(January 8, 1894–August 14, 1941), also known as Maksymilian or Massimiliano Maria Kolbe. Born as Rajmund Kolbe, was a Polish Conventual Franciscan friar who volunteered to die in place of a stranger in the German concentration camp at Auschwitz.In order to discourage escapes, the camp had a rule that if a man escaped, ten men would be killed in retaliation. In July 1941 a man from Kolbe's bunker escaped. The remaining men of the bunker were led out and ten were selected, including a Sergeant Francis Gajowniczek. When he uttered a cry of dismay, Maximilian stepped forward and said, "I am a Catholic priest. Let me take his place. I am old. He has a wife and children." The officer had more use for a young worker than for an old one, and was happy to make the exchange. The ten men were placed in a large cell and left there to starve. Maximilian encouraged the others with prayers, psalms, and meditations on the Passion of Christ. After two weeks, only four were alive, and only Maximilian was fully conscious. The four were killed with injections of carbolic acid on 14 August 1941.
Propers for Maximilian Kolbe - Friar and Martyr
The Collect.
Most loving Father, whose Son Jesus Christ came to give his life as a ransom for many: Grant to us the grace, as thou didst grant to thy servant Maximilian Kolbe, to be always ready to come to the aid of those in need or distress, not counting the cost; that so we may follow in the footsteps of the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The Epistle - 2 Esdras 2:42-48.
The Gospel - St. Matthew 10:16-22.
Reference and Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximilian_Kolbe
http://elvis.rowan.edu/~kilroy/JEK/08/14.html
http://www.monasteryicons.com/monasteryicons/Icons-of-Saints-of-the-East-amp-West_M15/Item_St-Maximilian-Kolbe_389_ps_cti-M15.html
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"Nazi" was neither a country nor a nationality; it is a nebulous term which is used to disguise the identity of the perpetrators. For the benefit of readers not well versed in World War Two history, please make it clear that the concentration camps were German camps in occupied Poland, especially since Polish Christians were the second largest group of victims.
ReplyDeleteWhat Kolbe did was amazing.
ReplyDeleteCan I ask you to use clear wording when it comes to the crimes. The Germans have been written out and Poland is not occupied. Those without the necessary knowledge could wrong believe the crimes committed at Auschwitz were by Poles. Please change the article to read Nazi German concentration camp of Auschwitz in occupied Poland
Can I ask why my comment has not been posted? It read: Can I ask you to use clear wording when it comes to the crimes. The Germans have been written out and Poland is not occupied. Those without the necessary knowledge could wrong believe the crimes committed at Auschwitz were by Poles. Please change the article to read Nazi German concentration camp of Auschwitz in occupied Poland
ReplyDeleteHere is what others have said about such mistakes:
Simon Wiesenthal Center after made a similar mistake: Lest anyone infer from the use of that term that these camps of mass murder were established, sponsored or run by the Polish authorities, we want to hereby clearly state that they were built and run by the Nazi occupation authorities in Poland and not by the Poles.
Labour (UK's second largest political party) Friends of Poland: It is more than 60 years since World War Two has ended. Newer generations do not have a clear idea about what role Poland played in that war. It is worth reminding them that Poland was the only country apart from Britain to fight Nazi Germany from the very beginning of the War right up to its end, that more than 3 million Polish Jews and more than 3 million Polish Christians perished under the Nazi occupation (many in those same death camps and concentration camps such as Auschwitz, Belzec and Treblinka which UK journalists and commentators still refer to as "Polish"), and that Poland's capital city Warsaw, as well as much if its infrastructure and industry, were levelled to the ground at Hitler's orders. Yet when young British people read articles or learn lessons today about "Poland's" or "Polish concentration camps" they could conclude wrongly that these camps were in some way either, set up, or staffed, or administered, by Poles. In this way the Polish nation would be seen by implication as being responsible for the Holocaust. It was not.
Dr. Laurence Weinbaum (World Jewish Congress and a historian specializing in Polish-Jewish relations): It is an interesting reflection on the success of Germany’s post-war foreign policy that the world has become accustomed to referring to “Nazis” in place of “Germans” – and that in place of “Nazi German” we now find “Polish Nazi”. One can only wonder whether successive generations will associate the Holocaust with the Germans – and the first attempt to stem the German onslaught with the Poles.
Mr. Ted Opitz (Etobicoke Centre, Canadian MP): This is not the first time this erroneous phrase has been used. Canada has been clear in our support for the UNESCO designation of Auschwitz as Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Nazi German concentration and extermination camp.
Rabbi Byron Sherwin (Author): the Poles all but replace the Germans as the perpetrators of the Holocaust, as the archenemies of the Jews throughout the thousand-year Jewish presence in Poland.
Henryk Świebocki (Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum curator): I do not dare to suspect you of making a suggestion that Poles are, to a certain degree, responsible for Auschwitz, and “The government in Warsaw wants […] make clear that Poland had no involvement in the death camp”
Please correct the article to say it was a German camp in occupied Poland.
Why are you reticent about naming the perpetrators? A religious publication should promote the truth! Phrases such as "in Poland" are misleading. Please take the concerns of Polish people into account. You could at least publish my previous comment.
ReplyDelete