130 Saint Maximilian Lane * Toms River, NJ 08757Phone: 732-914-0300 * Fax: 732-240-9517 * E-Mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. Witnesses say Kolbe accepted his mistreatment and blows with surprising calm. Founded in 1989, the College is a secondary education institution that uses the motto of ‘courage, faith and excellence’ to connect with Kolbe’s charism. Kolbe and the community at Niepokalanów helped to hide, feed and clothe 3,000 Polish refugees, (of which approximately 1,500 were Jews). He contracted tuberculosis which caused him to cough up blood and to leave all of his work and plans and dreams behind and go to Zakopane in the mountains to recover or die. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Its origin can easily be located in that criminal mafia that calls itself Freemasonry, and the hand that is guiding all that toward a clear goal is international Zionism. From 1922 to 1926 he operated a religious publishing press in Grodno. [1] On 28 May, he was transferred to Auschwitz as prisoner 16670. His parents were relatively poor, and in 1914 his father was captured by the Russians and hanged for his part in fighting for an independent Poland. He was canonised as a martyr by Pope John Paul II (who himself lived through the German occupation of Poland) in 1981. ~ from a letter by Saint Maximilian Kolbe The Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe is celebrated on August 14th. Kolbe was ordained as a priest and after completing his studies returned to the newly independent Poland in 1919. Which should not be taken to mean that even among Jews one cannot find good people. I went to Japan in 1930 and India in1932 and founded monasteries there. Between 1930 and 1936, Kolbe undertook a series of missions to East Asia. [1][18] He held an amateur radio licence, with the call sign SP3RN. April 16, 2020. In 1941 I was arrested again and sent to Auschwitz where I suffered terrible beatings and humiliations. It is said that in the bunker, Kolbe would lead the men in prayer and singing hymns to Mary. Maximilian (Raymond) Kolbe was born on 7 January 1894 in Zdunska-Wola, near Lodz, in Poland. Each time the guards checked on him, he was standing or kneeling in the middle of the cell and looking calmly at those who entered. He felt a strong motivation to ‘fight for Mary’ against enemies of the church. There he was appointed guardian of Niepokalanów, thus precluding his return to Japan. They pay our fare in the bargain. This vision was significant because he chose both the path of … His father was an ethnic German and his mother Polish. 3rd AuguSaint 2014. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. [33], During World War II Kolbe's monastery at Niepokalanów sheltered Jewish refugees. Marytown is located in Libertyville, Illinois. His parents, both Franciscan lay tertiaries, worked at home as weavers. After three weeks there were only four prisoners left alive. The immensity of it: I, the condemned, am to live and someone else willingly and voluntarily offers his life for me – a stranger. This however was only the beginning of more serious health concerns. I said that I would accept them both.” [1]. My children!” At this point, Kolbe volunteered to take his place. Amen. Raymund developed a strong religious yearning from an early life. And I owe to him the fact that I could tell you all this. On 10 October 1982 Pope John Paul II canonized Kolbe and declared him a martyr of charity. Gajowniczek later said: “I could only thank him with my eyes. In a letter from Zakopane, February 13,1927, Maximilian writes "the doctor told me that this [23] Though in other sources Kolbe is clearly included in the Righteous Among the Nations. [20] Upon his release he continued work at his friary, where he and other friars provided shelter to refugees from Greater Poland, including 2,000 Jews whom he hid from German persecution in the Niepokalanów friary. In 1910, he was given the religious name Maximillian and was admitted as an initiate. She asked me if I was willing to accept either of these crowns. [1] John Paul II declared him "The Patron Saint of Our Difficult Century". Maximilian's response was to pray for his abusers. [20] The monastery continued to act as a publishing house, issuing a number of anti-Nazi German publications. She asked me if I was willing to accept either of these crowns. “That night, I asked the Mother of God what was to become of me, a Child of Faith. When one of the selected men Franciszek Gajowniczek heard he was selected, he cried out “My wife! The Solemnity of Christ the King is … He was active in promoting the veneration of the Immaculate Virgin Mary. Let us, then, tell the Blessed Virgin that we are content, and that she can do with us anything she wishes” (Maximilian Mary Kolbe, source). I was saved. Once he was smuggled to a prison hospital by friendly inmates. Towards the end of his studies, Kolbe suffered his first bout of [1][4][13] The monastery he founded remains prominent in the Roman Catholic Church in