# St. Maximilian Kolbe and the Two Crowns of Martyrdom
*2018-04-16*

> Bill Young reflects on the life of St. Maximilian Kolbe, his Marian devotion, and the vision of the two crowns—purity and martyrdom—while guiding listeners through day eight of the Marian consecration retreat.

## Introducing Day Eight

Good afternoon, I’m Bill Young. Today we continue our DIY retreat for a Marian consecration, week two, day eight. Our focus is St. Maximilian Kolbe, the patron saint of my parish, St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church in Pembroke Pines, Florida. A few years ago we even had his niece speak at our parish, giving us deeper insight into his life.

## Who Was St. Maximilian Kolbe?

If we were to ask St. Maximilian, “Who are you?” he might answer with humility, pointing us instead to the Immaculate Conception. That response tells us much about his identity: he saw himself wholly united to Mary, the Immaculate Conception herself.

Born Raymond Kolbe in 1894 to a poor Polish farming family, he could not have been expected to become a saint. As a boy his mother, frustrated with his mischief, once shouted, “Raymond, what will become of you?” The question struck him deeply. He turned to the Mother of God, asking, “What will become of me?”

According to his own testimony, the Virgin Mary appeared, holding two crowns—one white, one red. She explained that the white crown signified purity, the red crown martyrdom. He accepted both.

## A Life of Purity and Mission

Kolbe entered the Franciscan seminary and took vows of chastity, but his purity went beyond the bodily. He practiced a purity of intention, directing thoughts, words, and actions wholly toward God’s purpose.

His great idea crystallized as the Militia Immaculata, founded in 1917 with six fellow seminarians. The Militia’s aim was to bring the whole world to Christ under the patronage of Mary Immaculate, striving to fulfill this mission quickly through obedience to God’s will.

## Martyrdom and the Red Crown

After years of apostolic work in Poland and Japan, Kolbe was arrested by the Gestapo in 1941 and sent to Auschwitz. His Franciscan brothers urged him to go into hiding, but he replied, “I have a mission. The Immaculate has a mission to fulfill.”

When a prisoner was condemned to death, Kolbe volunteered to take his place. The Nazis executed him with a lethal injection, granting him the red crown of martyrdom. He died a martyr of charity, fully united to Mary.

## Today's Prayer

Come, Holy Spirit, living in Mary, make me pure in body and spirit, and help me to die to myself.

*St. Maximilian Kolbe’s life invites us to unite our purity of intention with the willingness to sacrifice for others, following Mary’s example.*