St. Maximilian Kolbe
1894-1941
π
Feast Day: Aug 14
π Life Timeline
1894
Born January 8 in ZduΕska Wola, Poland
1910
Joined the Franciscan Order
1917
Founded the Militia of Immaculata
1930
Opened Misericordia printing press in Warsaw
1939
Arrested by Nazis; imprisoned at Auschwitz
1941
Voluntarily died in place of another prisoner in starvation bunker; August 14
β Biography
Maximilian Kolbe was born January 8, 1894, in ZduΕska Wola, Poland. His father was Polish and his mother was Polish with Irish ancestry. He joined the Franciscan Order in 1910 and became a master of spiritual direction and apologetics. He founded the Militia of Immaculata, a religious movement dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and started the magazine "Misericordia" which reached millions. He traveled to Japan as a missionary and established Franciscan communities there. Arrested by the Nazis in 1941, he was imprisoned at Auschwitz. In July 1941, when a prisoner escaped from his block, Kolbe voluntarily offered his life in place of Franciszek Gajowniczek, a married man with children. He was subjected to starvation in a punishment bunker and died on August 14, 1941, after three weeks without food. Canonized in 1982, he is the patron saint of prisoners, drug addicts, and martyrs.
π‘ Patronage
Patron of: Prisoners, martyrs, families, fathers, hostages, and the pro-life movement.
π¬ Words of the Saint
Everything depends on love, on the divine Love which is Himself God.
π Key Facts
Born
January 8, 1894, Poland
Died
August 14, 1941, Auschwitz
Feast Day
Aug 14
Canonized
1982 by Pope John Paul II
π Legacy
His sacrifice at Auschwitz is one of the most powerful acts of charity in human history. A model of heroic self-giving love.
π Personal Writings
Read excerpts from the saint's own words β their personal letters, spiritual writings, and teachings.
π Letters from Prison
On Love and Sacrifice
The world will be saved by Mary, but only through love. Love is the greatest force in the universe. It is stronger than death, stronger than hate, stronger than fear. Let us love God with all our heart, and our neighbor as ourselves.
β St. Maximilian Kolbe
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