Japan. We will live-stream via our Facebook page, the Sunday 8 AM and Wednesday 8:30 AM Masses [13] He died on 14 August. Pope John Paul II, however, overruled the commission he had established (which agreed with the earlier assessment of heroic charity). Raymund Kolbe was born on 8 January 1894 In Zdunska Wola, in the Kingdom of Poland (then part of the Russian Empire). At the start of the Second World War, Kolbe was residing in the friary at Niepokalanow, the “City of the Immaculata.” By that time, it had expanded from 18 Friars to 650 Friars, making it the largest Catholic house in Europe. [1][4] Around that time, as well as earlier in Rome, he suffered from tuberculosis (TB), which forced him to take a lengthy leave of absence from his teaching duties. Those present say he calmly accepted death, lifting up his arm. ... St Maximilian KOLBE, 1894-1941. By that year there were 762 friars in his community. He recounts an early childhood vision of the Virgin Mary. What a piece of good luck! Is this some dream? He underwent treatment and remained in a sanatorium at Zakopane until April 29, 1921. He suffered tuberculosis which caused coughing up blood. When Poland was overrun by the Nazi forces in 1939, he was arrested under general suspicion on 13 September but was released after three months. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to Pabianice.[4]. Don’t you see that we are leaving on a mission? [7] They enrolled at the Conventual Franciscan minor seminary in Lwow later that year. The prayer shawls are given to any person who may have suffered a loss or is dealing with illness. The Kolbe Reader: The Writings of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv. St. Maximilian, born Raymund Kolbe in the kingdom of Poland, joined the conventional Franciscans with his brother, Francis, at the age of 13. [12], In 1918, Kolbe was ordained a priest. The movie Two Crowns will have its US premier on October 26th through Fathom Events. Love the Blessed Virgin Mary and her son Jesus with a pure and sacrificial heart. Maximilian Maria Kolbe (born Rajmund Kolbe; Polish: Maksymilian Maria Kolbe [maksɨˌmʲilʲan ˌmarʲja ˈkɔlbɛ]; 8 January 1894 – 14 August 1941), venerated as Saint Maximilian Kolbe, was a Polish Catholic priest and Conventual Franciscan friar who volunteered to die in place of a stranger in the German death camp of Auschwitz, located in German-occupied Poland during World War II. M.M. We have never seen anyone like him…”, After two weeks, nearly all the prisoners, except Kolbe had died due to dehydration and starvation. [6], In 1907 Kolbe and his elder brother Francis joined the Conventual Franciscans. The men were led away to the underground bunker where they were to be starved to death. St. Maximilian Kolbe is the patron saint of political prisoners, journalists, the radio, and drug addicts. He founded a monastery on the outskirts of Nagasaki (the monastery survived the atomic blast, shielded by a mountain). [20] Kolbe was declared venerable by Pope Paul VI on 30 January 1969, beatified as a Confessor of the Faith by the same Pope in 1971, and canonized as a saint by Pope John Paul II on 10 October 1982. [19], After the outbreak of World War II, Kolbe was one of the few friars who remained in the monastery, where he organized a temporary hospital. Maximilian died on 14 August. [28] Kolbe's alleged antisemitism was a source of controversy in the 1980s in the aftermath of his canonization. Fr. “I felt the Immaculata drawing me to herself more and more closely… I had a custom of keeping a holy picture of one of the Saints to whom she appeared on my prie-dieu in my cell, and I used to pray to the Immaculata very fervently” (Link Militia of the Immaculata). Kolbe even gained a radio licence and publicly broadcast his views on religion. However, because I suffered from ill health, I had to return to Poland. [32] Some authors claim that Kolbe is not recognized by Israel as among the Righteous Among the Nations. From the underground cell in which they were shut up there continually arose the echo of prayers and canticles. Raymond.”. It became a major religious publishing centre. [25] While his self-sacrifice at Auschwitz was considered saintly and heroic, he was not killed out of odium fidei (hatred of the faith), but as the result of his act of Christian charity toward another man. St Maximilian was born Raimund Kolbe in 1894 of a Polish mother and a German father. This involved carrying blocks of heavy stone for the building of the crematorium wall. Father Kolbe led his fellow prisoners in worship and songs as they suffered in the underground bunker. Kolbe helped the Immaculata Friars to publish high pamphlets, books and a daily newspaper – Maly Dziennik. [4] His father was an ethnic German,[5] and his mother was Polish. [8] Kolbe wanted the entire Franciscan Order consecrated to the Immaculata by an additional vow. It is a docudrama about the life of St. Maximillian Kolbe. And what use are the victories on the battlefield if we ourselves are defeated in our innermost personal selves?”, “Christian Martydom and Political Violence, Google Books[3], Although Kolbe did not write this, it is believed this was a factor that led to his arreSaint. He arrived first in Shanghai, China, but failed to gather a following there. He professed his first vows in 1911, and final vows in 1914,[1] adopting the additional name of Maria (Mary).