He started a Militia with only 6 men. They stated they were the soldiers of Mary, Warrior Knights under Her command, ready to fight and ready to die for the Greater Glory of their Queen. They were destined to spearhead the WAR against the revolutionaries.
“Try to turn to [the Immaculata], like a child to his beloved and most tender Mother, even if just by calling her holy name, ‘Mary,’ with lips or with your heart, in the difficulties of life, when you are in darkness and in your spiritual weaknesses, and you alone will suffice to convince yourself how much Mary is powerful and who her Son, Jesus Christ, is.” St. Maximilian Kolbe
BORN:1894
Raymund Kolbe was born in Poland on the 8th January 1894. At this time, Poland was occupied by Russia and was part of the Russian empire.
His parents were poor weavers, making clothes for a living and selling them to Jewish merchants.
His mother was Polish, and very holy. In her younger years, she had wished to enter a convent but was unable to pay the dowry because of their poverty. So she followed the vocation of marriage but she asked God to send her a husband who did not swear of drink alcohol in the taverns. God granted her this grace and she was sent a good, holy man. His parents had 5 sons, but 2 died at an early age and 3 survived.
His father was an ethnic German, who fought against the Russian occupation of Poland. Raymund also had this same fighting, warrior-spirit.
CHILDHOOD
Raymund grew up feeling drawn to the military life and wanted to become a soldier. He had a great mind for mathematics, physics and the sciences. For homework projects he drew aircrafts and even designed a strategy for conquering Warsaw from the Russians.Raymund developed a strong faith from an early age and would later recall a childhood vision of the Virgin Mary. One day his father said to him “What will become of you?”. Raymund was upset by this and went to the church to pray. There he had a vision of Our Lady who offered him 2 crowns, the crown of purity and the crown of martyrdom. He chose to take both!
At the age of 13, Raymund and his elder brother felt a calling from God to enrol in the order of the Conventual Franciscans. The seminary was in the town of Lwow which was over the border in the Austrian-Hungarian empire, so Raymund and his brother had to illegally cross the border without being caught by the Russians border patrols.
At the age of 16 years, Raymond was admitted as an initiate of the Conventual Franciscans. When he was 20 years old, his father was captured by the Russians and hanged for his part in fighting for an independent Poland. In this same year, Raymund took his final vows as a Franciscan monk and the took the name of Maximilian Mary Kolbe.
After a short period in Krakow, Poland, Maximilian went to study in Rome. He successfully gained a doctorate in philosophy at the Pontifical Gregorian University.
In 1919, Maximilian successfully gained a doctorate of theology from the University of Saint Bonaventure. After completing his studies, he was ordained a priest and became known as Father Maximilian Mary Kolbe.
Father Kolbe later travelled to India, Japan, China, Italy and France. He then moved back to his homeland of Poland and created a city in honour of the Immaculate Virgin Mary. He called this city Niepokalanow (nee-poka-lano) and had 800 Franciscan Friars living there. He spread devotion to the Immaculata as the “Intercessor of all graces”. He continued to live in Poland during the Nazi occupation.
THE VERTEX OF LOVE
A PRAYER BY GENERAL KOLBE
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, (name), 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 whole 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.
V. Allow me to praise you, O Sacred Virgin
R. Give me strength against your enemies
Amen
PRAYER TO MAXIMILIAN KOLBE
O 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, whose life illustrated such love, we beseech You to grant us our petitions…(here mention the requests you have).
Through the Knights of the Immaculata movement, which Maximilian founded, he spread a fervent devotion to Our Lady through 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 which 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, Maximilan. Amen.
Three Hail Marys and a Glory be.
DRUG ADDICTS
PRAYER TO MAXIMILIAN MARIA KOLBE FOR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS OF SOMEONE ADDICTED TO DRUGS
Father Maximilian Kolbe, your life of love and labor for souls was sacrificed amid the horrors of a concentration camp and hastened to its end by an injection of a deadly drug.
Look with compassion upon (Name__________) who is now entrapped in addiction to drugs and whom we now recommend to your powerful intercession. Having offered your own life to preserve that of a family man, we turn to you with trust, confident that you will understand and help.
Obtain for us the grace never to withold our love and understanding, nor to fail in persevering prayer that the enslaving bonds of addiction may be broken and that full health and freedom may be restored to him/her whom we love.
We will never cease to be grateful to God who has helped us and heard your prayer for us. Amen.
CATHOLIC ARROWS 