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Matthias (or Matej) Pavlik was born on [[May 26]], 1879, in the Moravian town of Hrubavrbka in what would later be the Czech Republic. Born into a [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] society of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Matthias continued into the Roman Catholic theological faculty in Olomouc after finishing his earlier education. He was subsequently [[ordination|ordained]] a [[priest]]. During his studies he was interested in the mission of Ss. [[Cyril and Methodius]] and of Orthodox Christianity. With the end of World War I and the establishment of the new country Czechoslovakia the legal constraints forcing Roman Catholicism were broken. In this environment many people left the Roman church, and many looked to Orthodox Christianity. Fr. Pavlik was among them. The [[Church of Serbia|Serbian Orthodox Church]] provided a shelter for those looking to Orthodoxy. As a leader in Moravia, the Church of Serbia agreed to [[Consecration of a bishop|consecrate]] Fr. Pavlik to the [[episcopate ]] for his homeland. On [[September 24]], 1921, was consecrated [[bishop]] with the name of Gorazd.

Historically, his [[monastic]] name of Gorazd was significant as it was the name of the bishop who succeeded St. Methodius as Bishop of Moravia after he died in 885. Subsequently, [[Pope]] [[Stephen V of Rome|Stephen V]] drove the [[disciple]]s of St. Methodius from Moravia as the Latin rite was imposed. Thus, by the choice of his monastic name of Gorazd, the continuity of the Orthodox Church in Moravia from some eleven hundred years before was recognized.

[[Archimandrite]] Gorazd was named Bishop of Moravia and Silesia on [[September 24]], 1921, and consecrated bishop on the next day at the Cathedral of the Holy Archangel Michael in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, by [[Patriarch]] [[Dimitrije (Pavlovic) of Serbia|Dimitrije]].

By these actions by of the Orthodox Faithful, who, led by their bishop, proved the qualities of their little church in bravery and devotion to matters of justice and showed how firmly it was connected to the Czech nation. On [[May 4]], 1961, the Serbian Orthodox Church recognized Bp. Gorazd as a [[New Martyrs|new martyr]], and on [[August 24]], 1987, he was [[glorification|glorified]] in the Cathedral of St. Gorazd in Olomouc in Moravia.