Growing up, I never understood why my family sometimes referred to ourselves as “Catholics” or alternately as “Roman Catholics”. In my hometown where everyone went to the same Mass, it seemed unnecessary to add the extra adjective “Roman”. It was only later upon studying Church history that I came to realize why that qualifier was important. The Roman Catholic liturgy and customs (that is my heritage) developed out of Rome. But there are also other “Eastern rites” that developed out of Constantinople, Jerusalem, Antioch and Alexandria. The One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church is actually made up of 22 individual Churches with their own distinct liturgies and customs. While the Eastern Rite Catholics make up only about 2% of the entire Catholic Church in communion with the Pope, their beautiful prayers and ceremonies add to the splendor of our Catholic liturgical inheritance.
What has all of this to do with today’s Saint? Well, St. Josaphat, the first Eastern Rite Catholic to be formally canonized, lived during a time when many of these Eastern Rites were in schism with the universal Church. He was responsible for helping to bring the Eastern Rites, particularly the Ruthenian Rite (which was his heritage), back into communion with the Catholic Church. His work was so influential that he garnered the nickname “Soul Snatcher”. To understand his life better, let’s look at the time in which he lived, an early childhood mystical experience of his that shaped the course of his life, and finally his peaceful work of reconciling the Eastern rites with Rome and the Pope.
First, to understand St. Josaphat, one must understand the world into which he was born. Let us take a step back from his birth year of 1580 and go to the year 1054. By this time, the Catholic Church had been growing up in the five patriarchates of Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem. In the west the Roman Catholic rite was the norm. In the east the Byzantine Catholic rite centered in Constantinople gradually took a prominent place. Both sides were equally legitimate ways of celebrating the one Catholic faith. Over the centuries, however, the distance, the different languages, and the diverse traditions sometimes became causes of misunderstanding. Those misunderstandings combined with some cultural, political and theological differences eventually led to one of the most unfortunate events in Catholic Church history. In 1054, the Eastern Catholic Church no longer accepted the authority of the Pope and they formally split with the Western Church. Now in schism, they came to be known as the “Orthodox Church”.
When St. Josaphat was born as John Kuncevic in 1580, his family was still part of the Orthodox Church. Specifically, John’s parents, who lived in Vladimir (which is in present day Ukraine) belonged to the separated Eastern Rite Ruthenian Church. One day, when John was just a child, he had a mystical experience as his Mother explained the icons that decorated their Church. Looking at an icon of Jesus, John felt a spark of fire leave the wounded side of Jesus and enter his own heart. This event filled him with joy and had a profound effect on him-he began to memorize Church rituals and also began to have a desire to suffer death for his Savior. As he grew up, local Orthodox Church leaders began discussing the possibility of coming back into communion with the Pope and universal Church. In 1598, seven bishops signed the Union of Brest, which allowed them to retain their Eastern Rites while also being in full communion with the Pope. At this point, John made his profession of faith, entered the Basilian Monastery of the Holy Trinity, took the name Josaphat, and began to strategize ways to reconcile more Eastern Christians with Rome.
You see, though millions had come back into the fold, there were many more Christians in the East that did not agree with the Bishops’ decision. This disagreement between the Orthodox and the Eastern Rite Catholics was so strong that it sometimes led to violence and even martyrs on each side. As Abbot of his monastery and later as Archbishop of his diocese, St. Josaphat worked tirelessly for reconciliation and reform. Despite all his work and the respect he had, the Orthodox separatists tried to rouse opposition to him by setting up their own bishops in the exact same area, including a rival archbishop. St. Josaphat knew that the hate was strong, and yet he told the people, "You people want to kill me. You wait in ambush for me in the streets, on the bridges, on the highways, in the marketplace, everywhere. Here I am; I came to you as a shepherd. You know I would be happy to give my life for you. I am ready to die for union of the Church under St. Peter and his successor the Pope." While Josaphat was attempting to calm the troubles himself, he was cruelly hacked to death on November 12, 1623. His martyrdom ended up causing public opinion (and eventually even his rival archbishop) to sway toward the Catholics and unity. The “Soul Snatcher” continued to work even after his death.
The liturgies, customs and traditions in our collective Catholic Church history are spiritual treasures that are valuable beyond price. We can thank St. Josaphat for all of his work to bring the gem of his Ruthenian Rite back into the fold so that we can experience it still today. If you haven’t already, you might think about assisting at the Sacrifice of the Mass at one of the Eastern Rite Masses in your area. In addition to fulfilling your Sunday obligation, you may just find that worshipping our God through another valid tradition will give you a greater appreciation for the variety and depth of the spiritual riches contained in our Holy Mother Church.
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