Parish welcomes all to pray for peace before relic of Ukraine’s patron saint
St. Josaphat relic on display in parish’s rectory chapel
St. Valentine Church in Bloomfield invites all to pray for the Ukrainian people before its relic of St. Josaphat, the patron saint of Ukraine, which is on display in the parish’s rectory chapel.
Those wishing to pray for peace can visit the relic from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays and between 11:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays. They are welcome to take photos of the relic, though touching is prohibited. Guests can also pray before relics of St. Teresa of Jesus and St. Andrew Bobola in the same chapel.
St. Josaphat was born John Kuncevic around 1580 in what is now Ukraine, according to Franciscan Media. During his life, the patron saint successfully convinced Eastern Orthodox Christians to accept their Church’s union with the Roman Catholic Church, which caused him to make many enemies. St. Josaphat was killed in 1623 after an angry mob attacked him and threw his body into a river. But he continued making a difference even in death, with his martyrdom inspiring numerous dissidents — including his murderers, according to Milwaukee’s Basilica of St. Josephat — to become Eastern Catholics.
Catholics traditionally pray to St. Josaphat for Christian unity, according to Aleteia, though many are now seeking his intercession for peace during the ongoing Ukraine War.
Supporting Ukraine Across the Archdiocese
In addition to praying before the St. Josaphat relic, Catholics throughout the Archdiocese of Newark are supporting the Ukrainian people in other ways. Our Lady of Sorrows Church in South Orange will hold a prayer service for peace in Ukraine on March 29 in conjunction with Maplewood’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Holy Ascension. Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, also initiated an archdiocesan-wide collection — in addition to some parishes’ own collections of funds and resources — for charities that provide aid to Ukrainians. These collections have raised a total of more than $20,000 to date.
Finally, the Archdiocese of Newark joined Pope Francis’s Act of Consecration, entrusting Ukraine and Russia to the Blessed Virgin Mary on March 25. On that date, Catholics in the Archdiocese and across the world assembled in churches and prayed to Mary so she may end the violence plaguing the two nations. That included Cardinal Tobin, who recorded a video of his prayer.
For more information on St. Valentine Church, visit www.stvalentinechurch.com. For links to organizations that support Ukraine, go to www.rcan.org/where-give-help-ukraine.
Featured image: All are invited to pray for peace in Ukraine before the relic of St. Josaphat, which shares a vessel with a relic of St. Teresa of Jesus at St. Valentine Church in Bloomfield. (Photo courtesy of St. Valentine Church)
