Blessed Josaphat Chichkov
Blessed Josaphat Chichkov (Bulgarian: Yosafat Shishkov; born February 9, 1884 AD in Plovdiv, Bulgaria; died November 11, 1952 AD in Sofia, Bulgaria) was a Bulgarian Catholic priest of the Augustinians of the Assumption (Assumptionists) who was executed under the communist regime of Bulgaria. He is honored as one of the three Bulgarian Martyrs. His feast day is November 11.
An Assumptionist priest, educator, and translator, Josaphat Chichkov was arrested during the communist campaign against the Catholic Church in Bulgaria, subjected to a show trial, and shot together with Bishop Eugene Bossilkov and his fellow Assumptionists Kamen Vitchev and Pavel Djidjov. He was beatified in 2002.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Josaphat Chichkov
| Blessed Josaphat Chichkov | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | November 11 |
| Profession | Priest; Assumptionist (Augustinians of the Assumption); educator |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Augustinians of the Assumption (Assumptionists); Bulgarian Martyrs |
| Patronage | Bulgaria; persecuted Christians; those killed under totalitarian regimes |
| Attributes | Palm of martyrdom; priestly cassock; Assumptionist habit |
| Birthplace | Plovdiv, Bulgaria |
| Death Place | Sofia, Bulgaria |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom; shot under the communist regime of Bulgaria during the persecution of the Catholic Church; Assumptionist priest condemned in a show trial |
| Primary Shrine | Bulgaria |
Biography
Josaphat Chichkov was born on February 9, 1884, at Plovdiv in Bulgaria. He entered the Congregation of the Augustinians of the Assumption (the Assumptionists), a French religious order active in the Christian East, and was ordained a priest. He devoted himself to teaching, to the education of youth, and to translation and pastoral work, serving the small Catholic community of Bulgaria.
After the Second World War, the communist regime that took power in Bulgaria moved against the Catholic Church, which it regarded as a foreign and hostile influence. Bishops, priests, and religious were arrested, and in the early 1950s the state staged trials to crush the Church.
Chichkov was arrested and, with other Catholic clergy, subjected to a show trial in Sofia, accused of espionage and conspiracy. Condemned to death, he was shot on the night of November 11, 1952, together with his fellow Assumptionists Kamen Vitchev and Pavel Djidjov. The bishop Eugene Bossilkov had been executed shortly before. These are honored as the Bulgarian Martyrs.
Josaphat Chichkov was beatified on May 26, 2002, by Pope John Paul II during his visit to Plovdiv, together with his two Assumptionist companions. Their feast is kept on November 11.
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Feast day
November 11
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