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 St. Maximilian Kolbe 75th Anniversary of Death Scott 1630 (2016) August 14 marks the feast day for Saint Maximilian Kolbe. As was St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, who feast was celebrated on August 9, Maximilian Kolbe was martyred at the Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland. Kolbe (1894-1941) was a Polish priest, born at Zdunska Wola, part of the Russian partition of Poland. His was a family of devout Catholics; his parents were to became Franciscan tertiaries. In 1914, Kolbe’s father joined Polish patriots headed by Pilsudski and was hanged as a traitor by the Russians. Maximilian had a strong devotion to the Blessed Mother, and he studied in Rome, where he was ordained. Upon his return to Poland, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis, but went on to found a magazine focused on Catholic apologetics and was active in other publishing ventures while still affected by his illness. He founded a Franciscan community in Warsaw which, David Farmer describes: combined prayer with cheerfulness and poverty with modern technology: daily as well as weekly newspapers were now produced.He also founded a Franciscan community in Japan. With the 1939 invasion of Poland, Kolbe dissolved his Franciscan community, which the Nazis turned into a refugee camp for 3,000 Poles and 1,500 Jews. Kolbe and four companions were transferred to Auschwitz in May 1941, which was both a labor and death camp. He heard confessions when possible and smuggled in wine and bread for the Eucharist. David Farmer writes Kolbe: was conspicuous for sympathy and compassion towards those even more unfortunate than himself.When a group of prisoners escaped, some of the remaining prisoners were selected at random by the guards for death by starvation. Kolbe volunteered to die in the place of another man who had a family. Confined to Cell 18, Kolbe and others prepared to die with dignity following the example of Christ’s passion. After two weeks, only Kolbe survived. He was injected with phenol and died on 14 August 1941, at the age of 47. Kolbe was beatified in 1971 and canonized as a martyr to charity by Pope John Paul II, formerly the Archbishop of Krakow, the diocese which includes Auschwitz. The Polish solider whose life was spared by Kolbe was present at the canonization. Cell 18 may be visited by visitors to Auschwitz where a memorial, in part recalling John Paul II’s visit, is on display. A connected adjacent courtyard includes the wall against which other Auschwitz prisoners were shot. This coming September, a new movie telling the story of St. Maximilian Kolbe, entitled Triumph of the Heart, is due to be released. Click to go to the movie's website, which includes a short trailer remembering the passion of this 20th century martyr and saint. 
 St. Maximilian Kolbe 75th Anniversary of Death Vatican City 2016 Postal Card In addition to the stamp shown at the top of the article, the 2016 postal card for Vatican City remembers Saint Maximilian Kolbe. Milanese artist Marco Ventura designed the €1,00 stamp and the €2,30 postal card to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Kolbe's death. Kolbe is depicted on the stamp preaching to a diverse group of people, including a German soldier. A palm branch, a symbol of sacrifice, is included in the design. A black and white version of the stamp is represented as the postal indicium. A total of 150,000 stamps were printed in sheets of ten, as well as 13,000 postal cards. REFERENCES: |
