This is what the Polish Franciscan Catholic Priest, Maximilian Maria (Raymond) Kolbe (nr 16670) said to encourage fellow prisoner Joseph Stemler (Polish journalist nr 13571). Kolbe was born January 8, 1894 in Zdunska Wola, Poland and was killed August 14, 1941 in the starvation bunker of the Auschwitz Nazi Concentration Camp. He was canonized saint, martyr of love, in 1982. His entire life had been dedicated to spreading this creative energy everywhere using all licit means possible even to the point of offering up his life to save the life of a fellow prisoner.

Kolbe founded Niepokalanow in 1927. From the very beginning there were good relations with Jews. Br. Zeno Zebrowski who was in charge of building said that when he asked around in different shops and factories for help that they received most building material donations from Jewish owners rather than the Catholic ones. The glass for windows was donated gratis as well as what lumber was needed to finish the first barracks for Niepokalanow by these good people. (Interview with Br. Zeno, Miles Immaculata, July-December 2018 p. 224 Szymczak) Soon Niepokalanow grew to become the largest friary and printing center with more than 700 members. Kolbe had also founded a smaller friary in Nagasaki Japan and had been a missionary there between 1930-1936. The "Maly Dziennik" (Little Daily) had been started in 1935. From Nagasaki, July 12, 1935 Kolbe writes to Fr. Marian Wojcik the editor in charge, to make sure that the articles taken from the Polish daily news sources be in line with the MI ideal. "It is necessary to require that collaborative editors actually write in the spirit of MI, i.e. the conquest of the world for the Immaculate, the salvation and sanctification of souls by the Immaculate, and avoid unnecessary stigmatization of people or parties or other nations ...Speaking of Jews, I would be very careful not to arouse or deepen hatred towards them in the readers ...our primary goal is always the conversion and sanctification of souls, that is, winning them for the Immaculate, love for all souls, Jews and freemasons and heretics etc."

Because Kolbe still kept his long missionary beard even after his return to Poland and traveled with a black hat with his black habit, he was sometimes mistaken as a Jew but that never bothered him it just made him smile. Rev. Edmund Mirowski recounts an incident on May 21, 1939 in Ignalnie (15B5, Now Archives, #31, testimonies 1969).

The German invasion of Poland in September 1, 1939 seemed to put an end to the MI activity but could not stop the creative energy of love which flow was only channeled into other areas. Kolbe had to shave off his long beard for the German mandatory identification papers. Most Franciscans had to evacuate, only a small group with Kolbe remained. These 38 were arrested on September 19, 1939 and taken to three different German temporary internment camps (Lamsdorf Sept. 21, then Amtitz Sept. 24, then Ostrzeszow Nov. 11 to Dec. 8). They were allowed to return to Niepokalanow which was also occupied by German Wehrmacht soldiers. The invaders had ransacked and stolen much of all the printing machinery and all the building materials for the Church that had started to be built before the war broke out. December 12, 1939 to February 20, 1940, Niepokalanow was used by the Germans as a temporary internment camp for 3500 civilian Poles who had been forcibly displaced from their homes. Of this number were 1500 Polish Jews. Kolbe who told his fellow Franciscans to take care of them as best as they could saying, "We must do everything possible to help these unfortunates torn away from their families and deprived of all means of livelihood. This is our mission: to work for the good of souls for the Immaculate Mother". He had the Franciscans mobilize all resources of food supplies begging the neighborhood people to share what they could. This helped the internees very much. Kolbe also tried to help the morale having a small gathering for Christmas for the Christians and a similar meeting with the Jewish families on New Year’s giving out some sweets to the children and encouraging words. When it came time for them to depart, Mrs. Zajac delegate on behalf of the Jews went to Br Luke Kuźba who had been assigned to help them, to sincerely thank the Franciscans and Fr. Maximilian for their being treated so kindly by them. They collected 40 zloty among themselves to ask to have Mass celebrated in thanksgiving to God for having been cared for and for God’s protection of Niepokalanow. When Br. Luke presented Fr. Kolbe with their request, he agreed and told him to note down the intention to have the Mass celebrated at the soonest time. Some Jews asked if they could have a supply of coal and wood to take with them. Despite not having a large supply themselves, the Franciscans shared with them generously at which they were very grateful since it was freezing winter. On the day of departure, again a large delegation of Jews came to thank Br Luke and the Franciscans for their help, saying that if God allows them to survive the war, they will recompense Niepokalanow 100 times over, promising that they would never forget the goodness shown to them by the Franciscans and that they would have it printed in all the foreign newspapers and in the London Times (Testimony of Br. Luke Kuźba November 1, 1963 Now Archives).

