Biography

Maximilian was born Raimund Kolbe. He was actually a Russian citizen, born in Russian Poland. He joined the seminary at a young age, and since he and his brothers were all in the seminary, his parents left to become a Benedictine nun, and a Franciscan.

Maximilian went on to become a Franciscan Friar and priest. He and his friends at seminary started the Militant Order of Mary the Immaculate. His devotion to Mary was so strong, that he became a self-proclaimed knight of the Immaculata, hoping to reverse the de-Christianization of Europe. Maximilian begged for money to start a magazine for this cause. He succeeded and the first issue of “Knights of the Immaculata came out in January 1922.

Maximilian’s superiors thought the magazine was a waste of time, so they transferred him to a remote region of Poland. He took a donated pruning press with him though, so their plan was foiled. The magazine’s popularity grew so much that he needed a larger studio to continue his work. He was somehow able to have the highest tech printing machinery and got the ball rolling in multiple languages.

In 1930, after meeting Japanese students, he was inspired to do the same thing in Nagasaki, Japan. Hey and three other Franciscan brothers travelled, problem solved, and were able to translate the Polish to Japanese. From letters to kanji, which are Japanese ideograms, they were able to continue spreading his message of the gospel.

in 1936, he was called back to Poland during as the world broke into World War II. Fr. Kolbe had a broadcasting station back in Poland where he spread the message of the Immaculata against free masonry, and Nazi propaganda.

In September of 1939, as Poland was invaded by Germany, he and his Franciscan brothers were captured and sent to a concentration camp. They were unexpectedly released three months later though. He and the Franciscans provided housing to 3000 Polish refugees, and 1500 Jewish people.

Throughout 1940, the Nazis cracked down on the Catholic Church though. Eventually the Nazis discovered what they were doing and put an end to it. In 1941, upon being offered German citizenship, Maximilian declined and was sent to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.

He ministered to prisoners, praying with them, hearing confessions. He was their priest. One day a prisoner escaped from his block. To deter other prisoners from escaping, the Nazis chose ten prisoners to execute. One of them was a young man. He cried out about how he had a wife and children. Maximilian stepped forward, looked the officer in the eye and asked to take the man’s place. He said he was a week and feeble old man, and that the young man could be of far greater use to them for the labor in the camp.

At first the Nazi officer ignored him, but asked him his profession. Maximilian said he was a Catholic priest, and they allowed him to take his place. The Nazis stripped the ten men naked, threw them in a cell, and left them to starve to death. Throughout the weeks of starvation, Maximilian sang hymns from the prison cell up to God. He kept the spirits going for his companions sentenced to death.

Since it had been over two weeks, the Nazis took him out of the cell. They needed it for more executions. They lethally injected him to kill him. HIs body was burned in the camp ovens.

He was nicknamed the martyr of Auschwitz, which in no way detracts from the 4 million Jewish martyrs in the camps. Every single person murdered there was unjustly killed. Maximilian just chose to sacrifice himself to save another man’s life.

Aftermath

Maximilian Kolbe was a martyr of the faith during the Nazi Holocaust. The cell where he was held now holds a memorial candle in honor of him. The man who he took the place of survived the Holocaust too! Unfortunately, he never found his wife and children. They didn’t survive the concentration camps. So few did. The man did attend Maximilian’s canonization celebration at the Vatican though.

Takeaway

Maximilian Kolbe fought for love. He wanted to see a world that chose love and he did this mainly through his love of Jesus through his Blessed Mother Mary. Maximilian’s example was courageous and vigilent. I would not want to be on this guy’s bad side. Although he was stern, his gentleness in choosing to take that married man’s place shows how can all choose to love. We may not be challenged with death these days, but can all learn compassion and love from Maximilian’s sacrifice.

Sources

Burns, Paul. Butler’s Lives of the Saints: New Concise Edition, Liturgical Press, 2003.