Saint Maximilian Kolbe: Saint of Charity and Selfless Devotion of the Blessed Virgin Mary
“Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but [also] everyone for those of others. Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:3-5).
St. Maximilian Kolbe: Selfless and Devoted
St. Maximilian Kolbe, canonized in 1982 by St. John Paul II, provides a model of selfless love and charity, as well as a living example of Jesus’ willingness to die in the place of another. This venerable saint was born on January 8, 1894, in the Kingdom of Poland, then part of the Russian Empire. He entered seminary at the age of 16 and became a Polish Conventual Franciscan friar. This order of friars wore gray habits and expressed a deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
One day while he was walking in the woods near his home, the Blessed Virgin Mary visited him and gave him two roses: a white one for purity and a red one for martyrdom. He accepted them both. When he returned home, he told his mother about his experience and she encouraged him to ponder the encounter in his heart and to trust God.
Maximilian earned two doctorates, one in philosophy and the other in theology. He organized the Militia Immaculata (Army of the Immaculate One) for the conversion of sinners through the intercession of Mary. He also founded a monthly magazine called the Knight of the Immaculate and managed a religious publishing press to provide religious materials for Catholics in Poland. In addition, he founded monasteries in Japan and India. When he became ill with severe and recurring tuberculosis, he returned to Poland and remained in the monastery of his order during the invasion of the Germans during World War II. He published anti-Nazi material, and in 1941, the monastery was shut down, he was arrested, and eventually sent to Auschwitz.
Remaining Devoted to His Catholic Faith in Time of Trial
During his imprisonment, Maximilian continued to profess his Catholic faith by hearing confessions, offering spiritual guidance to the other inmates, and secretly celebrating Mass. He encouraged his fellow inmates to remain faithful and devoted, trusting in God’s mercy. He also encouraged them to develop a deep love and affection for the Blessed Virgin Mary. In July 1941, a fellow prisoner escaped from the camp. The next morning when the guards realized what had happened, they brought all of the other prisoners out of their barracks and chose 10 men to die in that one man’s place. An inmate who was chosen fell to the ground in tears and cried that he had a wife and children he hoped to see again after the war. Maximilian stepped forward and offered to take the man’s place. The guards were stunned, but accepted his offer and allowed the originally-chosen inmate to step back and live.
Maximilian was taken with the other nine prisoners chosen to die to a separate barracks to be starved to death. Maximilan’s body held on and he did not die of starvation, so the soldiers injected him with carbolic acid, which caused a painful, torturous death. He died on August 14, 1941, the day before the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and he was cremated on this glorious feast day, August 15. Maximilian Kolbe was named blessed by Pope Paul VI and canonized by Pope St.John Paul II, who created a new category of sainthood: charity.
Prayer to St. Maximilian Kolbe
Lord Jesus Christ, you gave St. Maximilian Kolbe the grace to serve you with fervor and love, especially in his self-sacrifice for another in the darkness of Auschwitz. Grant us, through his intercession, the courage to live our faith boldly, to love with a heart full of charity, and to be willing to lay down our lives for others when called. St. Maximilian, you entrusted yourself entirely to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and gave your life in witness to the Gospel of Christ. Help us to follow your example of heroic virtue and to strengthen our devotion to Our Lady, that we may grow in holiness and be a light to those around us. We ask this through Christ, our Lord, Amen.
Dr. Kate Walsh-Soucheray taught high school religion in St. Paul, Minnesota, and then became a licensed marriage and family therapist. She has master’s degrees in theology and marriage and family therapy, and a doctorate in educational leadership. Dr. Kate and her husband John have been married for 42 years and they have three, adult married children and six, soon to be seven, grandchildren. Dr. Kate is retired and writes and speaks for Catholics.