| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
| Saint Maximilian Kolbe | |
|---|---|
| Martyr | |
| Born | November 8, 1894, Zdunska Wola, Poland |
| Died | August 14, 1941, Auschwitz concentration camp, Poland |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | October 17, 1971 |
| Canonized | October 10, 1982 |
| Major shrineA shrine is a holy or sacred place sometimes dedicated towards a certain god, goddess, saint, or similar religious figure. As distinguished from a temple, a shrine is usually located because it houses a particular relic or cult image which is the object o | Basilica of the Immaculate Mediatrix of Grace, Niepokalanów , Poland |
| FeastA calendar of saints forms a way of organising a liturgical year on the finely-granulated level of days by assigning each day to association with a saint. This calendar system, when combined with major church festivals and movable and immovable feasts, co | August 14 |
| Attributes | Either a FranciscanFranciscans is the common name used to designate a variety of mendicant religious orders of men or women tracing their origin to Francis of Assisi and following the Rule of St. The official Latin name is the Ordo Fratrum Minorum (Order of the "Lesser Brot friar's habit or a Nazi concentration campA concentration camp is a large detention centre created for political opponents, aliens, specific ethnic or religious groups, civilians of a critical war-zone, or other groups of people, often during a war. The term refers to situations where the interne prisoner's uniform, a rosaryThe Rosary is an important and traditional prayer recited by many Roman Catholics, combining prayer and meditation in a sequence of ten " Hail Marys" called a decade''. The name comes from Italian Rosario meaning "crown of roses". A standard rosary involv or a medallion with Virgin MaryBlessed Virgin Mary A traditional Catholic picture displayed sometimes in homes. It is sometimes displayed as part of a set. For accompanying image, see the Sacred Heart. The Blessed Virgin Mary sometimes shortened to The Blessed Virgin is a traditional t in his hand |
| PatronageIn several forms of Christianity, a patron saint has special affinity for a trade or group. St Florian is the patron saint of firefighters, and Saint Christopher is the patron saint of travellers, for example. Eastern Orthodoxy generally doesn't associate | 20th century, power workers, journalists, prisoners, drug addicts |
| O Lord Jesus Christ, who said, "greater love than this no man has that a man lay down his life for his friends," through the intercession of Saint Maximilian Kolbe whose life illustrated such love, we beseech you to grant us our petitions... Through the Militia Immaculata movement, which Maximilian founded, he spread a fervent devotion to Our Lady throughout the world. He gave up his life for a total stranger and loved his persecutors, giving us an example of unselfish love for all men - a love that was inspired by true devotion to Mary.
Grant, O Lord Jesus, that we too may give ourselves entirely without reserve to the love and service of our Heavenly Queen in order to better love and serve our fellow man in imitation of your humble servant, Saint Maximilian. Amen.
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Maksymilian Maria Kolbe, real name: Rajmund Kolbe ( 1894- 1941) was a Polish Franciscan friar who volunteered to die in place of a family father in the Nazi Auschwitz I concentration camp. He is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church as Saint Maximilian Kolbe.
Before World War II, Kolbe was active in promoting the veneration of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, founding and directing several organizations and publications. Kolbe was active as a radio amateur with Polish call letters SP3RN, vilifying Nazi activities by reporting the truth. In 1939, the friary he supervised and founded near Warsaw provided shelter to Polish refugees, including Jews. In May 1941, he was arrested and imprisoned in the Auschwitz I camp.
In July 1941, a man from Kolbe's bunker had vanished, prompting the Nazis to pick 10 men from the same bunker to be starved to death to deter further escape attempts. (The man was later found drowned in the camp latrine.) When one of the ten cried out, lamenting about his family, Kolbe asked to take his place, and the wish was granted. After two weeks of starvation, only four of the ten men were still alive, including Kolbe. The cells were needed, and Kolbe and the other three were executed with an injection of carbolic acid.
In July 1998 the Church of England unveiled a statue of Kolbe on the west door of Westminster Abbey in London, UK, as part of a monument to the memory of ten 20th-century martyrs.