A Max weekend

This was a "Max" weekend for me.  On Saturday, I had the honor of attending the baptism of Max Anthony, a beautiful 6 month old who was welcomed into the Faith.  Congratulations to Max - and also to his big brother Frankie, and his mom and dad, Irene and Don!

I also had the pleasure of checking into the St. Maximilian Kolbe Net on the 75 meter band.  I had been a frequent checkin to the net in years past but my "sked" had fallen by the wayside in the past year.  It was a pleasure to resume my participation in the net for the second week in a row.  (For any interested hams and short wave listners, the net meets on Sunday nights at 7:00 pm ET on 3.814 MHz).

Who was Maximilian Kolbe?  He was a Catholic priest and a lot lot more - he is also a canonized 20th century saint and being former ham radio operator SP3RN, is regarded by many as the patron saint of amateur radio.  Besides that, he was - and is - a whole lot more.

When the Germans invaded Poland in 1939, Saint Maximilian was ordered to cease his religious publishing efforts .  Before long, the Gestapo arrested Father Kolbe and imprisoned him at Amtitz. He was released, but only to be arrested again on February 17, 1941. This time he was sent to the dreaded Auschwitz, and there under an inhuman monster of a commandant named Fritz, he became known as Prisoner Number 16670, just one more of the thousands of human statistics living in the terror of that vast horror chamber. Maximilian Kolbe would have been hated enough by his Nazi keepers just for being a Pole. But he was a Catholic priest as well, and his tormentors reserved their finest cruelty for that class of prisoner. In spite of his obviously wretched health, he was assigned the hardest and dirtiest tasks in the camp. Dogs were set upon him supposedly to make him work faster, but actually more to torture the poor man. And should he stumble or fall in his cruel work, as he did many times, he would be beaten and kicked till he lost consciousness. It was late in July 1941 that a prisoner in his own block escaped. By three o'clock the prisoner was still not found and Fritz selected his victims. One of them, a man named Francis Gajowniczek, cried out, "My poor wife, my poor children! What will happen to my family!"

At that moment Maximilian stepped forward. Fritz bellowed, "What does this Polish pig want?" The reply came: "I am a Catholic priest from Poland. I would like to take his place, because he has a wife and children." A witness recalls: "From astonishment, the commandant appeared unable to speak. After a moment, he gave a sign with his hand. He spoke but one word: 'Away!' Gajowniczek received the command to return to the row he had just left. In this manner, Father Max took the place of the condemned man." He was then sent to the starvation chamber. The secretary and interpreter for this bunker was so impressed by Father Kolbe's heroic actions that he kept an exact record of his last days, more detailed than the job required. Each day the guards would remove the bodies of those who had died. The sounds of screaming and crying were not heard from the starvation bunker. Instead, the sounds of Father Kolbe leading the Rosary and singing hymns to the Immaculata with the other prisoners in the bunker could be heard. While the guards were away, the secretary would go into the bunker to speak with and console the prisoners. When Father Kolbe could no longer speak from his hunger and lack of energy, he would whisper his prayers. After two weeks, the cell had to be cleared out for more prisoners. Only four prisoners were left, one of whom was Father Kolbe. The Nazis then injected a lethal dose of cabolic acid into each prisoner. Father Kolbe, the last prisoner left to be killed, raised his arm to the guard. On August 14, 1941, the eve of the feast of the Assumption, Father Kolbe was martyred. The next day, his body was cremated.

On October 17, 1971, Maximilian Kolbe was beatified. Like his Master Jesus Christ, he had loved his fellow-men to the point of sacrificing his life for them. "Greater love hath no man than this ..." and these were the opening words of the papal decree introducing the process of beatification. Fr Kolbe's canonization was not long delayed. It was the Pope from Poland, John Paul II, who had the joy of declaring his compatriot a saint on October 10, 1982.

So Max Anthony, you're in pretty good company.  I'm proud to know you both.