An Untold Story About St. Maximilian Kolbe
The story of St. Maximilian Kolbe’s death is well known. He is most famous for stepping out of line and volunteering to take the place of a man who was sentenced for execution in Auschwitz. What is frequently forgotten is that St. Maximilian Kolbe spent over 3 months in the oncentration camp and during that time, he became a pastor and a witness to the other prisoners in the camp.
I had the opportunity to visit Auschwitz in 2005 and following the tour, our pilgrimage group visited a small church less than a mile down the road from the concentration camp. In this Church is an art exhibit known as “The Labyrinth.” The artist of the exhibit is Marian Kolodziej - inmate number 432. Marian was on one of the first transports to enter Auschwitz, making him a survivor with one of the longest imprisonments in the horrific camp. For fifty years he did not speak of his experiences in the concentration camp. When he suffered a stroke in 1993, he began his rehabilitation by doing pen and ink drawings depicting the experiences that he and others had while imprisoned in the camp. In the basement of this little church, people can walk through this art exhibit and hear the stories of memories that Marian Koldziej recounts in his drawings. While most of his memories depict the pain, horror, and torture of the camp, there are also some drawings that show compassion, kindness, and even hope.
When I walked through this exhibit, it struck me that many of the drawings incorporated St. Maximilian Kolbe as a sign of hope and salvation for the prisoners. In one drawing, Kolbe is seen praying while a prisoner confesses his sins. In another Kolbe is seen crucified like Christ. In fact, there are several drawings that depict Kolbe as a Christ-like figure within the horrors of the camp.
When I walked through the exhibit, I saw several drawings of prisoners hanging and intwined in barbed wire. I became curious and asked the tour guide if the barbed wire had any significance. I was told that the camp was surrounded by electrified barbed wire to prevent prisoners from escaping. When a prisoner reached a point of despair, they frequently would end their life by throwing themselves into the barbed wire fence. The tour guide shared with me a story about St. Maximilian Kolbe saving the life of another prisoner - one where a young prisoner was about to commit suicide. I recently wrote to the church and asked if someone could recall the story for me and I received a response from Piotr Cuber, OFM:
The prisoner's name was William the Iron - No. 1126 from Chorzów (Silesia). He was a young boy and was devastated by his stay in the camp. He was seriously ill with pneumonia. William was fed up with everything, wanted to end his life, and he confided to a fellow prisoner that he wanted to go into the barbed wire. The other prisoner suggested that before doing so, he should talk to Father Kolbe - No. 16670. During the conversation, Father Kolbe encouraged him and gave him his rosary to pray and ask Our Lady for help. The prisoner did so. He regained his faith and survived the camp. When he wanted to return the rosary, he learned that Father Kolbe was dead. He donated the rosary to the parish in Oświęcim.
This is most likely not the only case when Father Kolbe dissuaded someone from committing suicide in the camp, but I know this one by name and surname.
I have long said that sharing the Gospel with others is a rescue mission. When we share Christ with others, we are restoring hope, giving purpose, and most importantly - we are sharing the nature of God which is love. The primary way that a Christian passes on the faith is through witness. St. Maximilian Kolbe is a great example of this. He did not set up catechetical classes in the concentration camp. He didn’t have the means the celebrate Mass. St. Maximilian Kolbe did not pass judgment on sinners. What Kolbe did was love those who were around him. He loved the prisoners and his captors because Christ first loved him, and when life is simplified to that basic purpose, the conditions that he was in became irrelevant. Passing the faith to others is as simple as giving witness to God’s love.
