A Saint of Auschwitz

Couldn't let the day pass by without giving a shout-out to St. Maximilian Kolbe, for whom my eldest son is named, and who celebrates his feast day today. No matter what one's religious preference, the life and death of St. Max -- a Polish priest who died at Auschwitz, and a patron saint of journalists -- should be an inspiration for all. To quote from his Wikipedia entry:

During the Second World War, in the friary, Kolbe provided shelter to refugees from Greater Poland, including 2,000 Jews whom he hid from Nazi persecution in his friary in Niepokalanów. He was also active as a radio amateur, with Polish call letters SP3RN, vilifying Nazi activities through his reports.

On February 17, 1941, he was arrested by the German Gestapo and imprisoned in the Pawiak prison, and, on May 25, was transferred to Auschwitz I as prisoner #16670.

In July 1941, a man from Kolbe's barracks had vanished, prompting SS-Hauptsturmführer Karl Fritzsch, the Lagerführer (i.e., the camp commander), to pick 10 men from the same barracks to be starved to death in Block 11 (notorious for torture), in order to deter further escape attempts.... One of the selected men, Franciszek Gajowniczek, cried out, lamenting his family, and Kolbe volunteered to take his place.

"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends" (Jn. 15:13). There is no greater love than that shown by St. Maximilian Kolbe.