Tag: stjosaphat

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on HELL, QUOTES on OBEDIENCE, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, QUOTES on the DEVIL/EVIL, QUOTES on THE VOICE OF GOD, SAINT of the DAY, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The HOLY CROSS, The PASSION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 14 November – Do you listen attentively to the Voice of the Good Shepherd and obey His Word?

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 14 November – St Josaphat Kuncewicz OSBM (1584-1623) Confessor, Archbishop, Martyr – Hebrews 5:1-6, John 10:11-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“I am the good shepherd and I know mine and mine know me.”- John 10:14

REFLECTION – “He shows in what manner a shepherd may be proved good and, He teaches that, he must be prepared to give up his life, fighting in defence of his sheep, which was fulfilled in Christ. For man has departed from the love of God and fallen into sin and because of this was, I say, excluded from the divine abode of paradise. And when he was weakened by that disaster, he yielded to the devil tempting him to sin and death, following that sin, he became the prey of fierce and ravenous wolves. But after Christ was announced as the True Shepherd of all men, He laid down His life for us (1 John 3:16), fighting for us against that pack of inhuman beasts. He bore the Cross for us that by His own death, He might destroy death. He was condemned for us that He might deliver all of us, from the sentence of punishment: the tyranny of sin being overthrown by our faith: fastening to the Cross, the decree that stood against us, as it is written (Colossians 2:14).

Therefore, as the father of sin had, as it were, shut up the sheep in hell, giving them to death to feed on, as it is written in the Psalms (Ps. Xlviii.16), He died for us, as truly Good and truly our Shepherd, so that the dark shadow of death is driven away, He might join us to the company of the blessed in Heaven and, in exchange for abodes, which lie far in the depths of the pit … grants us mansions in His Father’s House above. Because of this, He says to us in another place: Fear not, little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you a Kingdom (Luke 12:32). Do you listen attentively to the Voice of the Good Shepherd and obey His Word? – ” – St Cyril of Alexander (376-444) Known as “The Pillar of Faith” Archbishop of Alexandria, Father and Doctor of the Church. (Commentary on the Good Shepherd).

PRAYER – Arouse in Thy Church, O Lord, the spirit with which blessed Josaphat, Thy Martyr and Bishop, was filled, when he laid down his life for his flock; so that, by his intercession, we, also moved and strengthened by the same spirit, may not fear to lay down our lives for our brethren. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

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Posted in DOMINICAN OP, JESUIT SJ, MARIAN TITLES, MARTYRS, SAINT of the DAY

Nossa Senhora dos Remédios / Our Lady of Remedies, (Lamego, Portugal) 6th Century) and Memorials of the Saints – 13 November

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Nossa Senhora dos Remédios / Our Lady of Remedies, (Lamego, Portugal) 6th Century) Also known as – Nossa Senhora da Gruta / Our Lady of the Grotto – 14 November:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/11/14/the-twenty-fifth-sunday-after-pentecost-nossa-senhora-dos-remedios-our-lady-of-remedies-lamego-portugal-6th-century-and-memorials-of-the-saints-14-november/

All Saints of the Carmelite Order:
On this day, the Carmelite Family celebrates the memory of all its holy men and women, those known and those unknown, those living on Earth and those living in Heaven, who reflect the glory of God.

St Josaphat Kuncewicz OSBM (1584-1623) Archbishop Martyr He was Beatified on 16 May 1643 by Pope Urban VIII and Canonised on 29 June 1867 by Pope Pius IX. St Josaphat, a contemporary of St Francis de Sales and St Vincent de Paul was the first Eastern saint Canonised by Rome.
All About St Josaphat:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/11/12/saint-of-the-day-12-november-st-josaphat-kuncewicz-1584-1623/
MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/11/12/saint-of-the-day-12-november-st-josapha-osbm-1584-1623-martyr/

St Adeltrude of Aurillac
St Alberic of Utrecht
St Antigius of Langres
St Dubricius of Wales
St Hypatius of Gangra
Bl Jean of Tufara

