Last month, we commemorated the 80th anniversary of the martyrdom of Father Maximilian Maria Kolbe, a Polish Franciscan priest martyred by Nazis during World War II. His life offers a unique testimony of human strength in the times of the greatest cataclysm in the history of mankind. On Jan. 8, 1894, in a humble family, Father Maximilian was born as Rajmund Maria Kolbe in Zduńska Wola, Poland. He was a child of faith early in life. In 1906 young Kolbe had a vision of the Virgin Mary. As he explained later: “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 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.”
St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe — a Martyred Giant for God| National Catholic Register
St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe — a Martyred Giant for God| National Catholic Register
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