St. Maximilian Kolbe
Biography
Made By
Paul Russell, Rachel Dierken, Brady Petrando
Rajmond was born in Zduńska Wola, Poland on January 8th, 1894. As a kid he was mischievous but when his mother scolded him once he changed. After being yelled at he prayed to Mary and in his dream he was faced with a decision. Mother Mary held out two crowns, one red and one white asking if he would accept either of them and he accepted both. The red crown meant he would be a martyr and the white meant he would persevere in purity. From then on as a kid he believed he would die a martyr. Eventually, as he grew up he joined the Franciscans. After taking his first set of vows he changed his name to Maximilian (Maksymilian in Polish). He waged a spiritual war against freemasons forming the Militia of Mary Immaculate. Freemasons were people who believed in not just God but other gods from other religions. He converted freemasons into Christians. During this period in time he may have also been preparing for martyrdom. Soon, His health Began to decline and World War II started.
Kolbe did lot things in his life time to help others. Kolbe founded the sodality of the Militia of Mary Immaculate in 1917. In the year 1918 was officially ordained a priest. In 1927 founded the City of Mary Immaculate, a religious center. He also later founded sister institutions in Japan and India. For his anti-Nazism he was arrested by the Gestapo in 1939; released, he was again arrested in February 1941 on charges of aiding Jews and the Polish underground. Then a man from his barrack escaped he got the Germans mad so they said they would kill 10 people in his barrack. One of the men that was picked yelled out no I have a wife and kids so Kolbe said he would take his place. The Germans starved the men but only two died. During the starvation the pope during the time visited him. After only two men died they decided to inject drugs in them.
Some things you should now about Maximillian Kolbe are he is the patron of families, drug addicts, prisoners, journalist, and pro - life movement. Maximillian was imprisoned and was beaten a lot and had terrible jobs. After Kolbe’s canonization St. Maximillian Kolbe feast day was included in the general Roman calendar. People benefited from his existence by praying and starting new jobs such as becoming a priest and starting a church. We celebrate Maximilian Kolbe by the feast of the assumption of our lady. In the 20th century martyrs from all across the world came to see a statue of the man who assassinated Maximilian. During his time in jail he sang and prayed songs to the people in jail. He went to college in Rome. Kolbe and his brother illegally crossed the border from Russia to Austria-Hungary. He went to Krakow for college. In 1918 Kolbe was ordained a priest.
Bibliography
"Life of St. Maximilian Kolbe." Life of St. Maximilian Kolbe. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2014. <http://www.piercedhearts.org/theology_heart/life_saints/max_kolbe.htm>.
"Maximilian Kolbe." Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Kolbe.html>.
"Maximilian Kolbe." Maximilian Kolbe. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://www.marypages.com/KolbeEng.htm>.
"Maximilian Kolbe." The Catholic Company - Search Results for Maxmilian Kolbe. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2014. <http://search.catholiccompany.com/search?w=maxmilian+kolbe>.
"Saint Maksymilian Maria Kolbe (Polish Martyr)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2014. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/321340/Saint-Maksymilian-Maria-Kolbe>.