St. Maximilian Kolbe | Pray for Us
Heavyweight 100% cotton shirt with a relaxed drop-shoulder fit, vintage garment wash, tonal chest embroidery, and a woven SIGNUMX interior neck label.
St. Maximilian Kolbe, the Franciscan priest who offered his life at Auschwitz in place of a father of a family, is honored on August 14, the day he died in 1941.
Quick Facts
| Feast Day | August 14, Memorial |
| Life & Canonization | Born January 8, 1894 in Zduńska Wola, Poland; died at Auschwitz, August 14, 1941; beatified 1971; canonized October 10, 1982 by St. John Paul II |
| Patronage | Prisoners, families, journalists, amateur radio operators, and the pro-life movement |
| Symbols | Conventual Franciscan habit or prisoner's uniform, the number 16670, red and white crowns |
The Life of St. Maximilian Kolbe
Raymund Kolbe was a mischievous boy in Poland until his mother asked him what would become of him. He prayed about it, and Mary showed him two crowns, white for purity and red for martyrdom, and asked which he wanted. He said both. He became a Franciscan, Maximilian, and later a tech-savvy priest who ran a printing press, a magazine with hundreds of thousands of readers and even a radio station.
He started a mission in Nagasaki, Japan, before returning to Poland. During World War II, at Auschwitz, he stepped forward to take the place of a young father chosen to die, and the man, Franciszek Gajowniczek, lived to attend Maximilian's canonization in 1982.
Shirt Details
- Fabric: Heavyweight 100% cotton
- Fit: Relaxed drop-shoulder
- Details: Chest embroidery, woven SIGNUMX neck label
- Care: Machine wash cold, tumble dry low
Get to Know St. Maximilian Kolbe
Mary Offered Him Two Crowns
As a boy he saw Mary holding a white crown for purity and a red crown for martyrdom. He chose both, and his life fulfilled them.
He Sketched Spacecraft Designs
Kolbe studied science, sketched ideas for spacecraft, ran a large printing operation and planned a radio station to spread the faith.
He Gave His Life for a Father
He took the place of Franciszek Gajowniczek, a husband and father. Franciszek lived into his nineties and was present when Maximilian was declared a saint.
He Founded the Militia Immaculata
In 1917 he founded the Militia Immaculata to bring people to Christ through Mary. It still has members around the world.
A Patron for Families and Journalists
Families, journalists, prisoners and those seeking freedom from addiction ask his prayers. St. John Paul II called him the patron of our difficult century.
Celebrated Every August 14
His feast falls on the eve of the Assumption of Mary, whom he loved so much.