February 3, 1940 the German reporter Alfred Lemke after visiting Niepokalanow wrote up a defamatory newspaper article in the Warschauer Zeitung nr 28 entitled Kloster druckte Polnisch Hetzzeitung - Friary prints Polish news daily for instigation. There he wrote that those responsible for writing the "Maly Dziennik" (Little Daily) have fled the country and well known is the power of the Catholic Church and that Niepokalanow is a leader. Niepokalanow was seen as a threat to Germany and Kolbe being the head of Niepokalanow was watched.

November 1940, a Jew named Wiesental with his wife were hidden by Kolbe and the Franciscans at the friary for 11 months and were taken care of by the Franciscans. Unfortunately, Gestapo came to Niepokalanow on October 14, 1941 arresting seven Franciscans with Mr. Wiesental. (Note Well: Kolbe had already been arrested February 17, 1941 with four other Franciscans: Fr. Antonin and Fr. Pius were killed in Auschwitz while Fr. Justin and Fr. Urban survived Auschwitz and Dachau). After a while Mr. Wiesental wrote saying that he was in prison in Łowicz and asked if the Franciscans could send food packages to him which Br. Longin did every month until news in May 1942 of Mr. Wiesentals death. (The seven Franciscans arrested were Br. Wacław Rucinski, Br. Joachim Sochocki, Br. Bruno Sasin, Br. Chrizolog Mozer, Br. Ferdynand Kasz survived Auschwitz and Dachau returning to Niepokalanow, Br. Tymothy Trojanowski and Br. Boniface Żukowski both killed in Auschwitz and are Beatified martyrs together with Fr. Pius and Fr. Antonin arrested with Kolbe), Br. Heronim Wierzba in July of 1941 while on bicycle to the nearby town of Sochaczew, saw a group of children around a man and stopped to see what the matter was. The children had given the man some bread but he was too weak to eat. While Br. Heronim was bending over the man to help him somehow, he heard the wheels of a car screech to a stop. A Gestapo yells "Jew" and takes out his gun to shoot. Br. Heronim knew fluent German and quickly pleaded, "Sir, please leave this man. We have an infirmary. I will take care of him". Strangely enough the angry Gestapo stopped, put away his gun, got back into his car and left. A horse drawn cart past by and helped the Franciscan carry the man on it back to Niepokalanow where he was nursed back to health by Br. Benvenuty, Br. Fabian, Br. Heronim, Br. Iwo, Br. Timothy (who was killed later in Auschwitz nm. 25431). He was bathed and given fresh clothes and fed. Dr Gmerek one of the displaced internees checked on him. The Jewish man was from Sochaczew around 35 and a tailor by trade. Three Jewish men were helped by Niepokalanow from August 1944 to when the Germans left Poland. Two were elderly and the other younger one had a daughter. They discretely lived nearby Niepokalanow in Paprotnia. The younger man worked in one of the administration office building in Niepokalanow. Everyone kept it a secret that they were Jews (Testimony of Br. Iwo Achtelik, Now Archives, 1963).

