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.