Saint Methodius

detail of a statue of Saints Cyril and Methodius; date unknown, artist unknown; Macedonia; photographed on 17 July 2013 by Kristijantopalov; swiped from Wikimedia Commons Also known as

Apostle of Bulgaria
Apostle of the Slavs
Apostle of the Southern Slavs
Equal of the Apostles
Slavorum Apostoli

Memorial

14 February
27 July as one of the Apostles of Bulgaria
6 April (Velehrd, Moravia)

Profile

Brother of Saint Cyril. Born to the Greek nobility. Studied at the University of Constantinople, and taught philosophy there. Priest. Sent with Cyril by the emperor in 861 to convert the Jewish Khazars of Russia, a mission that was successful, and which allowed him to learn the Khazar’s language. In 863, he was sent with Cyril to convert Moravians in their native tongue. Though some western clergy opposed their efforts and refused to ordain their candidates for the priesthood, they did good work. Helped develop an alphabet for the Slavonic language that eventually became what is known as the Cyrillic today. After initial criticism for their use of it, they achieved approval of the Liturgy in the Slavonic language. Bishop. Evangelized in Moravia, Bohemia, Pannonia, and Poland. Baptized Saint Ludmilla and Duke Boriwoi. Archbishop of Velehred (in the modern Czech Republic), but deposed and imprisoned in 870 due to the opposition of German clergy with his work. Often in trouble over his use of Slavonic in liturgy, some claiming he preached heresy; repeatedly cleared of charges. Translated the Bible into the Slavonic languages. Pioneered the use of local and vernacular languages in liturgical settings.