Saint Maximilian Kolbe was a Polish Franciscan friar who is revered as a martyr of charity for heroically sacrificing his life in Auschwitz by taking the place of another prisoner condemned to die.
Saint Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish Franciscan friar and priest, dedicated his life to evangelization, notably founding the Militia Immaculatae and utilizing modern media like radio and publications to spread the message of faith. During World War II, he was arrested and sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp, where he demonstrated extraordinary love by volunteering to die in place of Franciszek Gajowniczek, a fellow prisoner condemned to the starvation bunker. Kolbe's ultimate act of selfless sacrifice, enduring two weeks of starvation before being killed, serves as a profound testament to charity and a powerful example of heroic virtue, making him an enduring inspiration for selfless love.
Born Rajmund Kolbe on January 8, 1894, in ZduĆska Wola, then part of Russian-controlled Poland, to a devout family, Maximilian Kolbe's early life showed signs of a profound spiritual calling. His parents, Julius Kolbe and Marianna DÄ browska, were weavers, and the family later moved to Pabianice. It was during his childhood, at around the age of 12, that he reportedly experienced a pivotal vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who appeared to him holding two crownsâone white, symbolizing purity, and one red, symbolizing martyrdomâasking which he would accept. He chose both, a choice that would profoundly shape his destiny. At the age of 13, he and his elder brother, Francis, entered the Conventual Franciscan seminary in LwĂłw (then part of Austria-Hungary), beginning his journey toward religious life.
The scorching sun beat down on the emaciated figures gathered for roll call in Auschwitz, July 1941. A prisoner had escaped, and for every escapee, ten innocent men were chosen to die by starvation in the dreaded Block 11, a living hell. The camp commander, SS-HauptsturmfĂŒhrer Karl Fritzsch, stalked among the ranks, his finger pointing, sealing fates. One man, Franciszek Gajowniczek, heard his number called. His face contorted in agony, he cried out, 'My poor wife! My poor children!' Despair gripped him, and he collapsed, knowing his family would be left utterly alone.
Then, a miracle unfolded. From the ranks stepped a slight, calm figure, Father Maximilian Kolbe. He walked directly toward the furious commander, a quiet dignity about him that defied the terror of the camp. Fritzsch, taken aback by such an unheard-of act of defiance, demanded, 'What does this Polish pig want?'
In a clear, steady voice, Father Kolbe replied, 'I am a Catholic priest. I want to take the place of this man.' He gestured towards Gajowniczek, who lay weeping on the ground. 'He has a wife and children.'
Fritzsch, utterly bewildered by this offer, stared at the priest. Such an act of self-sacrifice was incomprehensible in the brutal logic of Auschwitz. Yet, the sheer audacity, the unwavering resolve in Kolbe's eyes, seemed to momentarily disarm the commandant. After a moment of stunned silence, and perhaps a flicker of something akin to curiosity, Fritzsch consented. Gajowniczek, bewildered but saved, was pushed back into the ranks, while Father Kolbe was led away to the starvation bunker with the other nine condemned men.
In that dark, suffocating cell, Father Kolbe became a beacon of light. Witnesses, including the guards themselves, later recounted how he led the men in prayer, sang hymns to Mary, and offered words of comfort and hope. He encouraged them, absolved their sins, and prepared them for death. One by one, the men succumbed, but Father Kolbe remained, enduring two weeks of agonizing starvation, never losing his composure or his faith. When only he remained alive, the Nazis, impatient, administered a lethal injection of carbolic acid on August 14, 1941. His act of ultimate charity transformed a place of utter despair into a witness of profound love, forever etching his name into the annals of Christian heroism.
