Historical calendar – an anniversary of heroic and worthy of holiness, the act of Father Maximilian Maria Kolbe, who gave his life for another person.
Today in our calendar we will look at the life and death of the unbreakable monk and martyr Maximilian Maria Kolbe.
The future saint came from Zduńska Wola – then located in the Russian partition. His parents were Juliusz and Marianna from Dąbrowska's house. The profoundly spiritual atmosphere at home influenced the youth’s life choices. In 1907, he and his brother Francis joined the Franciscan order. He went to a clergy seminary in Lviv, where he took the name Maximilian (at his baptism he received the name Rajmund).
From 1912 he studied in Krakow and then in Rome, where he was directed due to his outstanding talent for learning. In 1916, he defended his Ph.D. in doctrine at the papal University of Gregorianum, and 3 years later his Ph.D. in Theology at the College of St Bonaventure. While in Italy, he founded an organization "Military of the Immaculate". As its objectives, he pointed to the conflict for conversion of sinners and enemies of the Church – heretics, schismatists, Jews and Masons.
Freedom saw as an highly dangerous sect to mankind, which he exposed and condemned in many of his works. They motivated him to do so in 1917, erstwhile he saw with his own eyes in Rome the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the masonry activities and heard the blasphemy that was preached during them. The Masons straight referred to Satan and his imminent triumph over Papacy. In 1918, Kolbe accepted priestly ordination and returned to Poland, where he took up the work of past lecturers in the Krakow seminary.
In 1922 he began publishing a monthly magazine “The Knight of the Immaculate”, which was highly acclaimed. In the late 1930s, the magazine produced a million copies and became the most crucial periodical of pre-war Poland. Maximilian was characterized by large intelligence, charisma, piety, and entrepreneurship. In 1927, he arranged for the Duke of Jan Drucki-Lubecki to hand over his property collection in Theresin close Warsaw.
After changing its name to the Immaculate, the village became 1 of the spiritual centers of the country. Thanks to the resourcefulness and industriousness of Father Maximilian, the Franciscan monastery, printing house, publishing house, hotel, infirmary and power plant were created there. His successes were so crucial that they were seen by the pope himself. In 1930, the monk undertook a fresh task. This time it was a journey to Japan for missionary work. He went to Kiusiu Island where he established a Franciscan house. He began publishing the nipponese version of “The Knight of the Immaculate”, and lectured in doctrine at the local clergy seminary.
Similar initiatives were attempted in India and Latvia. He returned to his homeland permanently in 1936. He founded the Catholic news paper "Little Journal", and in 1939 the first nationwide private radio known as Radio Niepokalanów. These were all the more crucial initiatives, due to the fact that ingenuity, work, and money were not adequate for their success. Maximilian on the way to their formation had to repeatedly clash with the sanitational administration, hostile to all private initiatives. Thanks to social support, he came out of this confrontation victorious – the authorities had to recognise independent centres breaking their information monopoly.
In radio broadcasts, the founder himself frequently performed, who did not hesitate to mark the national flaws of Poles and systemic errors of the sanitation. In his lectures and books he placed a strong emphasis on the improvement of Polish entrepreneurship and trade, which he considered as the basis for building the greatness of the Nation. Just before the war broke out, he planned to set up a movie studio that would let him to scope the cinema audience with his teachings.
After the German invasion of Poland, he organized a infirmary for wounded soldiers in Niepokalanów and a shelter for orphans and people who lost their homes. But he was arrested for over 2 months by the Nazis. Returning to the monastery, he again became active in helping war victims, including hiding refugees and Jews. In addition, he organized secret teaching and repair workshops for agricultural tools. He was arrested again for his full activity in February 1941.
He hit Pawiak and then to Auschwitz. There, he showed compassion as a priest who eased conflicts and sustained his fellow prisoners. A fewer months later, on July 29, after 1 of the escapes from the camp, a criminal appeal was ordered. In the process, 10 people were sentenced to starvation as part of the repression for failing to defender their cellmate. Among the chosen were the father of 2 children – Franciszek Gajniczych. Kolbe voluntarily went to a hunger cell in his replacement, where he died on August 14. In 1982 he was declared a saint of the Catholic Church.
To this day, his canonization stands in the throat of judaic environments, which consider Father Kolbe a terrible “antisemite”.
Previous entry from our calendar is available Here.
