He Died for Love of God & Neighbor
The feast day of Maximillian Kolbe is August 14.
It was 1941, St. Maximilian was a prisoner in the Auschwitz death camp. He was sent there after being arrest for helping Polish refugees, including about 2,000 Jews. When a prisoner had escaped the camp, the Nazis picked 10 of the already frail men at random as retaliation. These men were to suffer in an underground cell for weeks of painful dehydration and starvation. St. Maximilian volunteered to take the place of one of the chosen who had immediately cried out in agony for his wife and children.
The soldiers accepted the Franciscan priest’s offer and threw him in with the other men. It was reported he preached to them as the long days and nights passed. After two weeks, Nazi soldiers entered the bunker and found St. Maximilian still alive. He was put to death by lethal injection. He gave the ultimate sacrifice, and often when referring to his story the bible verse John 15:13 is quoted: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down his life for his friends.”
The man he saved was, Franciszek Gajowniczek. He attended St. Maximilian’s canonization in 1982.
Many believe St. Maximilian walked every step of his life knowing his fate. He told of a story from his childhood, when he had a vision of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, offering two symbolic crowns: the white crown of purity and the red crown of martyrdom. He accepted both.
While in seminary in Rome he founded the Militia Immaculata (Army of Mary) – an evangelization movement for souls to consecrate themselves to the Immaculate Virgin Mary with the motto of “To Jesus through Mary.”
Saint Maximilian also produced a newspaper – the Little Diary – with 230,000 readers and a monthly magazine – Knight of the Immaculata – with more than one million in circulation. Both publications’ intent was to promote conversion and strengthen the Catholic Church, and to “fight for Mary” against enemies of the Church.