Blessed John Licci OP (1400-1511) Priest of the Order of Preachers, Miracle-Worker.
Biography here:
https://anastpaul.com/2017/11/14/saint-of-the-day-14-november-blessed-john-licci-o-p-1400-1511/

St John Osorinus

St Joseph Maria Pignatelli SJ (1737 – 1811) Priest of the Society of Jesus known as “The Restorer of the Society of Jesus” and “The Second Founder of the Society of Jesus” following the suppression of the Society of Jesus by Pope Clement XIV in 1773. He was Beatified on 21 May 1933 by Pope Pius XI and was Canonised on 12 June 1954 by Venerable Pope Pius XII.
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/11/14/saint-of-the-day-14-november-saint-joseph-maria-pignatelli-sj-1737-1811/

St Jucundus of Bologna

St Laurence O’Toole/Lorcán Ua Tuathail (c 1128 – 1180) Archbishop of Dublin, Abbot, Reformer, Mediator, Preacher, Apostle of Charity, Papal Legate to Ireland, he established new Churches and Monasteries. Due to the great number of miracles that rapidly occurred either at his tomb or through his intercession, Lorcán was canonised only 45 years after his death in 1225 by Pope Honorius III.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/11/14/saint-of-the-day-14-november-st-laurence-otoole-c-1128-1180/

St Modanic
St Pierre of Narbonne
St Ruf of Avignon
St Serapion of Alexandria

St Serapion of Algiers OdeM (c 1179–1240) Mercedarian Priest and Martyr, Soldier and Crusader. The Roman Martyrology states today: “At Algiers in Africa, the blessed Serapion, of the Order of Our Blessed Lady of Ransom, for the Redemption of the faithful in captivity and the preaching of the Christian Faith. He was the first of his Order to deserve the Palm of Martyrdom by being crucified and cut to pieces.” On 14 July 1728, a decree was issued confirming his immemorial cult. he was Canonised on 14 April 1728 by Pope Benedict XIII and on 24 August 1743, he was included in the Roman Martyrology.
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/11/14/saint-of-the-day-14-november-saint-serapion-of-algiers-odem-c-1179-1240-martyr/

St Siard OPraem (Died 1230) Abbot of the Premonstratensian Order or the “Norbertines.”
St Venerando the Centurian
St Venerandus of Troyes

Martyrs of Emesa: Group of Christian women tortured and executed for their faith in the persecutions of the Arab chieftain Mady. They died in Emesa (modern Homs, Syria).

Martyrs of Heraclea – (3 Saints): Group of Christians murdered together for their faith. The only details we have are three of their names – Clementinus, Philomenus and Theodotus. They were Martyred in Heraclea, Thrace.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, MARTYRS, SAINT of the DAY

Maria Ausiliatrice a Valdocco / Our Lady of the Tower Secret, Turin, Italy (1863) and Memorials of the Saints – 12 November

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Maria Ausiliatrice a Valdocco / Our Lady of the Tower Secret, Turin, Italy (1863) – 12 November:

Our Lady of the Tower, at Fribourg, built on the lands of the heretics, on the very spot where an image of Our Lady had been found.

Don John Bosco, the amiable saint of the nineteenth century built a major Shrine to Our Lady Help of Christians, tying it in with the past and with the future.
The Church was begun in 1863 with the sum of 8 cents. Don Bosco never revealed all that Our Lady had told him, in the several visions that preceded this but he did reveal that she asked him to build a great Shrine and that it would be a source of grace to all who came there to pray. He simply got permission, hunted up an architect who was willing, in the coldly realistic nineteenth century, to begin a Church on 8 cents and said, when the work was finished, that he had been paid every cent owing to him but, that he had been confronted in the beginning, by a man who many people said was completely mad. The architect must have had real faith, even to listen to Don Bosco.
Like everything else accomplished by the great Saint of Turin, the building was beset with difficulties. No-one could understand why he insisted on naming it for Our Lady; even his own fellow priests. The money to pay for the project did not come in by the thousands, or even by the hundreds but by the penny. Every stone in the building, every bit of decorations, was a gift of love, and sacrifice from some grateful person who had benefitted from Our Lady’s help. The completed building is a testimonial of miracles and a Shrine of beauty, fit to stand with the world’s finest.

