It’s time to celebrate!

August 14th is the Feast Day of St. Maximilian Kolbe!

The Facts

When St. Maximilian Kolbe was a young child, he had a vision of the Virgin Mary in which she offered him two crowns – one white (symbolizing purity) and one red (symbolizing martyrdom). When Mary asked Maximilian which crown he was willing to accept, he told her he would accept both. The “white crown” part of this vision came true when Maximilian became a priest and Franciscan friar. As a priest, he was passionate about evangelization, and he had a gift for using the latest technology – the printing press and radio – to spread God’s word far and wide. The “red crown” part of his Marian vision came true when, after being arrested and sent to Auschwitz for publishing anti-Nazi documents during World War II, he offered to die in another man’s place.

The Feast

There is so much we can learn from the life of St. Maximilian Kolbe! This modern-day saint witnessed the darkness of war and hatred, yet remained hopeful in God’s promise of goodness. Filled with Christ’s spirit of sacrificial love, Maximilian performed the greatest act of charity: laying down one’s life for a friend. He had faith in God’s plan for him, and followed God’s will faithfully and fearlessly – even when that meant death. St. Maximilian Kolbe reminds us that we can all become saints, so long as we stay humble, accept God’s grace, and persevere in choosing the good.

Time to Celebrate!

CFC Pros… Don’t forget to display your Feast Day Art print from last year’s crate and share the information on the back with your saints in training!

Good news! A festive feast doesn’t need to be fussy. Here are a few more easy ways we can all celebrate with St. Maximilian.

• Say a Hail Mary. St. Maximilian Kolbe had a strong devotion to the Virgin Mary. Recite a Hail Mary and ask the Blessed Mother and St. Maximilian to pray for you to have the strength to always choose God’s will.
• Do an act of charity. Find a way to “lay down your life for a friend” today by sacrificing your own time, talent, or treasure to benefit someone else. 
• Make a red and white snack. Remember the two crowns from St. Maximilian’s vision? Recreate the color scheme by having little saints help make a red and white snack. (Think: yogurt and raspberries, vanilla ice cream and red sprinkles, strawberries and bananas, etc.)

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