- John Kunsevich - Josaphat of Polotsk - Jozofat Kuncewicz His
father was a municipal counselor, and his mother known for her
piety. Raised in the Orthodox Ruthenian Church which, on 23
November 1595 in the Union of Brest, united with the Church of
Rome. Trained as a merchant‘s apprentice at Vilna, Lithuania, he
was offered partnership in the business, and marriage to his
partner’s daughter; feeling the call to religious life, he
declined both. Monk in the Ukrainian Order of Saint Basil
(Basilians) in Vilna at age 20 in 1604, taking the name Brother
Josaphat. Deacon. Ordained a Byzantine rite priest in 1609.
Josaphat’s superior, Samuel, never accepted unity with Rome, and
looked for a way to fight against Roman Catholicism and the
Uniats, the name given those who brought about and accepted the
union of the Churches. Learning of Samuel’s work, and fearing
the physical and spiritual damage it could cause, Josaphat
brought it to the attention of his superiors. The archbishop of
Kiev, Ukraine, removed Samuel from