Saint Maximilian Kolbe

Biography

Saint Maximilian Kolbe, also known as the Apostle of Consecration to Mary, was born as Raymond Kolbe on January 7, 1894, in Zdunska Wola, a town in Russian-occupied Poland. He was the second of three sons born into a poor, devoutly Catholic family. His parents, Julius and Marianne Dabrowska, were both Franciscan lay tertiaries and worked as weavers. Raymond's father, Julius, later became involved in the fight for Polish independence from Russia and enlisted in the army of Pilsudski. However, he was executed by the Russians as a traitor in 1914. Raymond's mother, Marianne, later became a Benedictine nun. His older brother, Alphonse, eventually became a priest. As a child, Raymond was known for his mischievous and sometimes wild behavior, which posed a challenge to his parents. However, at the age of twelve, around the time of his first Communion, he had a life-changing vision of the Virgin Mary in which she presented him with two crowns, one white and one red. The white crown symbolized his call to persevere in purity, and the red crown represented his future martyrdom. Raymond bravely accepted both crowns. In 1907, Raymond entered the Franciscan junior seminary in Lwów, Poland, where he excelled in mathematics and physics. Although he briefly considered abandoning his pursuit of the priesthood for a military career, he ultimately heeded the call to religious life. On September 4, 1910, at the age of sixteen, he became a novice in the Conventual Franciscan Order and took the name Maximilian. He made his first vows on September 5, 1911, and his final vows on November 1, 1914. Maximilian continued his studies and went on to study philosophy at the Jesuit Gregorian College in Rome from 1912 to 1915. He then pursued his theological studies at the Franciscan Collegio Serafico in Rome from 1915 to 1919. During his time in seminary, Maximilian and six friends founded the Immaculata Movement (Militia Immaculatae) in October 1917. This movement was dedicated to the conversion of sinners, opposing freemasonry, promoting devotion to the Miraculous Medal, and emphasizing devotion to the Virgin Mary as the path to Christ. Unfortunately, Maximilian's time in Rome was marred by illness. He contracted tuberculosis, which nearly claimed his life and left him in fragile health for the rest of his days. Despite his illness, he was ordained a priest on April 28, 1918, at the age of twenty-four. Maximilian Kolbe returned to Poland in July 1919 and began teaching history at the Krakow seminary. However, his tuberculosis flared up again, requiring him to take medical leave and receive treatment at the hospital in Zakopane from August 10, 1920, to April 28, 1921. In January 1922, he founded the magazine "Knight of the Immaculate" (Rycerz Niepokalanej) to combat religious apathy. This magazine quickly gained popularity, with a press run of 70,000 per issue by 1927. Due to the limited space available in the friaries where he was based, Maximilian Kolbe sought a larger venue for his work. In 1927, Polish Prince Jan Drucko-Lubecki provided him with land at Teresin near Warsaw, where he founded a new monastery called Niepokalanów, which translates to the City of the Immaculate. The monastery was consecrated on December 8, 1927, and became the largest religious community in the world at that time, housing almost 800 men. Maximilian's work expanded at Niepokalanów as the Knight of the Immaculate's press run grew to 750,000 copies per month, and a junior seminary was established on the grounds. In 1935, the monastery started publishing a daily Catholic newspaper, "The Little Daily," which had a significant readership. Not content with his work in Poland, Maximilian Kolbe traveled to Japan in 1930 with four other brothers. Despite their lack of funds and knowledge of the Japanese language, Maximilian started printing a Japanese version of the Knight within a month of their arrival. The magazine, called Seibo no Kishi ("Knight of the Immaculate" in Japanese), quickly gained a circulation of 65,000 by 1936. In 1931, Maximilian founded a monastery in Nagasaki, which miraculously survived the atomic bombing during World War II and remains an important center of Franciscan work in Japan to this day. In mid-1932, Maximilian left Japan for Malabar, India, with the goal of establishing another Niepokalanów house. However, due to a lack of manpower, this venture did not survive. Maximilian Kolbe's failing health forced him to return to Poland in 1936. On December 8, 1938, the Niepokalanów monastery started its own radio station. By 1939, the religious community had grown to nearly 800 members and was entirely self-sustainable, with medical facilities and a fire brigade staffed by the religious brothers. Tragically, with the onset of the Nazi invasion of Poland, Maximilian Kolbe and several of his brothers were arrested on September 19, 1939. While the other prisoners were briefly exiled, Maximilian and his companions were released on December 8, 1939, and resumed their work at Niepokalanów. Despite facing persecution, including the shutting down of their presses, the suppression of their congregation, and the dispersal of the brothers, Maximilian continued his priestly ministry. Under his guidance, the community housed 3,000 Polish refugees, including two-thirds who were Jewish. They also continued their publication work, including materials deemed anti-Nazi. However, on February 17, 1941, Maximilian Kolbe was arrested again and imprisoned at Pawiak prison in Warsaw. He remained there until May 28, 1941, when he was transferred to the Auschwitz concentration camp. At Auschwitz, he was branded as prisoner 16670 and assigned to a special work group composed of priests and subjected to continuous physical abuse. Despite the harsh conditions and brutal treatment, Maximilian Kolbe persevered in his faith and ministered to his fellow prisoners. He celebrated Mass, provided spiritual guidance, and distributed communion using smuggled bread and wine. When ten prisoners from his block were chosen to be executed in retaliation for an escape attempt, one of them, Francis Gajowniczek, pleaded for his life as he had a wife and children. In an extraordinary act of selflessness, Maximilian offered to take his place. Maximilian Kolbe spent the last days of his life in a starvation cell, enduring immense suffering while maintaining his calm and offering solace to his fellow prisoners. On August 14, 1941, after three weeks of starvation and dehydration, he was executed by a lethal injection of carbonic acid. The body of Saint Maximilian Kolbe was burned in the camp ovens, and his ashes were scattered. However, some relics were preserved and later distributed by the friars at Niepokalanów. Saint Maximilian Kolbe was venerated by Pope Paul VI on January 30, 1969, who declared his heroic virtues. He was beatified by the same pope on October 17, 1971. Some of the miraculous healings attributed to him include the cure of intestinal tuberculosis of Angela Testoni in July 1948 and the cure of calcification of the arteries/sclerosis of Francis Ranier in August 1950. Saint Maximilian Kolbe was finally canonized by Pope John Paul II on October 10, 1982. In his canonization, he was declared a martyr of charity. Saint Maximilian Kolbe is a patron saint against drug addiction, drug addicts, families, imprisoned people, journalists, political prisoners, prisoners, and the pro-life movement. His life is a shining example of selfless love, devotion to the Virgin Mary, and unwavering faith in the face of extreme adversity.