The curious thing about Don Bosco’s Shrine to Our Lady, and the one that should cause us thought, is the story of the right-hand tower. There is a large central dome, and on each side of it, a smaller one. On top of left-hand one is an angel holding a banner. The right-hand dome is built in the same way but its decoration is an angel offering a crown to Our Lady. One who saw the original sketches of the Church, drawn out in Don Bosco’s own hand, saw on the right-hand tower, a date 19.., indicating that at some time, in this warring century, there would be a victory over evil to correspond with Lepanto. Our Lady often tells her secrets to the saints and apparently Don Bosco knew the name and the place and thought it better not to reveal what he knew. Our Lady of the Tower Secret would take care of it in time and the left-hand angel bearing a banner labelled LEPANTO would have a counterpart, if mankind proves worthy.
Don Bosco’s Church with Our Lady of the Tower was raised to the rank of a Basilica by Pope Pius X, Saint Pope Pius X.

St Josaphat Kuncewicz OSBM (1584-1623) Archbishop Martyr (Memorial)
All About St Josaphat:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/11/12/saint-of-the-day-12-november-st-josaphat-kuncewicz-1584-1623/
MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/11/12/saint-of-the-day-12-november-st-josapha-osbm-1584-1623-martyr/

St Arsatius
St Astricus of Esztergom (Died c 1035) Bishop
St Aurelius
St Cadwallader
St Cummian Fada
St Cunibert of Cologne
St Emilian Cucullatus
St Evodius of Le Puy
St Hesychius of Vienne
Bl John Cini della Pace
Bl José Medes Ferrís

St Lebuinus of Deventer (Died 775) “Apostle of the Friesens,” Priest, Monk, Confessor, Missionary.
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/11/12/saint-of-the-day-12-november-st-lebuinus-of-deventer-died-775-apostle-of-the-friesens/

St Livinus of Alost
St Machar of Aberdeen
St Margarito Flores-García

St Martin I, Pope (598-655) Martyr
Feast day moved in 1969
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2017/04/13/saint-of-the-day-13-april-st-pope-martin-i/

St Namphasius
St Nilus the Elder
St Paternus of Sens
St Publius
St Renatus of Angers
St Rufus of Avignon
Bl Ursula Medes Ferris
St Ymar of Reculver
—
Five Polish Brothers – martyrs: They weren’t Polish and they weren’t related but were instead five Italian Benedictine monks who worked with Saint Adalbert of Prague as missionaries to the Slavs and were martyred together. They were – Benedict, Christinus, Isaac, John and Matthew. Born in Italy. They were martyred in 1005 at the Benedictine monastery near Gnesen, Poland and Canonised by Pope Julius II.

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MARTYRS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

Thought for the Day – 12 November 2019 – ‘Make yourself small …’

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Thought for the Day – 12 November 2019 – Tuesday of the Thirty Second week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 17:7-10 and the Memorial of St Josaphat Kuncewicz (1584-1623)

“Say, ‘We are unprofitable servants”
Luke 17:10

St Isaac the Syrian of Nineveh (c 613-c 700)
Bishop of Nineveh, Monk at Mosul

The eyes of the Lord look on the lowly to make them glad.   But the face of the Lord turns away from the proud to humble them.   The lowly always receive pity from God…  Make yourself small before everyone and you will be raised up higher than this world’s princes.   Make all creatures go before you, embrace them, humble yourself before them, and you will be honoured more than those who make an offering of gold.   Descend lower than your own self and you will see God’s glory within you.   For where humility sprouts, God’s glory spreads…   If you have humility in your heart, God will reveal his glory to you in it…

Do not love honour and you will not be dishonoured.   Honour flees before someone who runs after it.   But honour pursues the one who flees it and makes known to everyone his humility.   If you despise yourself so as not to be honoured, God will make you known.   If you accuse yourself for love of the truth, God will permit you to be praised in front of every creature.   They will open before you the door to the glory of your Creator and praise you.   For you are truly made in His image and likeness (Gn 1:26).

