Memorial of Saints Cyril and Methodius; Ninth Century monk and bishop, respectively; brothers who had appointments in the Byzantine civil service before embracing monastic life; they were sent as missionaries to Moravia, where they translated the liturgical books into the Slavonic language; Cyril died in Rome in 869; Methodius returned to Moravia, where he was later appointed archbishop; before his death in 884, Methodius had translated almost the entire Bible into Slavonic; Pope John Paul named them patrons of Europe, along with St. Benedict
Memorial of Saints Cyril and Methodius; Ninth Century monk and bishop, respectively; brothers who had appointments in the Byzantine civil service before embracing monastic life; they were sent as missionaries to Moravia, where they translated the liturgical books into the Slavonic language; Cyril died in Rome in 869; Methodius returned to Moravia, where he was later appointed archbishop; before his death in 884, Methodius had translated almost the entire Bible into Slavonic; Pope John Paul named them patrons of Europe, along with St. Benedict