Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe

St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe was born in Poland on 8 January 1894. In 1906, Kolbe had a vision of the Virgin Mary, and she offered him a white and red crown and asked him which he would accept. Understanding the white to represent a life of purity and the red to represent martyrdom, he said he would accept them both. He joined the Order of Friars Minor Conventuals and became a priest in Rome in 1918. Burning with a filial love for the Virgin Mother of God, he founded an association called the "Army of Immaculate Mary" and later the "Knight of the Immaculate," a religious magazine under Mary's patronage to disseminate the Good News more widely.

In 1930, he went on a mission to Japan. Working under the mantle of protection and patronage of the Immaculate Virgin, he set up printing presses. He founded a community to carry on his work of evangelizing through the printed word. Upon his return to Poland, Kolbe became superior of the City of Mary Immaculate and director of Poland's chief Catholic publishing complex. In 1938, the center started its own radio station. He was arrested by the Gestapo in 1939 for his anti-Nazism, but was later released. He was re-arrested in February 1941 for aiding Jewish refugees during World War II and then deported to Auschwitz. It was here that his heroism shone brightest. On 24 July 1941, one of the prisoners in the concentration camp escaped. As a result, in keeping with the practice followed there, ten men were selected at random to die of starvation in an empty bunker. One of these, named Franciszek Gajowniczek, a father of nine, wailed: "No, God! Not me, please! What will become of my poor wife and children?" Deeply moved, Fr Kolbe stepped out of the ranks and, standing before Commandant Fritsch, pointed to Sergeant Gajowniczek and said: "I am a Catholic priest from Poland. I am old. I want to take his place because he has a wife and children", exemplifying Christ's redemptive love: "There is no greater love than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends" (Jn 15:13).

At the camp, Fr. Kolbe continued to be the source of strength and comfort for his fellow condemned, diligently preparing them to meet their end, praying and singing praises to the Lord instead of weeping in despair. It was not long before death took its toll on those emaciated bodies. Fr. Kolbe alone remained. It was August 1941. The cell being needed for the next batch of the condemned, his death was hastened with an injection of carbolic acid, whereafter his remains were found to be in a state of illumination in the dark cell before being cremated. Maximilian had prepared himself for this final sacrifice, which made him the symbol of the triumph of good over evil by following Christ closely from the very first years of his life. Pope Paul VI beatified him on 17 October 1971, and Pope John Paul II canonized him on 10 October 1982.

St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe, pray for us to be faithful witnesses to the Gospel and be courageous in the face of persecution.

Jonathan Fabian Ginunggil,

Most High Servant,

Jesus, Mary, Joseph Ministry of Love 

(Blessed and Saints and the Nine Choirs of Angels)