Collect:

Stir up in Your Church, we pray, O Lord,
the Spirit that filled Saint Josaphat
as he laid down his life for the sheep,
so that through his intercession
we, too, may be strengthened by the same Spirit
and not be afraid
to lay down our life for others.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

St Josaphat, Pray for Us!st-josaphat-pray-for-us-12-nov-2017 and 2019-2.jpg

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MARTYRS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on SACRIFICE, SAINT of the DAY

Quote of the Day – 12 November – St Josaphat “I am ready to die….”

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Quote of the Day – 12 November – The Memorial of St Josaphat Kuncewicz (1584-1623) Martyr

“I am ready to die for the holy union,
for the supremacy of Saint Peter
and of his successor,
the Supreme Pontiff.”i-am-ready-to-die-st-josaphat-12-nov-2017 and 2019

St Josaphat’s favourite devotional exercise was to make prostrations in which the head touches the ground, saying, the Jesus prayer:

‘Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of God,
have mercy on me,
a sinner.”

St Josaphat Kuncewicz (1584-1623)

Pope Pius XI’s “He gave his life for the unity of the Church” is here:

https://anastpaul.com/2018/11/12/thought-for-the-day-12-november-he-gave-his-life-for-the-unity-of-the-church-the-memorial-of-st-josaphat-1584-1623-bishop-and-martyr/

the jesus prayer - st josaphat's fav - 12 nov 2019.jpg

Posted in ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 12 November – ‘To Serve Thee’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 12 November – Tuesday of the Thirty Second week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 17:7-10 and the Memorial of St Josaphat (1584-1623) Martyr

“So you also, when you have done all that is commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy servants, we have only done what was our duty.’ ”… Luke 17:10luke 17 10 - we are unworthy servants - 12 nov 2019.jpg

REFLECTION – “Thou, O my God, have a claim on me and I am wholly Thine!   Thou are the Almighty Creator and I am Thou workmanship.   I am the work of Thou Hands and Thou are my owner.   As well might the axe or the hammer exalt itself against it’s framer, as I against Thee.   Thou owe me nothing, I have no rights in respect to Thee, I have only duties.   I depend on Thee for life and health and every blessing every moment.   If Thou withdraw Thy breath from me for a moment, I die, I am wholly and entirely Thy property and Thy work and my one duty is to serve Thee.   Amen” … St John Henry Newman (1801-1890) Cardinal, Theologian, Poet, Writer, Apologist, Professorluke 17 10 we are unworthy servants - thou o lord have a claim on me - pg 195 heart to heart st john henry newman 12 nov 2019.jpg

PRAYER – O Lord our God, grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love and to be only good influences to our neighbour.   That by our love, our brothers in faith may be one . St Josaphat you fought and struggled to unite the Church and by your efforts achieved the crown of martyrdom, please pray for our world, for a one united faith.   Amenst-jospahat-pray-for-us-ora-pro-nobis-12-nov-2018 and 2019.jpg

Posted in MARTYRS, SAINT of the DAY

Memorials of the Saints – 12 November

Posted on by AnaStpaul

St Josaphat Kuncewicz OSBM (1584-1623) Martyr (Memorial)
All About St Josaphat:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/11/12/saint-of-the-day-12-november-st-josaphat-kuncewicz-1584-1623/
MORE:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/11/12/saint-of-the-day-12-november-st-josapha-osbm-1584-1623-martyr/

St Arsatius
St Astricus of Ungarn
St Aurelius
St Cadwallader
St Cummian Fada
St Cunibert of Cologne
St Emilian Cucullatus
St Evodius of Le Puy
St Hesychius of Vienne
Bl John Cini della Pace
Bl José Medes Ferrís
St Lebuinus of Deventer (Died 775)
St Livinus of Alost
St Machar of Aberdeen
St Margarito Flores-García
St Namphasius
St Nilus the Elder
St Paternus of Sens
St Publius
St Renatus of Angers
St Rufus of Avignon
Bl Ursula Medes Ferris
St Ymar of Reculver
—
Five Polish Brothers – martyrs: They weren’t Polish and they weren’t related but were instead five Italian Benedictine monks who worked with Saint Adalbert of Prague as missionaries to the Slavs and were martyred together. They were – Benedict, Christinus, Isaac, John and Matthew. Born in Italy. They were martyred in 1005 at the Benedictine monastery near Gnesen, Poland and Canonised by Pope Julius II.

