Franciszek Gajowniczek (15 November 1901 – 13 March 1995) was a Polish army sergeant whose life was saved at the Auschwitz concentration camp by Catholic priest Maximilian Kolbe, who volunteered to die in his place.
How many Jews did Maximilian Kolbe save?
Upon his release he continued work at his friary where he and other friars provided shelter to refugees from Greater Poland including 2,000 Jews whom he hid from German persecution in the Niepokalanów friary.
How is St Maximilian Kolbe remembered?
In the face of Nazi brutality at Auschwitz, Saint Maximilian Kolbe demonstrated vast love and fierce bravery by giving up his life for a fellow prisoner . On August 14, his feast day, we honor his example of ultimate selflessness, which serves as an enduring example of devotion to the faithful throughout generations.
What did Maximilian Kolbe do during the Holocaust?
In 1941, he was arrested and sent to Auschwitz, where in terrible circumstances he continued to work as a priest and offer solace to fellow inmates. When the Nazi guards selected 10 people to be starved to death in punishment, Kolbe volunteered to die in place of a stranger . He was later canonised as a martyr.
What happened to gajowniczek?
Mr. Gajowniczek, one of several prisoners selected by the Nazis to die by starvation in a dungeon at Auschwitz called the “hunger bunker,” survived because the Rev. Maksymilian Kolbe volunteered to take his place.
How long was Maximilian Kolbe at Auschwitz?
Remembering Father Maximillian Kolbe. A Franciscan friar and Catholic priest, Maximillian Koble sacrificed his life for another man in Auschwitz. After 14 days of being confined in a prison cell without food or water Kolbe was murdered by SS guards.
Why did Maximilian Kolbe get sent to Auschwitz?
He was again arrested in February 1941 on charges of aiding Jews and the Polish underground. He was imprisoned at Warsaw and then shipped to Auschwitz. There he continued his priestly ministry, including hearing confessions and holding mass with smuggled bread, for which he was subjected to beatings by the guards.
What happened to the man Maximilian Kolbe saved?
| Franciszek Gajowniczek | Military career | Allegiance Poland | Service/branch Army | Rank Sergeant |
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When was Maximilian Kolbe made a saint?
Maximilian volunteered to take his place. He was taken to the underground starvation cell, and was the last of the men to die, killed by an injection of carbolic acid on August 14th. 1981 He was canonized as martyr by Pope John Paul II.
Who is St Maximilian Kolbe and what is his importance to the church?
St Maximilian Maria Kolbe, a Polish Franciscan priest who was canonised 30 years ago today, in a unique way embraced both places. With his life he witnessed for the Christian faith in the first and with his death he witnessed for the same faith in the second.
What prisoner number was Maximilian Kolbe?
Prisoner number 5659 was tattooed on his left forearm. The Roman Catholic church declared Kolbe blessed in 1971 and canonized him in 1982.
Where is Auschwitz?
Auschwitz, also known as Auschwitz-Birkenau, opened in 1940 and was the largest of the Nazi concentration and death camps. Located in southern Poland , Auschwitz initially served as a detention center for political prisoners.
