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Teaching the Holocaust and other Genocides
 
Created in collaboration with the Holocaust & Human Rights Center, the NYS Education Department, and the NYS Archives Partnership Trust.

Maximilian Kolbe

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Early Life

Raymond Kolbe (upon entering the religious life he assumed the name Maximilian) was born in Zdunska Wola, Poland in January 1894. After religious training in Poland, Kolbe traveled to Rome to complete his theological studies. During his stay in Rome, he and six other students organized a religious group which they called the Militia of Mary Immaculate or the Knights of the Immaculata. Members of this group consecrated their lives to Mary Immaculate and the teachings of the Catholic Church. Their energies were aimed at working for the salvation of all souls, especially those who were bitter enemies of the church, such as Freemasons and Communists.

In 1919, Father Kolbe returned to his native Poland where he spread the message of the new religious order. During the 1920s and 1930s, the Knights of the Immaculata gained strength, numbers, and influence. In 1927, a parcel of land was donated to the group to set up a religious community which was called Niepokalanow (“the City of the Immaculata”). By 1930, the religious community's population totaled 772 friars and students. Relying on the power of the press, the Knights of the Immaculata published several newspapers and magazines in Polish and Latin with a widespread circulation among Catholic clergy and laity. Between 1930–36, Father Kolbe spent much of his time traveling in the East Asia, especially in Japan, where he spread the teachings of his religious order. Through his efforts, a religious community like Niepokalanow was set up in Nagasaki, Japan. In 1936, Father Kolbe returned to Poland.

WWII- Arrest and Imprisonment

Shortly after the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, Father Kolbe was arrested by the Nazi authorities. He was released on November 9, 1939, after spending some time in a prison in Germany and in a detention camp in Poland. On February 17, 1941, Father Kolbe was again arrested by the Germans. Although he was never formally charged with a crime, we can surmise that he was included among the members of the Polish civil, religious, and cultural elite who were fated to die because of their potential power to muster opposition in Germany to occupation forces.

After spending three months in the Pawiak Prison in Warsaw, Father Kolbe was transferred to Auschwitz. At Auschwitz, Father Kolbe was assigned to a Polish prisoner's barracks in the main camp. Never very physically healthy, Father Kolbe slowly began to succumb to the harsh conditions of the concentration camp. Polish survivors who were imprisoned with him recall how Father Kolbe served as a source of spiritual strength for his imprisoned compatriots.

Sometime at the end of July 1941, the prison guards discovered that a prisoner from Block 14, Father Kolbe’s barracks, had escaped. As punishment for the escape, 10 prisoners were randomly selected for execution. Among the prisoners selected was a Polish army sergeant, Francis Gajowniczek [Prisoner 5659].

When Gajowniczek learned of his fate, he screamed out, “My poor wife, my poor children, what will happen to my family!” Dr. Nicetus Francis Wlodarski, a witness to the choice, recounted, “After the selection of 10 prisoners, Father Maximilian slipped out of line, took off his cap, and placed himself before the commandant. Astounded, Fritsch (Lager Fuehrer Captain Fritsch) asked him- ‘What does this Polish pig want?’ Father Maximilian pointed with his hand to the condemned Gajowniczek and replied: ‘I am a Catholic priest from Poland; I would like to take his place, because he has a wife and children.’ Astonished, the commandant appeared unable to speak. After a moment he gave a sign with the hand. He spoke but one word: ‘Away!’ Gajowniczek received the command to return to the row he had just left. In this manner Father Maximilian took the place of the condemned man.”

Father Kolbe and the nine other condemned men were taken to Block 11 or as it was commonly called by the inmates of Auschwitz, “the Block of Death.” Their fate was to slowly die from starvation.

Bruno Borgowiec, a Polish inmate who served as one of the camp’s undertakers, recalled the last days of Father Kolbe:

…From this death cell we heard daily prayers spoken with strong voices, the rosary and religious hymns. Prisoners in other cells also joined in. In the moments when the guard was absent, I descended to the lower bunker to converse with my suffering companions and to console them… Father Maximilian began, and the others answered. Sometimes they were so absorbed in prayer that they failed to note the entrance of the guard; they became quiet at their shouts. Often at the opening of the doors the unfortunates cried and begged for a piece of bread and a sip of water. Even this was refused them… Father Maximilian’s death was heroic. He did not whine, neither did he murmur. He encouraged and comforted the others. As all were already very much weakened by the long time, the prayers could only be whispered. At each visit Father Maximilian was still standing or kneeling in the middle of the cell and looking calmly at those entering.

On August 14, after almost two weeks of starvation, Father Kolbe was injected with a lethal dose of poison. Death followed at once. Gajowniczek died on March 13, 1995, at the age of 93, fifty-three years after Kolbe had saved his life.  He was buried at Niepokalanów, the religious community founded by Maximilian Kolbe.

Maximilian Kolbe was canonized as a saint by Pope John Paul II on October 10, 1982, and is recognized as a martyr of charity.

Painting of St. Maximillian Kolbe
Saint Maximillian Kolbe, 1976

Discussion Questions

  1.  What was the purpose of the "Militia of the Immaculate," and how did it reflect Kolbe’s spirituality?
  2. How did Kolbe use modern media, such as publications, to spread his religious message?
  3. How did his work in Japan prove his adaptability and commitment to spreading the message of faith across cultures?
  4. What events led to Maximilian Kolbe’s arrest by the Nazis?
  5. How did Kolbe’s actions at Auschwitz exemplify his commitment to Christian charity and self-sacrifice?
  6. What is the significance of Kolbe volunteering to die in place of Franciszek Gajowniczek?
  7. How did Kolbe keep his faith and inspire others in the face of immense suffering in Auschwitz?
  8. In what ways does Kolbe’s life challenge or inspire individuals today, particularly in terms of self-sacrifice and standing against injustice?

 

 

Source

Warren Green. “40th Anniversary of Death of Father Kolbe, Martyr of Auschwitz, to be Noted Here.” St. Louis Jewish Light, August 12, 1981, p. 5. Excerpted by permission, St. Louis Jewish Light, © 1984; all rights reserved. Reprinted as “Blessed Maximilian Kolbe: Martyr of Auschwitz,” in Teaching About the Holocaust and Genocide, Human Rights Series, vol. 2 (Albany, New York: University of the State of New York, State Education Department, Bureau of Curriculum and Development, 1985), 280.