Posted in ENCYCLICALS, MARTYRS, ON the SAINTS, PAPAL ENCYLICALS, QUOTES on the CHURCH, SAINT of the DAY, Uncategorized

Thought for the Day – 12 November – “He gave his life for the unity of the Church” – The Memorial of St Josaphat (1584-1623) Bishop and Martyr

Posted on by AnaStpaul

“He gave his life for the unity of the Church”

Pope Piux XI
Bishop of Rome

An excerpt from Ecclesiam Dei

Memorial of St Josaphat (1584-1623) Bishop and Martyr “the thief of souls.”PopePiusXI

“In designing his Church God worked with such skill that in the fullness of time it would resemble a single great family embracing all men.   It can be identified, as we know, by certain distinctive characteristics, notably its universality and unity.

Christ the Lord passed on to His apostles the task He had received from the Father: ‘I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.   Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations.’   He wanted the apostles as a body to be intimately bound together, first by the inner tie of the same faith and love which flows into our hearts through the Holy Spirit and, second, by the external tie of authority exercised by one apostle over the others.   For this he assigned the primacy to Peter, the source and visible basis of their unity for all time.  So that the unity and agreement among them would endure, God wisely stamped them, one might say, with the mark of holiness and martyrdom.

Both these distinctions fell to Josaphat, Archbishop of Polock of the Slavonic rite of the Eastern Church.   He is rightly looked upon as the great glory and strength of the Eastern Rite Slavs.   Few have brought them greater honour or contributed more to their spiritual welfare than Josaphat, their pastor and apostle, especially when he gave his life as a martyr for the unity of the Church.   He felt, in fact, that God had inspired him to restore world-wide unity to the Church and he realised that his greatest chance of success lay in preserving the Slavonic rite and Saint Basil’s rule of monastic life within the one universal Church.

Concerned mainly with seeing his own people reunited to the See of Peter, he sought out every available argument which would foster and maintain Church unity.   His best arguments were drawn from liturgical books, sanctioned by the Fathers of the Church, which were in common use among Eastern Christians, including the dissidents.   Thus thoroughly prepared, he set out to restore the unity of the Church.   A forceful man of fine sensibilities, he met with such success that his opponents dubbed him “the thief of souls.”

The seeds of separation were sown in the fourth century when the Roman Empire was divided into East and West.   The actual split came over customs such as using unleavened bread, Saturday fasting and celibacy.   No doubt the political involvement of religious leaders on both sides was a large factor and doctrinal disagreement was present.   But no reason was enough to justify the present tragic division in Christendom, which is 64 percent Roman Catholic, 13 percent Eastern—mostly Orthodox—Churches and 23 percent Protestant and this when the 71 percent of the world that is not Christian, should be experiencing unity and Christ-like charity from Christians! (These figures from Franciscan Media)

St Josaphat, Ora pro Nobis!st jospahat - pray for us - ora pro nobis - 12 nov 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DEVOTIO, MARTYRS, MORNING Prayers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, SAINT of the DAY

Quote of the Day – 12 November – The Memorial of St Josaphat (1584-1623) Martyr

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 12 November – The Memorial of St Josaphat (1584-1623) Martyr

St Josaphat’s favourite devotional exercise was to make prostrations in which the head touches the ground, saying, the Jesus prayer:

‘Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of God,
have mercy on me,
a sinner.”

