St. Josaphat was born John Kuncewicz in present-day Ukraine in 1580. He took the name Josaphat after entering the Order of St. Basil (Basilians), and was ordained for the Byzantine rite in 1609.

Josaphat was a remarkable preacher and was named archbishop of Polotsk, Russia, in 1617. Here, he worked for the renewal of the diocese and for the unification of the Ukrainian Church with Rome. He was slain by opponents of his unification efforts in 1623. He was canonized in 1867, the first saint of the Eastern churches.

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