Feast of St. Maximillian Kolbe, August 14th

Today is the Feast day of St. Maximillian Kolbe.  Saint Maximilian is a modern day saint who lived during the 20^th century.  He died giving his life in place of a Jewish father who was condemned to die at Auschwitz death camp in Poland during World War II.   He was left to die in a starvation bunker and his life was eventually ended by lethal injection.     For this he is called upon as the patron of prisoners and those with chemical dependencies.    In addition he founded the Militia of Immaculata in October of 1917 a movement dedicated to Marian consecration.     A center for the movement and evangelization was establish near Warsaw Poland, his home country, and eventually expanded to 900 friars, becoming the largest Catholic religious house in the world.  The friars at the center used modern communications to spread the message and had a newspaper with a circulation of over 1 million.  There was also a radio station and plans for a movie studio as well.  For this Saint Maximilian is considered the patron of journalists and the media communications, as well as families, the pro-life movement.    If you are in the Chicago area you can visit the National Shrine of St. Maximilian Kolbe.   This site also has details about the life of St. Maximillian.   Catholic Radio Indy, FM 89.1 and 90.09, has taken on St. Maximillian as their patron saint.   This station is a great way to learn about Catholic faith and help with daily prayer.  St. Maximillain, pray for us!