St. Josaphat – Martyr for the Faith

On November 12, Roman Catholics and  Eastern Catholics remembered St. Josaphat Kuntsevych, a bishop and monk whose example of faith inspired many Eastern Orthodox Christians to return to full communion with the Holy See.  St. Josaphat,  worked faithfully for the unity of the Church until he suffered martyrdom. He died defending the truths expressed in the Creed, “I believe in One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic church.” St. Josaphat is the first Ukrainian saint canonized by the Catholic Church. Pope Pius IX proclaimed him a Saint of the Church Universal on June 29, 1867 and he is  buried in a glass fronted altar in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. On the feast day of St. Josaphat, the students of Assumption Church participated at the Liturgy and meditated on the life and heroic holiness of the great saint. After the Liturgy, Sr. Yosaphata, the  Vice Principal and Financial Administrator of the school, received a beautiful bouquet of flowers on her feast day.