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Maximilian Kolbe

File:Fr.Maximilian_Kolbe_in_1936.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Maximilian Kolbe

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Also known as Maximilian Maria Kolbe, Maksymilian Maria Kolbe, Raimund Kolbe, Father Maximilian, Kolbe, Maximillian, Kolbe, Maksymilian, Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Maximilian Kolbe OFMConv.

Polish Conventual Franciscan friar, martyr and saint of the Roman Catholic Church (1894–1941)

AI overview

Maximilian Kolbe was a Polish Catholic friar who lived from 1894 to 1941 and is venerated as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. He is remembered as a martyr, meaning he died for his faith, making him an important religious figure in Catholic history.

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Described at

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Wikidata facts

Instance of
human
Gender
male
Place of birth
Zduńska Wola
Place of death
Auschwitz
Occupation
friar
Languages spoken
Esperanto
Field of work
education
Image
Fr.Maximilian Kolbe in 1936.jpg
Religious order
Conventual Franciscans
Show 15 more facts
described by source
Wikitólica
Commons category
Maksymilian Kolbe
date of death
1941-08-14
date of birth
1894-01-08
feast day
August 14
topic's main category
Category:Maksymilian Kolbe
place of detention
Stalag VIII-B - Lamsdorf
place of burial
Auschwitz
cause of death
lethal injection
birth name
Rajmund Kolbe
name in native language
Maksymilian Maria Kolbe
domain of saint or deity
blood donor
manner of death
homicide
significant person
Franciszek Gajowniczek
Sources (12)

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Encyclopedic overview

Maximilian Maria Kolbe, OFM Conv. (born Raymund Kolbe; Polish: Maksymilian Maria Kolbe; 8 January 1894 – 14 August 1941) was a Polish Conventual Franciscan friar, priest, missionary, and martyr. He volunteered to die in place of a man named Franciszek Gajowniczek in the German death camp of Auschwitz, located in German-occupied Poland during World War II. He had been active in promoting the veneration of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, founding and supervising the monastery of Niepokalanów near Warsaw, operating an amateur-radio station (SP3RN), and founding or running several other organizations and publications.

On 10 October 1982, Pope John Paul II canonized Kolbe and declared him a martyr of charity. The Catholic Church venerates him as the patron saint of amateur radio operators, drug addicts, political prisoners, families, journalists, and prisoners. John Paul II declared him "the patron of our difficult century". His feast day is 14 August, the day of his martyrdom.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Maximilian Kolbe” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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