Maximilian Kolbe Martyr

Maximilian Kolbe was recognized as a martyr for his great charity in taking a place of another man forced to die at the Auschwitz concentration camp. He was then considered a martyr and at his canonisation Pope John Paul II said, “Maximilian did not die but gave his life … for his brother.” Kolbe was known for his courageous actions, his support to his people, and his dignity through harsh times of Auschwitz. He believed that the Nazi’s were wrong for blaming the Jewish people for the defeat of World War I. Kolbe helped Polish and Jewish people from the Nazi’s, and was punished in future events because of his doing. Maximilian Kolbe was born on January 8th, 1894 in the Kingdom of Poland, which was apart of the Russian Empire. His father was German, and his mother was polish. When Kolbe was growing up, his family was poor and did not obtain very nice things. In 1914, Kolbe’s father was captured by the Russian’s and was hanged for his part in fighting for Poland. As Kolbe’s life went on,
When Poland was overrun by the Nazi forces, Kolbe was arrested under general suspicion on September 13 and was released after 3 months. After he was released, Polish refugees and Jewish people stayed with the sanctuary in Kolbe's monastery. Kolbe and the community at Niepokalanow helped hide, clothe, and feed 3,000 Polish refugees, in which 2,000 were Jewish. He published a radio broadcast where he would announce the crimes of the Nazi’s. Kolbe was arrested again for hiding all of the Jewish people, and he then was sent to the concentration camp of Auschwitz with the prisoner #16670. Even though the camp was horrible, reporters say that Kolbe kept a deep faith within him and and dignity through his harsh time. He was forced to slave hard and was beaten harshly by the Nazi forces. In July 1491, 3 prisoners escaped from the Auschwitz camp, so they ordered 10 men to be starved to death in an underground bunker. One of