Militia of the Immaculata: M.I. Canada
  • Week 52 - HOMILY AT THE CANONIZATION OF ST. MAXIMILIAN MARY KOLBE
  • Week 51 - A Holocaust of Sacrifice
  • Week 50 The Tree of Life
  • Week 49 The Other Nine
  • Week 48 I Am A Catholic Priest
  • Week 47 - Francis Gajowinczek
  • Week 46 - The Holy Spirit and the Immaculate Conception
  • Week 45 - The foolishness of following Jesus
  • Week 44 - The Role of Christians and Humanity in the Holocaust
  • Week 43 - God and the Holocaust
  • Week 42 - Why does God not intervene?
  • Week 41 - The Garden of Auschwitz
  • Week 40 - The Shoah
  • Week 39 - Hannah Arendt
  • Week 38 - Adolf Eichmann
  • Week 37 - The Banality of Evil
  • Week 36 - Kolbe and Antisemitism
  • Week 35 - Did Hitler Win
  • Week 34 - Ashes to Ashes
  • Week 31 - Kolbe in Auschwitz Part 1
  • Week 30 - Auschwitz
  • Week 29 - Pawiak Prison
  • Week 28 - Work makes free
  • Week 27 - The Final Solution
  • Week 26 - From Nurnberg to Auschwitz
  • Week 25 - The Roots of Anti Semitism
  • Week 24 - Cain and Abel
  • Week 23 - Blessed are ye
  • Week 22 - Blessed are the peace makers
  • Week 21 Blessed are the pure in heart
  • Week 20 Blessed are the merciful
  • Week 19 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for holiness
  • Week 18 - Blessed are the Meek, for they shall inherit the earth
  • Week 17 - Blessed are those who mourn
  • Week 16 - Blessed are the Poor in Spirit
  • Week 15 Missionary in Japan
  • Week 14 Niepekalanow
  • Week 13 The Martyrdom of Self Reliance
  • Week 12 Martyrdom of Disunity
  • Week 11 - The Martyrdom of Work
  • Week 10 - The Colosseum
  • Week 9 Persecution of the Church
  • Week 8 - The Founding of the Militia of the Immaculata
  • Week 7 - Martyrdom of Health
  • Week 6 - The Martyrdom of Obedience
  • Week 5 - Growing up
  • Week 4 - The Martyrdom of Leaving Home
  • Week 3 - Two Crowns.
  • Week 2 - The Martyrdom of Country
  • Week 1 - Accepting daily crosses

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« Week 30 – Auschwitz
Week 34 – Ashes to Ashes »

Week 31 – Kolbe in Auschwitz Part 1

The 75th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of St. Maximilian Kolbe
Week 31
Kolbe in Auschwitz Pt. 1

On May 28, 1941 the prisoners from Pawiak prison were transported to Auschwitz.
Stuffed into a windowless car, the crowding made the atmosphere almost impossible to breath
along with the knowledge they were going to a concentration camp filled everyone with despair
and depression.
Until someone started singing.
It was Maximilian.
By his religious and patriotic songs their spirits were lifted.
After his arrival, Maximilian and the others were locked up for the night.
The next morning they were taken to the icy showers, given their prison uniforms and their
heads were shaved and Maximilian was given the number 16670 and assigned to cell block 18.
At the time there were no bunks. The prisoners slept on bagged straw on the floor.
One prisoner recalls how Maximilian knelt at night and prayed which risked beatings because
prayer was strictly forbidden.
Priests were hated as much as the Jews and treated the same.
One day was especially dreadful for Kolbe. The capo selected him to be the day’s special victim.
Maximilian was loaded with the heaviest branches and then ordered to run. He fell and was
repeatedly kicked in the face and stomach. He was then ordered to lie across a stump where
he was given 50 lashes. Afterwards Maximilian could not even move, so the capo threw him into
the mud and piled the sticks on top of him. Maximilian had to be carried back to the camp and
taken to the camp’s hospital.
To all of his suffering, Maximilian told the other prisoners,
“Let us offer all of the suffering for the Mother of God. Let them see that we are her servants. ”
Prayer : Lord Jesus, help me to carry the branches of the cross with Courage and Faith, united
with the Immaculata who walked beside you as you carried your cross.
Meditations and questions :
1. What crosses have I carried this week?
2. How did I carry them?
3. Who around me carried crosses?
4. How did I help them to carry their cross?
5. How did others help me carry my cross?

 

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 9th, 2016 at 10:08 am and is filed under Fr. Patrick’s reflections on St Maximilian. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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