1941
Who are you, O Immaculate Conception? God is pure Spirit. Our Lady is a creature. How then can these two be united? Only by love. God is Love. He is the Holy Spirit. He is the Spirit of God. He is the Spirit of Love. He is the Spirit of Holiness. He is the Spirit of Truth. He is the Spirit of Wisdom. He is the Spirit of Counsel. He is the Spirit of Fortitude. He is the Spirit of Knowledge. He is the Spirit of Piety. He is the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord. He is the Spirit of Life. He is the Spirit of Grace. He is the Spirit of Glory. He is the Spirit of Adoption of Sons. He is the Spirit of Christ. He is the Spirit of Truth. He is the Spirit of Wisdom. He is the Spirit of Counsel. He is the Spirit of Fortitude. He is the Spirit of Knowledge. He is the Spirit of Piety. He is the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord. He is the Spirit of Life. He is the Spirit of Grace. He is the Spirit of Glory. He is the Spirit of Adoption of Sons. He is the Spirit of Christ.
And what of the Immaculate Conception? She is a creature. She is a created being. She is a created image of God. She is a created likeness of God. She is a created daughter of God. She is a created mother of God. She is a created spouse of God. She is a created temple of God. She is a created dwelling place of God. She is a created tabernacle of God. She is a created ark of the covenant. She is a created gate of heaven. She is a created morning star. She is a created dawn. She is a created aurora. She is a created sun. She is a created moon. She is a created star. She is a created flower. She is a created rose. She is a created lily. She is a created violet. She is a created garden. She is a created paradise. She is a created fountain. She is a created well. She is a created stream. She is a created river. She is a created ocean. She is a created sea. She is a created land. She is a created earth. She is a created heaven. She is a created world. She is a created universe. She is a created cosmos. She is a created being. She is a created image of God. She is a created likeness of God. She is a created daughter of God. She is a created mother of God. She is a created spouse of God. She is a created temple of God. She is a created dwelling place of God. She is a created tabernacle of God. She is a created ark of the covenant. She is a created gate of heaven. She is a created morning star. She is a created dawn. She is a created aurora. She is a created sun. She is a created moon. She is a created star. She is a created flower. She is a created rose. She is a created lily. She is a created violet. She is a created garden. She is a created paradise. She is a created fountain. She is a created well. She is a created stream. She is a created river. She is a created ocean. She is a created sea. She is a created land. She is a created earth. She is a created heaven. She is a created world. She is a created universe. She is a created cosmos.
In this union of the uncreated Spirit and the created Immaculate, the Holy Spirit works with Mary, and Mary with the Holy Spirit. This union is so profound, so perfect, that they are inseparable. From this union flows all grace, all holiness, all life, all truth, all wisdom, all counsel, all fortitude, all knowledge, all piety, all fear of the Lord. From this union flows all glory, all adoption of sons, all Christ. From this union flows the whole work of creation and redemption. For the Holy Spirit is the uncreated Immaculate Conception, and Mary is the created Immaculate Conception. They are one in mission, one in purpose, one in love. She is, in a certain sense, the 'Incarnation' of the Holy Spirit, in so far as a creature can be. She is the channel through whom the Holy Spirit pours out His graces upon the world. She is the Mediatrix of all graces. She is the one chosen from all eternity to be the Mother of God, the Mother of the Church, and our Mother. To her we consecrate ourselves completely, without reserve, so that she may lead us to Jesus, her Son, and through Him, to the Father, in the Holy Spirit. This is the essence of the Militia Immaculatae: to become entirely hers, so that she may lead us to perfect union with God.
October 10, 1982
1. 'There is no greater love than this: to lay down oneâs life for oneâs friends' (Jn 15:13).
These words of Jesus Christ were spoken on the eve of his passion. They refer to his own sacrifice, which was to be accomplished on the Cross. From the Cross, love for the Father and for brothers and sisters would radiate, a love that would embrace all humankind, a love that would be the source of salvation for all.
Today, the Church celebrates the liturgy of the canonization of a man who was granted to fulfill these words of the Redeemer in an exceptionally literal way. Maximilian Maria Kolbe, a son of the Polish land, a son of Saint Francis, was granted, in the midst of the most terrible persecution that ever raged in our century, to lay down his life for a brother. He laid down his life in the concentration camp of Auschwitz.
