MEMORIAL: AUGUST 14
St. Maximilian Kolbe was born Raymund Kolbe in 1894. Born in Poland, Kolbe had an apparition from the Virgin Mary at the age of 10. She offered him two crowns, one red for martyrdom or a white one for purity. Kolbe chose both. He entered seminary at 16 and was sent to Rome for his studies. He started the Militia Immaculata and became a ‘knight’ for Mary. When he returned to Poland ordained a priest, he started a monthly magazine “Knight of the Immaculata.” The success of the magazine helped him form a new monastery that rapidly grew in its first 12 years. The monastery not only grew in holiness, but also became one of the largest Catholic publishing centers in the world.
When the Nazis invaded Poland, Kolbe was arrested and sent to Auschwitz. When a prisoner with a family was chosen to die, Kolbe volunteered to take his place to die with 9 others. For 14 days, Kolbe endured starvation until he was the last remaining. He died by lethal injection on the vigil of the Assumption of Mary. He was canonized in 1982 with the man who he died for in attendance in Rome. He is the patron saint of mass communication and drug addicts.
