Description

Saint Maximilian Kolbe Medal – Oxidized Metal – Made in Italy

A prisoner stepped forward. Another man had been condemned to die. He had a wife. He had children. And Maximilian Kolbe offered his own life in his place.

This Saint Maximilian Kolbe Medal honors the Polish Franciscan priest whose extraordinary act of self-sacrifice at Auschwitz became one of the twentieth century’s most powerful Catholic witnesses to Christian charity. Made in Italy from high-quality oxidized metal, the medal has a traditional antiqued appearance that brings definition and character to its devotional design. Each medal weighs approximately 2 grams, making it suitable for wearing, carrying, or incorporating into a variety of Catholic devotional articles.

Born Raymond Kolbe in Poland in 1894, the future saint entered the Conventual Franciscans while still young and received the religious name Maximilian. At the heart of his vocation was an intense love for Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, particularly Mary under the title of the Immaculate Conception. In 1917, while studying in Rome, Maximilian founded the Militia Immaculatae, or Militia of the Immaculata, an apostolate dedicated to bringing souls to Christ through Mary. He later established an enormous Catholic publishing apostolate in Poland and undertook missionary work in Japan. Kolbe understood the printing press and modern communications as instruments that could be placed at the service of evangelization. Then Europe descended into war. Following the German invasion of Poland, Kolbe and his Franciscan community provided assistance to refugees and others in need. He was eventually arrested by the Gestapo and transported in 1941 to the Auschwitz concentration camp, where he became prisoner number 16670.

There, his vocation reached its final test. After a prisoner escaped, ten men were selected to die by starvation as punishment. One of the condemned men, Franciszek Gajowniczek, cried out in anguish for his wife and children. Father Kolbe stepped forward. He asked to take the man’s place. The request was accepted. Kolbe entered the starvation bunker with the other condemned prisoners, where witnesses later recalled that he encouraged prayer during their final days. After surviving longer than expected, he was killed by lethal injection on August 14, 1941.

The man whose place he had taken survived Auschwitz. Pope Saint John Paul II canonized Maximilian Kolbe in 1982, proclaiming him a martyr of charity. His life is remembered not merely because he died. It is remembered because of the love with which he chose to give his life for another.

Saint Maximilian Kolbe is traditionally invoked as a patron of prisoners, families, journalists and media workers, and those struggling with drug addiction, among others. His story also makes his medal especially meaningful for those devoted to the Immaculate Virgin Mary, Franciscan spirituality, evangelization, and the defense of human dignity. A Saint Maximilian Kolbe medal is not a lucky charm. Like other Catholic sacramentals, it serves as a tangible reminder to pray, to imitate the virtues of the saint it depicts, and ultimately to follow Jesus Christ. The oxidized-metal finish gives this Italian-made medal a traditional antiqued character well suited to medal chains, Rosaries, chaplets, keychains, bracelets, and handmade Catholic devotional gifts.

Wear one. Carry one. Give one to someone who needs a reminder that even in places built to extinguish human dignity, Christian love can still choose to give itself completely. “Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

Saint Maximilian Kolbe lived those words.

Product Details

Item: Saint Maximilian Kolbe Medal
Saint: Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe
Style: Catholic devotional medal
Material: Oxidized metal
Finish: Traditional oxidized/antiqued finish
Weight: Approximately 2 grams each
Country of Origin: Made in Italy
Religious Order: Conventual Franciscan
Feast Day: August 14
Devotional Associations: Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Immaculate Conception, Marian devotion, Franciscan spirituality, sacrificial charity, evangelization, human dignity, prisoners, and perseverance during persecution
Traditional Patronage: Prisoners, journalists and media workers, families, and those struggling with drug addiction
Suggested Uses: Medal chains, Rosaries, chaplets, bracelets, keychains, pocket devotional use, handmade Catholic jewelry, Confirmation gifts, Marian gifts, Franciscan gifts, and Catholic gift sets
Note: These medals are not represented as blessed. They may be blessed by a Catholic priest for devotional use.
Category: Catholic Jewelry → Saint Medals → Saint Maximilian Kolbe Medals