St Josaphat (1584-1623)the jesus prayer 3 - 13 feb 2018 - shrove tuesday

the jesus prayer - st josaphat's favourite - 12 nov 2018

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on TEMPTATION, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 12 November – Today’s Gospel: Luke 17:1-6

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One Minute Reflection – 12 November – Today’s Gospel: Luke 17:1-6 – Monday of the Thirty-second week in Ordinary Time, Year B and The Memorial of St Josaphat (1584-1623) Martyr

“Temptations to sin are sure to come but woe to the person through whom they occur!   It would be better for him, if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea, than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin…” Luke 17:1-2luke 17 1-2 - temptations are sure to come but it would be better - 12 nov 2018

REFLECTION – “The accompanying discussion that immediately follows these opening remarks and speaks of our pardoning our brothers and sisters in case they ever sin against us, leads us to the idea that these were the offences meant.   What are these offences?   They are, I suppose, mean and annoying actions, fits of anger whether on good grounds or without justification, insults, slander and other stumbling blocks similar to these.   He says that these temptations must come.   Is this then because God, who governs all, forces people to their commission of sin?   Away with the thought!   Nothing that is evil comes from Him.   He is the fountain of all virtue.   Why then must this happen?   They clearly happen because of our infirmity, for all of us stumble in many things, as it is written.   Nevertheless, He says, that there will be woe to the person who lays the stumbling blocks in the way.   He does not leave indifference in these things without rebuke but restrains it by fear of punishment.   He still commands us to bear with patience those who cause sins to happen.”…St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) – Father & Doctor – Commentary on Luke, “Homilies 113-116”he says that these temptations must come - st cyril of alex - 12 nov 2018

PRAYER – O Lord our God, grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love and to be only good influences to our neighbour.   That by our love, our brothers in faith may be one  . St Josaphat you fought and struggled to unite the Church and by your efforts achieved the crown of martyrdom, please pray for our world, for a one united faith. Amenst-josaphat-pray-for-us-12 NOV 2017 - 2

Posted in MARTYRS, SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 12 November – St Josapha OSBM (1584-1623) Martyr

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Saint of the Day – 12 November – St Josaphat OSBM (1584-1623) Martyr

In 1964, newspaper photos of Pope Paul VI embracing Athenagoras I, the Orthodox patriarch of Constantinople, marked a significant step toward the healing of a division in Christendom that has spanned more than nine centuries.Saint_Josaphat_Catholic_Church_(Detroit,_MI)_-_relic_of_Saint_Josaphat

In 1595, the Orthodox bishop of Brest-Litovsk in present-day Belarus and five other bishops representing millions of faithful, sought reunion with Rome.   John Kunsevich—who took the name Josaphat in religious life—was to dedicate his life and die for the same cause.   Born in what is now Ukraine, he went to work in Wilno and was influenced by clergy adhering to the 1596 Union of Brest  . He became a Basilian monk, then a priest and soon was well known as a preacher and an ascetic.

He became bishop of Vitebsk at a relatively young age and faced a difficult situation. Most monks, fearing interference in liturgy and customs, did not want union with Rome. By synods, catechetical instruction, reform of the clergy and personal example, however, Josaphat was successful in winning the greater part of the Orthodox in that area to the union.st josaphat holy card

But the next year a dissident hierarchy was set up and his opposite number spread the accusation that Josaphat had “gone Latin” and that all his people would have to do the same.   He was not enthusiastically supported by the Latin bishops of Poland.st josaphat

Despite warnings, he went to Vitebsk, still a hotbed of trouble.   Attempts were made to foment trouble and drive him from the diocese – a priest was sent to shout insults to him from his own courtyard.   When Josaphat had him removed and shut up in his house, the opposition rang the town hall bell and a mob assembled.   The priest was released but members of the mob broke into the bishop’s home.   Josaphat was struck with a halberd, then shot and his body thrown into the river.   It was later recovered and is now buried in St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. simmler_martyrdom_of_josaphat_kuntsevych_1-e1478942443428

Josaphat’s death brought a movement toward Catholicism and unity but the controversy continued and the dissidents, too, had their martyr.   After the partition of Poland, the Russians forced most Ruthenians to join the Russian Orthodox Church.

St Josaphat’s body was discovered incorrupt five years later, though the clothing had rotted away.   Again in 1637 it was still white and supple.    A beautiful silver reliquary was made for it, with a life-size image of the reclining Saint surmounting it.   The body was again exposed intact in 1767.   It was eventually taken to the Basilica of Saint Peter in Rome.    Pope Leo XIII Canonised Saint Josaphat in 1867.  He was the first saint of the Eastern Church to be Canonised by Rome.tomb of st josaphat at the vatican

Remarkably, the saint’s onetime rival – the Orthodox Archbishop Meletius – was reconciled with the Catholic Church in later years.

