar of St. Basil.
More saints
- Patron saint of Ukraine
- Sts. Basil and Gregory
- Prayer for the Church
- Our Lady of Częstochowa
- St. Andrew the Apostle
- Saint of the day
- Saint feast days
Texts and sources
- The Mass Every Day of the Year (1916), St. Josaphat (November 14), Collect, public domain (archive.org).
- John 10:11 and 17:20–21 (Douay-Rheims).
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), “St. Josaphat Kuncevyc,” public domain (Wikisource).