St. Maximilian Kolbe: Martyr of Charity

The Nazi concentration camps of World War II were indescribably horrific, and many of the prisoners lost hope: of being rescued, of surviving, of finding any good in mankind.

But in spite of all the darkness, there were witnesses of love and compassion. The sacrifice of St. Maximilian Kolbe echoes through time as one of the most famous examples.

When the Nazis sought retribution for a prisoner who went missing in Auschwitz, they selected several prisoners to be starved to death. This group included a man who pleaded to be spared, crying that he was a husband and father and needed to live for his family. St. Kolbe stepped forward, offering to take the place of this man, to which the Nazis agreed.

Several years ago I visited Auschwitz (Oswiecim, Poland), and part of the tour included a visit to the infamous Block 11, which held Nazi prisoners and those undergoing punishment. It was here that St. Kolbe was dehydrated and starved for two weeks before receiving a lethal injection of carbolic acid.

Inside his cell, there are decorations honoring St. Kolbe: flowers, candles, and a plaque referencing his sacrifice.

St. Kolbe was zealous for spreading the Catholic Faith as well as for devotion to Our Lady. He even founded a monastery called the Garden of the Immaculate (Mugenzai no Sono) on the slopes of Mount Hiko in Nagasaki, Japan.

People thought he was crazy for building on the steep ground sloping away from the city. But Divine Providence revealed the wisdom in his choice almost four years to the day after St. Kolbe’s martyrdom. When the United States bombed Nagasaki the monastery suffered minimal damage and all inside were safe.

When he was just a young boy, St. Kolbe had a vision of Our Lady asking that he pick one of the two crowns she offered to him: the white crown of purity or the red crown of martyrdom. With the enthusiasm of a child, he said, “I choose both!”

As a celibate Franciscan priest, he wore the white crown of purity; on August 14, 1941, in Auschwitz, he received the red crown of martyrdom. His remains were cremated the following day, on the glorious Marian feast of the Assumption.

In a letter to Fr. Konstanty Onoszko, St. Kolbe wrote these powerful words:

"Without sacrifice there is no love. Sacrifice the senses, taste, hearing, and above all, the mind and the will in holy obedience. I wish for you and for myself the best appreciation of sacrifice, which is the unconditional willingness to sacrifice."

Let us imitate St. Maximilian Kolbe in his acceptance of suffering and his trust in Divine Providence.