Posted in MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 12 November – The Memorial of St Josaphat Kuncewicz (1584-1623) Martyr of Holy Unity

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 12 November – The Memorial of St Josaphat Kuncewicz (1584-1623) Martyr of Holy Unity

As deacon, priest and bishop, St Josaphat was distinguished by his extraordinary zeal in performing the Church services and by extraordinary devotion during the Divine Liturgy.   Not only in the church did he preach and hear confessions but likewise in the fields, hospitals, prisons and even on his personal journeys.  This zeal, united with his kindness for the poor, won great numbers of Orthodox Ruthenians for the Catholic faith and Catholic unity.   Among his converts were included many important personages such as Ignatius, former Patriarch of Moscow and Emmanuel Cantacuzenus, who belonged to the imperial family of the Byzantine Emperor Palaeologus.   His favourite devotional exercise was to make prostrations in which the head touches the ground, saying, the Jesus prayer: ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.the jesus prayer - 12 nov 2017

When Archbishop St Josaphat went to Vitebsk to calm the tumult in 1623, he knew well that his hour had come.   “Grant that I be found worthy, Lord, to shed my blood for the union and obedience to the Apostolic See”, he had prayed and his prayer was answered on 12 November as an enraged mob cruelly butchered him and profaned his body. He was in his 44th year.
After five days his mortal remains were recovered from the waters of a river and taken to Polotsk to be exposed to the veneration of the faithful.   For nine days they constantly emitted a fragrance of roses and lilies and a councillor of the city abandoned the schism merely at the sight of the Saint’s beautiful countenance.   Many of the murderers struck their breasts and did likewise.   The martyr had gone gladly to his death, offering his life that the schism might end;  he had said as much beforehand and amongst the many miracles consequent to his murder was the conversion of his assassins.   Four years later the author of the troubles, the dissident bishop Meletius Smotrytsky, was himself struck with remorse and consecrated his life to penance, prayer and the defence of the Union.   Such changes of heart are indeed the greatest of miracles, won by the sanctity of the true servants of God.

Some years after St Josaphat’s martyrdom his body was found to be incorrupt, though the clothing had rotted away.   Again in 1637 and 1767 it was found to be still white and supple. It was eventually taken to the Basilica of St Peter in Rome where it reposes today.

Today, let us offer our prayers, our devotions, our Sunday Mass for unity between ourselves and most especially our Orthodox brethren, our closest family in Christ.   St Josaphat, please pray with us and for us all!st josaphat pray for us.2.

Posted in MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Quote of the Day – 12 November – The Memorial of St Josaphat Kuncewicz (1584-1623)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote of the Day – 12 November – The Memorial of St Josaphat Kuncewicz (1584-1623)

“I am ready to die for the holy union,
for the supremacy of Saint Peter
and of his successor,
the Supreme Pontiff.”

St Josaphat Kuncewicz (1584-1623)i am ready to die - st josaphat - 12 nov 2017

Posted in MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY

One Minute Reflection – 12 November – The Memorial of St Josaphat Kuncewicz (1584-1623)

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 12 November – The Memorial of St Josaphat Kuncewicz (1584-1623)

Why, then, does one of you make himself judge over his brother and why does another among you despise his brother? All of us will have to stand in front of the judgement-seat of God…… Let us each stop passing judgement, therefore, on one another and decide instead, that none of us will place obstacles in any brother’s way, or anything that can bring him down…Romans 10,13

REFLECTION – “You people of Vitebsk want to put me to death. You make ambushes for me everywhere, in the streets, on the bridges, on the highways and in the marketplace. I am here among you as a shepherd and you ought to know that I would be happy to give my life for you.”…St Josaphatyou people of bitebsk want to - st josaphat - 12 nov 2017

PRAYER – O Lord our God, grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love. That by our love, our brothers in faith may be one. St Josaphat you fought and struggled to unite the Church and by your efforts achieved the crown of martyrdom, please pray for our world, for a one united faith. Amenst josaphat pray for us