Saint Maximilian Kolbe

Zdunska Wola, Poland · 1894-1941

The Marian saint who dedicated his life to the Virgin Mary and died in Auschwitz.

His life

Maximilian Maria Kolbe was born on January 8, 1894, in Zdunska Wola, Poland. At the age of 16, he entered the Franciscan order and took the name Maximilian Maria.

Her Marian devotion

He founded the "Militia Immaculatae" (Militia of the Immaculate) in 1917, an organization dedicated to the conversion of the world through the Virgin Mary. He founded monasteries in Poland, Japan, and India.

His martyrdom

In 1941, he was arrested by the Nazis and sent to Auschwitz. When a prisoner with a family was sentenced to death, Kolbe offered to die in his place. He died on August 14, 1941, injected with carbolic acid.

His canonization

He was canonized by Pope John Paul II on October 10, 1982. He is the patron saint of addicts, political prisoners, and the media.