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Love is stronger than death. 71st anniversary of the death of St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe
Several hundred people attended a mass at the site of the former German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz to celebrate the 71st anniversary of the death of the Franciscan friar Maximilian Maria Kolbe.
The mass near block 11, in which basement the monk was murdered, was presided over by the Metropolitan of Katowice Archbishop Wiktor Skworc. He was accompanied by Metropolitan of Bamberg Archbishop Ludwig Schick and Bishop of Bielsko-Żywiec Diocese Tadeusz Rakoczy.
Bishop Tadeusz Rakoczy made a plea in his homily to make the “places of martyrdom grow and radiate to the whole world like beautiful spiritual flowers.” “They should be the flowers of faithfulness to God and his commandments. Flowers of peace, love and freedom. They should be flowers of knowledge and awareness so that nobody in the world speaks of Polish concentration camps through ignorance or bad will,” he said.
As Bishop Rakoczy said of father Kolbe, “his death was the final conclusion of the volume of human choice and deeds. He gave his life for love, bearing witness to the dignity of man and the sanctity of human life.” In his opinion, the death of the Franciscan has become a symbol of victory over the system of contempt and hatred.
According to Archbishop of Bamberg Ludwig Schick, Saint Maximilian proves that love is stronger than death and transcends it. “Even here in this camp, love prevailed over everything that was inhuman. This is the message we have to live by: love is stronger than hatred and death,” he said.
During the anniversary flowers were placed at the Death Wall in the courtyard of block 11 as well as in the camp's assembly ground where Maximilian Kolbe gave his life for fellow prisoner Franciszek Gajowniczek. Franciscan and hierarchy also prayed in cell No. 18 in the basement of Block 11 where he St. Maximilian was murdered.
See also: 70th anniversary of the death of Maximilian Kolbe