Kolbe kept on ministering charity in the Auschwitz camp. He would share his food rations, pray and uplift the despairing prisoners. Because after Jews, the Nazis hated priests. Kolbe who had always suffered from tuberculosis since his 20’s and had the use of only one lung was given heavy labor and almost beaten to death. He had a deep intelligent penetrating gaze of love from his hazel brown eyes which even the Nazis could not bear having said for him to not look at them. In late July 1941, a prisoner escaped and 10 were chosen from the same block at the roll call appeal to die in the starvation bunker. One of them was no. 5695 who cried out about his wife and children. To everyone’s shock no. 16670 courageously stepped out of line and asked to take his place. Commandant Fritz told him to stop and called Kolbe a Polish pig, demanding what he wanted. Kolbe explained he was old and that the other has a family. To the question to who he was, Kolbe answered that he was a Catholic priest. There in the starvation bunker, Kolbe ministered still, helping the prisoners die reconciled to God. He was one of three still alive after almost two weeks without food or water. The Nazis euthanized them with a lethal injection to the left arm. August 14, 1941 Kolbe was 47 years old with his face peaceful almost radiant when prisoner no. 1192 Brunon Borgowiec came to take the body to the crematory. Francis Gajowniczek no. 5695 survived and lived up unto his 90’s. He is buried at the Niepokalanow cemetery (testimonies of fellow prisoners collected after the war,15 B6 Now Archives 1969).

(The Church was brutally suppressed by the Nazis. Even Christian Germans who spoke out like Pastor Paul Schnieder were killed. In Poland, Churches were systematically closed and most priests or pastors were either killed, imprisoned or deported. From across Poland, thousands of Catholic priests died in prisons and concentration camps; thousands of churches and monasteries were confiscated, closed or destroyed; and priceless works of religious art and sacred objects were lost forever. Those that dared to save and hide Jews were sentenced to death. Sigmund Gorson testifies how Nuns who saved Jewish children were beaten ,raped and murdered. At least 1811 Polish clergy died in German Concentration Camps. An estimated 3000 clergy were killed outright. Hitler’s plans for the Germanization of the East saw no place for the Christian Churches. Why is Poland continually critized as a nation even now? The Polish Gentiles even of today must prove their innocence while the German nation is exonerated because it was not the Germans of today but the "Nazis" of Hitler yesterday. It was the Polish Catholic hero Witold Pilecki who got the news out to the world about the horrors of Auschwitz and helped stop it. Why did the Allies allow him to be executed by the Communists? Why did not the Jews and leaders of the free world speak up for him then when he was tortured (his fingernails were pulled out) and on "trail" unjustly then executed? Why were they silent? Why did the Allies break their treaty with Poland and refuse to help at the Warsaw Uprising? ( Witold Pilecki, Auschwitz volunteer who warned the world about the Holocaust, commemorated in London )

Only after Kolbe was given honors as Saint in 1982, came suddenly the false allegation of him being a rabid anti-Semitic. This was fomented by an article from anticlerical Austrian magazine Wiener Tagebuch nr 4 April1982 showing a cartoon of a Franciscan with a devils tail next to a devil. The offensive idea had never been thought of or mentioned before 1982. The St. Louis Jewish Light USA newspaper did an in-depth reporter investigation and wrote an extensive article proving these claims to be false on June 30, 1982 entitled: Father Kolbe and the Jews: The Charges and the Truth, by Daniel L. Schafly, Jr and Warren Green (#D1 1300 Now Archives). Sigmund Gorson, a Jewish survivor of Auschwitz no. 52821, remembers: "I was born in a precious family where love was abundant. All my family, parents, sisters and grandparents were murdered in the Concentration Camp. I was the only survivor. For me, it was extremely hard to find myself alone in this world, in the horror and hell that was lived in Auschwitz, and alone thirteen years old. Many youths like myself lost all hope of survival, and many jumped into the high voltage barbed wires to commit suicide. I searched to find someone among the immense mass of people who would have known my parents, a friend, a neighbor, so that I wouldn’t feel so alone. This is how Father Kolbe found me, to put it in simple terms, while I was looking for someone with whom I could make a connection. He was like an angel for me. Just like a mother hen takes in her chicks, that’s how he took me into his arms. He would wipe my tears. I believe more in the existence of God ever since then. Ever since the death of my parents, I would ask myself, where is God? I had lost all faith. Kolbe gave me back my faith. Kolbe knew I was a Jew, but his love would embrace everyone. To be charitable in times of peace is easy, but to be charitable the way Kolbe was in that place of horror is heroic. I will love him until the last day of my life"

(Patricia Treece, A Man for Others, 1982).

Niepokalanow, MI Archives ul. O. M. Kolbego 5, 96-515 Teresin, Poland

Updated 2022