Nov 14 – S Josephat
1Description
It’s the Feast of St. Josaphat, 3rd Class, with the color of Red. In this episode: the meditation: “Uniting in Spirit with All the Holy Masses Being Offered throughout the World”, today’s news from the Church: “U.S. District Superior Calls for a Crusade of Reparation”, a preview of this week’s episode of The Catholic Mass #33: “QWF 54 Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix: What the Church Has Always Taught”, and today’s thought from the Archbishop.
Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? podcast@sspx.org
Sources Used Today:
- “Uniting in Spirit with All the Holy Masses Being Offered throughout the World” – The Heart of the Mass
- “U.S. District Superior Calls for a Crusade of Reparation” (FSSPX.news)
- “QWF 54 Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix: What the Church Has Always Taught” (SSPX Podcast)
- View on YouTube
- Listen & Subscribe on SSPXpodcast.com
- The Spiritual Life – Archbishop Lefebvre (Angelus Press)
Saint Josaphat was a man whose life was spent trying to heal a wound in the Church — and who ultimately gave his life for that cause. Born around 1580 in the city of Volodymyr, in what is now Ukraine, he grew up amid tension and division. The Orthodox and Catholic Churches had recently entered into a fragile union known as the Union of Brest, but suspicion and hostility still ran deep. Josaphat, baptized John Kuncevyc, was raised in the Eastern rite and steeped in its liturgy and beauty. As he matured, he came to believe that unity with Rome was not a betrayal of his heritage but its fulfillment — that the Church’s strength lay in both universality and diversity.
He joined the Basilian Order of monks and took the name Josaphat. His gifts were immediately apparent: a powerful preacher, a man of prayer, and a reformer with both vision and patience. When he became Archbishop of Polotsk, he threw himself into pastoral work — restoring churches, promoting catechesis, encouraging frequent confession and communion, and calling both clergy and laity to conversion of heart. His goal was never to dominate the Orthodox but to show, through love and fidelity, that unity could be lived.
But his zeal made him enemies. Political leaders and rival clergy accused him of selling out to Rome. Mobs were stirred up against him, and his success only deepened resentment. Still, Josaphat refused to respond with anger. “People say I am a wolf,” he once said, “but I am ready to die for my sheep.” In 1623, while visiting a town called Vitebsk, an angry crowd broke into his residence. He met them calmly, blessing them even as they struck him down with axes and threw his body into the river. His body was later recovered, and miracles were soon reported through his intercession.
Pope Pius IX canonized him in 1867, the first saint formally recognized from the Eastern Slavic Churches united with Rome. His relics now rest in St. Peter’s Basilica, beneath the altar of St. Basil the Great — a sign of reconciliation between East and West.
His feast on November 12 (formerly November 14) remains a call to pray for Christian unity, especially between the Eastern and Western Churches. Josaphat’s life reminds us that true peace is purchased not through compromise, but through the charity that endures even to the shedding of blood.
Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr, pray for us!
- - - - - -
Please Support this Apostolate with 1-time or Monthly Donation >>
- - - - - -
Explore more:
- Subscribe to the email version of this Devotional- it's a perfect companion!
- Subscribe to this Podcastto receive this and all our audio episodes
- Subscribe to the SSPX YouTube channelfor video versions of our podcast series and Sermons
- FSSPX News Website:https://fsspx.news
- Visit the US District website:https://sspx.org/
What is the SSPX Podcast?
The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition.
What is the SSPX?
The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood.
Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls.
Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it.
https://sspx.org
United States
