Major events in life
As a child, Maximilian claimed to have a vision of the immaculate Virgin Mary. The following is an extract from his biographies, in which he describes the event
“That night, I asked the Mother of God what was to become of me, a Child of Faith. Then she came to me holding two crowns, one white, the other red. She asked me if I was willing to accept either of these crowns. The white one meant that I should persevere in purity, and the red that I should become a martyr. I said that I would accept them both.” (Maximilian Kolbe)
Maximilian established monasteries within Poland, including in Warsaw, as attempt to promote the immaculate Virgin Mary, a key figure of inspiration for him. He was inspired by the dedication to serve the Lord, as Mary had done on many occasions throughout her life, and therefore aspired to act in every possible way alike to her in life. In 1930, Kolbe left Poland for Japan, in an attempt to preach the word of God to a wider range of peoples. The monastery at Niepokalanow began in his absence to publish the daily newspaper, Mały Dziennik, which became Poland's top-seller. Within his life, Maximilian advocated for racial equality, a concept not a possibility within Nazi Germany during the Second World War. Kolbe’s avocation of equality led to claims of breaking anti-Semitism. His claims were dangerous and self-sacrificing, with good and moral intentions.
Within the 1930’s, Kolbe spent a substantial amount of time in Japan, preaching and establishing monasteries, seminaries and a Japanese newspaper. When the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Kolbe's monastery was saved because the other side of the mountain took the main force of the blast. Germany invaded Poland during WWII, and aimed at slaughtering the lives of countless Jews, all for the benefit of the Arian race. Kolbe acted as a shield and protector for the innocent, sheltering thousands of refugees from Nazi grasp. The importance of the situation was that more than 2000 were Jewish, meaning that Kolbe, despite full knowledge, broke the Law for the benefit of human life and morality. Kolbe was arrested by the German Gestapo who did not permit his actions of morality. On 17 February 1941, he was arrested by the German Gestapo and imprisoned in the Pawiak prison. On 28 May, he was transferred to Auschwitz as prisoner #16670, a number which carries significance today because of Kolbe’s sacrifice.
Despite knowledge of his heavy sentence in prison, Kolbe would celebrate mass with the prisoners each day and sing hymns in glory to God the father. He acted as an inspiration to those who were near the end of their lives, promising prisoners that soon that would join the blessed mother Mary in heaven. At the end of July 1941, three prisoners disappeared from the camp, prompting SS-Hauptsturmführer Karl Fritzsch, the deputy camp commander, to pick 10 men to be starved to death in an underground bunker in order to deter further escape attempts.
·One of the men who was chosen, named Franciszek Gajowniczek, cried out, "My wife! My children!" Kolbe volunteered to take his place. After two weeks, Kolbe was the sole surviving prisoner, a testament to his extreme faith.With no more time allowance, Kolbe was lethally injected, to which he complied to without struggle. Witnesses state that he raised his left arm and was peaceful in his final moments, something that normal humans would consider abnormal, to display no struggle.
As a child, Maximilian claimed to have a vision of the immaculate Virgin Mary. The following is an extract from his biographies, in which he describes the event
“That night, I asked the Mother of God what was to become of me, a Child of Faith. Then she came to me holding two crowns, one white, the other red. She asked me if I was willing to accept either of these crowns. The white one meant that I should persevere in purity, and the red that I should become a martyr. I said that I would accept them both.” (Maximilian Kolbe)
Maximilian established monasteries within Poland, including in Warsaw, as attempt to promote the immaculate Virgin Mary, a key figure of inspiration for him. He was inspired by the dedication to serve the Lord, as Mary had done on many occasions throughout her life, and therefore aspired to act in every possible way alike to her in life. In 1930, Kolbe left Poland for Japan, in an attempt to preach the word of God to a wider range of peoples. The monastery at Niepokalanow began in his absence to publish the daily newspaper, Mały Dziennik, which became Poland's top-seller. Within his life, Maximilian advocated for racial equality, a concept not a possibility within Nazi Germany during the Second World War. Kolbe’s avocation of equality led to claims of breaking anti-Semitism. His claims were dangerous and self-sacrificing, with good and moral intentions.
Within the 1930’s, Kolbe spent a substantial amount of time in Japan, preaching and establishing monasteries, seminaries and a Japanese newspaper. When the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Kolbe's monastery was saved because the other side of the mountain took the main force of the blast. Germany invaded Poland during WWII, and aimed at slaughtering the lives of countless Jews, all for the benefit of the Arian race. Kolbe acted as a shield and protector for the innocent, sheltering thousands of refugees from Nazi grasp. The importance of the situation was that more than 2000 were Jewish, meaning that Kolbe, despite full knowledge, broke the Law for the benefit of human life and morality. Kolbe was arrested by the German Gestapo who did not permit his actions of morality. On 17 February 1941, he was arrested by the German Gestapo and imprisoned in the Pawiak prison. On 28 May, he was transferred to Auschwitz as prisoner #16670, a number which carries significance today because of Kolbe’s sacrifice.
Despite knowledge of his heavy sentence in prison, Kolbe would celebrate mass with the prisoners each day and sing hymns in glory to God the father. He acted as an inspiration to those who were near the end of their lives, promising prisoners that soon that would join the blessed mother Mary in heaven. At the end of July 1941, three prisoners disappeared from the camp, prompting SS-Hauptsturmführer Karl Fritzsch, the deputy camp commander, to pick 10 men to be starved to death in an underground bunker in order to deter further escape attempts.
·One of the men who was chosen, named Franciszek Gajowniczek, cried out, "My wife! My children!" Kolbe volunteered to take his place. After two weeks, Kolbe was the sole surviving prisoner, a testament to his extreme faith.With no more time allowance, Kolbe was lethally injected, to which he complied to without struggle. Witnesses state that he raised his left arm and was peaceful in his final moments, something that normal humans would consider abnormal, to display no struggle.