[4]. Pope Paul VI recognized this distinction at Kolbe's beatification, naming him a Confessor and giving him the unofficial title "martyr of charity". In October 1917, Kolbe and six other friars formed the Militia Immaculatae with the goal of using every possible means to promote total consecration to Mary. [7], According to an eyewitness, who was an assistant janitor at that time, in his prison cell Kolbe led the prisoners in prayer. In 1930, Kolbe travelled to Japan, where he spent several years serving as a missionary. Beyond armies of occupation and the hecatombs of extermination camps, there are two irreconcilable enemies in the depth of every soul: good and evil, sin and love. addy1b9b4effcc9f1eb8765e8f090477044b = addy1b9b4effcc9f1eb8765e8f090477044b + 'gmail' + '.' + 'com'; However, increasingly ill, he returned to Poland in 1936. He settled in the monastery of Niepokalanów near Warsaw. St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church 701 North Hiatus Road • Pembroke Pines FL 33026 • Tel (954) 432-0206 He had been active in promoting the veneration of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, founding and supervising the monastery of Niepokalanów near Warsaw, operating an amateur-radio station (SP3RN), and founding or running several other organizations and publications. As well as writing extensive essays and pieces for the newspaper, Kolbe composed the Immaculata Prayer – the consecration to the immaculately conceived Virgin Mary. ... His health was not great. It was on this day in 1941, the day before the Church celebrates St. Maximilian’s beloved Blessed Mother Mary, that Fr. The Parish has been a thriving part of the community since it creation 1905 and continues to serve the community in the Beeston and Holbeck area within the Diocese of Leeds. His remains were cremated on 15 August, the feast day of the Assumption of Mary. After the war, his reputation grew and he became symbolic of courageous dignity. In 1919 he also gained a doctorate of theology from the University of Saint Bonaventure. Bruno Borgowiec, a Polish prisoner who was charged with serving the prisoner later gave a report of what he saw: “The ten condemned to death went through terrible days. The man in charge of emptying the buckets of urine found them always empty. Because the guards wanted the cell emptied, the remaining prisoners and Kolbe were executed with a lethal injection. He was later canonised as a martyr. [2] His feast day is 14 August, the day of his death. Saint Maximilian Kolbe was a Polish Conventual Franciscan Friar. Since they had grown very weak, prayers were now only whispered. The school, to be called Kolbe Academy, named after St. Maximilian Kolbe, the patron saint of those with addictions, is scheduled to open in September 2019. “Dear Mama, At the end of the month of May I was transferred to the camp of Auschwitz. Franciszek Gajownizek was present at his canonization. St Maximilian is what is known as a “martyr of charity” He took the place of a fellow prisoner in Auschwitz during WWII who had been condemned to death. [1][23] Upon canonization, the Pope declared Maximilian Kolbe as a confessor and a martyr of charity. The white one meant that I should persevere in purity, and the red that I should become a martyr. [28] According to testimony of a local, "When Jews came to me asking for a piece of bread, I asked Father Maximilian if I could give it to them in good conscience, and he answered me, 'Yes, it is necessary to do this, because all men are our brothers. The Franciscan Friars of Mary Immaculate are taught basic Polish so they can sing the traditional hymns sung by Kolbe, in his native tongue. However, when the United States dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, the Franciscan monastery survived, unlike the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, the latter having been on the side of the mountain that took the main force of the blast. [1] His image may be found in churches across Europe[24] and throughout the world. However, his health deteriorated and in 1920 Saint Maximilian suffered from a serious bout of tuberculosis. [4], From 1919 to 1922 he taught at the Kraków seminary. [40] In 1991, Krzysztof Zanussi released a Polish film about the life of Kolbe, Life for Life: Maximilian Kolbe [pl]. St. Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us! Second-class relics, such as his personal effects, clothing and liturgical vestments, are preserved in his monastery cell and in a chapel at Niepokalanów, where they may be venerated by visitors. Everything is well in my regard. 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