St. Maximilian Kolbe

St. Maximilian Kolbe, is a Polish saint, who was a Conventual Franciscan friar and a martyr in Auschwitz during World War II. St. Maximilian Kolbe was extremely active in promoting the Immaculate Virgin Mary. He is known as an Apostle of Consecration to Mary. He had a vision of Mary when he was only 12 years of age. He said "That night I asked the Mother of God what was to become of me. Then she came to me holding two crowns, one white, the other red. She asked me if I was willing to accept either of these crowns. The white one meant that I should persevere in purity, and the red that I should become a martyr. I said that I would accept them both." He dedicated his entire life working for the conversion of sinners and people who did not like the Church, he would do this with the intercession of Mary. He had founded monasteries in India and Japan. During WW2 he refused to sign a document that would classify him as a German Citizen to keep him safe, and he continued to work in the monastery where he hid more then 2000 Jews from the threat of German persecution. The monastery was eventually shut down and he was arrested and taken to Pawiak prison. Three months later he was transferred from Pawiak prison to Auschwitz where he died by a lethal injection of Carbolic acid. Throughout all of the suffering that St. Maximilian Kolbe had to endure, he continued to lead other people such as prisoners in prayer to Mother Mary and St. Maximilian Kolbe also remained calm in times of uncertainty or persecution so that he could be a light, help others, comfort others and spread the Lords mercy and love.

St. Maximilian Kolbe was beatified as a "Confessor of the Faith" on October 17, 1971. However, Saint John Paul II later declared Kolbe not a confessor, but a martyr. His feast day is August 14th.