Eighty-five years after his sacrifice, the voice of the Polish Franciscan friar still resonates with remarkable relevance: “Hatred is useless… Love alone creates.” Saint Maximilian Kolbe, who founded the Militia of the Immaculata in 1917, lived through the turmoil of the first half of the 20th century, leaving an indelible mark on the history of the Church, which canonized him in 1982. His witness reminds us that even in the deepest darkness, we are always free to choose love.
In July 1941, after a prisoner escaped, the Nazis ordered the execution of ten inmates in retaliation, condemning them to die in the so-called "starvation bunker." One of those selected, Franciszek Gajowniczek, broke down in tears at the thought of his wife and children. In an act of extraordinary and heroic charity, Father Kolbe stepped forward and voluntarily offered to die in his place.
For two weeks in the "starvation bunker," Kolbe continued to comfort and pray with his fellow prisoners until August 14, 1941, the eve of the Feast of the Assumption, when he was killed by a lethal injection of carbolic acid. His final words—to his executioner – were words of love and forgiveness: “Hail Mary.”
© Saint Maximilian Kolbe – Archive of Messenger of Saint Anthony