2. The concentration camp of Auschwitz was a place where hatred and contempt for man were manifested in a terrible way. It was a place created for the systematic destruction of human beings, not only physically but also spiritually. It was a place where all human dignity was trampled upon. It was a place where the commandment to love God and neighbor was completely disregarded. It was a place where the very idea of God seemed to be effaced. And yet, in this terrible place, a man was found who was able to fulfill the commandment of love in its most heroic form. This man was Maximilian Kolbe.
Maximilian Kolbe was a priest. He was a Franciscan friar. He dedicated his life to God and to the Immaculate Virgin Mary. He founded the Militia Immaculatae, a movement of spiritual renewal based on total consecration to the Mother of God. He used modern means of social communication â newspapers, radio â to spread the Gospel message and devotion to Mary.
3. When he found himself in the concentration camp of Auschwitz, he continued his priestly ministry, albeit in secret. He shared his meager rations with others, he comforted the sick and the dying, he heard confessions, he celebrated Mass with smuggled bread and wine. He was a witness to Christâs love in a place where love seemed to have been extinguished.
And then came that terrible day in July 1941. A prisoner had escaped from the camp. The commandant, in a fit of rage, selected ten men to die of starvation as a punishment. One of the condemned, Franciszek Gajowniczek, cried out, 'My poor wife! My poor children!' At that moment, Maximilian Kolbe stepped forward. He stood before the commandant and said, 'I am a Catholic priest, I want to go instead of him. He has a wife and children.'
4. This was an act of supernatural heroism. It was an act of perfect love. It was an act that demonstrated the power of Christâs love, a love that is stronger than death, stronger than hatred, stronger than all the forces of evil. Maximilian Kolbe, by his sacrifice, became a martyr of charity. He bore witness to the supreme value of human life, to the dignity of every person, to the fact that man is created in the image and likeness of God.
His death in the starvation bunker was not a defeat but a victory. It was a victory of love over hatred, of life over death. It was a victory that echoed the victory of Christ on the Cross. By his death, Maximilian Kolbe showed that even in the most extreme conditions, man can remain human, can remain faithful to God and to his neighbor.
5. The Church today proclaims him a saint. She does so not only to honor his memory but also to present him as an example for all of us. Maximilian Kolbe reminds us that love is the greatest of all virtues. He reminds us that true freedom consists in serving others. He reminds us that even in the darkest moments, hope is possible, because God is love and he is with us.
May the example of Saint Maximilian Kolbe inspire us all to live lives of greater love, greater self-sacrifice, and greater fidelity to God and to our neighbor. May his intercession help us to overcome hatred with love, evil with good, and despair with hope. Amen.
Pilgrimages are made to NiepokalanĂłw, the Franciscan friary and publishing complex established by Saint Maximilian Kolbe.
NiepokalanĂłw, known as the "City of the Immaculate," was Saint Maximilian Kolbe's primary center for evangelization, where he founded his friary, established a major publishing house, and produced religious media.
Many pilgrims visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, specifically Block 11, to venerate the site of Saint Maximilian Kolbe's martyrdom.
This is the precise location where Saint Maximilian Kolbe offered his life in exchange for another prisoner, Franciszek Gajowniczek, serving as a powerful witness to his sacrificial love.
Adherents worldwide engage in Marian consecration and active participation in the Militia Immaculatae (MI), the global evangelization movement founded by Saint Maximilian Kolbe.
Saint Maximilian Kolbe founded the Militia Immaculatae to promote total consecration to the Immaculate Virgin Mary as a means of evangelization and a path to Christ, which was central to his spiritual life and mission.
Devotees offer prayers for Saint Maximilian Kolbe's intercession, particularly for those suffering from addiction, for families, and for journalists, reflecting his specific patronages.
His heroic sacrifice for a family man, his pioneering use of modern media for evangelization, and his suffering as a prisoner led to his patronage of these causes, inspiring specific prayer intentions.