Daniel DeNeve, Ross Whittaker, and Benjamin Smith

 Bohemians (Czechs)  Moravians (Slovaks)  Slovenes  Croats  Poles  Serbs  Bulgarians  Ruthenians (Ukrainians)  Russians

 The first missionaries among the Slavs were the brothers Sts. Cyril and Methodius  These men translated the Bible into Slavonic  After his brother died, St. Methodius went on to become a bishop in Moravia and continued his evangelization  The German missionaries denounced their method of using Slavonic vernacular and tried to thwart their missionary effort

 St. Wenceslaus became a duke in Bohemia and converted many Bohemians to Christianity

 He did much work with the Bohemians, the Hungarians, and the Poles.  He became Bishop of Prague, and taught the young Otto III, the Holy Roman Emperor, in Christianity.  He also baptized Geysa, the leader of Hungary, and his son Stephen.  He was martyred in 997.

 The official transition of Poland to Christianity was easy and nonviolent.  Duke Mieszko was the first to encourage the people of Poland to Christianity.

The first king of Hungary He became Christian on his own accord, likely being baptized by St. Adalbert of Prague. He put down a pagan revolt and started building the Church in Hungary.

 Came from a non-Christian background in Russia, but then found Christianity after discerning which religion would be best for him. When he married into a Catholic family he put all of his past behind him, and became a fervent follower of Catholicism. He built many monasteries and schools and he fed many in poverty.

 King Boris brought Bulgaria out of paganism, and into Christianity. He established an independent patriarchate of Christianity. Its independence wasn’t recognized until the 20 th century by Constantinople.