To win the entire world for the Immaculata and, through her, for the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.”

St. Maximilian Kolbe

St. Maximilian Kolbe was born Raymund Kolbe in Poland on January 8th, 1894. Poland at this time was part of the Russian Empire. His father was a weaver and mother was a midwife. At age 12, Kolbe was given a vision of Our Lady. He wrote this: 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.

In 1914, he professed his final vows and St. Maximilian Kolbe became a Polish Franciscan priest. During the German occupation of Poland, he remained in a monastery where he helped to hide 3,000 Polish refugees. During his time there, the monastery published a number of anti-Nazi publicaitons, which led to his arrest in 1941. He was sent to Auschwitz, where, in the horrifying conditions, he continued to minister as a priest and offered solace to fellow inmates. One day, when the Nazi guards selected ten people to be starved to death as a punishment, Saint Maximilian volunteered to die in the place of a stranger who had cried out for his wife and children. This man, whose place Saint Maximilian took in the starvation chamber, would later attend his canonization in 1982. Saint Maximilian had a deep devotion to the Blessed Mother.

*Information gathered from the Hallow app & the Intercede app.

Click on the words: Militia of the Immaculata to view a short, (but beautiful!) video on St. Maximilian and the Militia of the Immaculata.

O Immaculata, Queen of Heaven and earth, refuge of sinners and our most loving Mother, God has willed to entrust the entire order of mercy to you. I, a repentant sinner, cast myself at your feet, humbly imploring you to take me with all that I am and have, wholly to yourself as your possession and property. Please make of me, of all my powers of soul and body, of my whole life, death, and eternity, whatever most pleases you. If it pleases you, use all that I am and have without reserve, wholly to accomplish what was said of you: She will crush your head, and you alone have destroyed all heresies in the world. Let me be a fit instrument in your immaculate and merciful hands for introducing and increasing your glory to the maximum in all the many strayed and indifferent souls, and thus help extend as far as possible the blessed kingdom of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. For wherever you enter, you obtain the grace of conversion and growth in holiness, since it is through your hands that all graces come to us from the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Allow me to praise you, O Sacred Virgin. Give me strength against your enemies. Amen.

St. Maximilian Kolbe

Lord Jesus Christ, who said, greater love than this no man has that a man lay down his life for his friends, through the intercession of St Maximilian Kolbe who life illustrated such love, we beseech you to grant us our petitions. For the Grace to Love Our Lady and Fellow Man as generously as St. Kolbe did and : (state petitions here.) Through the Militia Immaculata movement, which Maximilian founded he spread a fervent devotion to Our Lady throughout the world. He gave up his life for a total stranger and loved his persecutors, giving us an example of unselfish love for all men, a love that was inspired by true devotion to Mary. Grant, O Lord Jesus, that we too may give ourselves entirely without reserve to the love and service of our Heavenly Queen in order to better love and serve our fellowman in imitation of your humble servant, Maximilian. Amen.

Saint Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us!

hugs n’ blessings for a life devoted to serving one another!