SSPX.ca: Eucharistic Crusaders

CHAPTER 5
TRIALS AND THE DEATH CAMP

About two months after his arrival in Japan, on June 25^th, 1930, Fr. Maximilian was asked to attend the Provincial Chapter in Lwow, Poland. It was a special meeting held by the Franciscans. The holy priest had to leave his Brothers in Japan by themselves. What else could he do? He was obedient to the letter.

Fr. Maximilian returned to Japan on August 24^th, 1930. The mission he had started had almost no money left. The Immaculata magazine had not been published for a month, and in general since he had left, things in the mission had really gone down hill. It was heartbreaking.

The good priest rolled up his sleeves. He had permission to found a Japanese monastery and to open a novitiate for young Japanese men. They had to build a house as soon as possible. But where could they build a house? After praying and searching, Fr. Maximilian bought land on the outskirts of Nagasaki. It was a steep and sloping hill. People wondered about the area he had picked, but the saintly priest had his reasons. On May 16, 1931, he opened a Japanese monastery.

Many of the Japanese people loved the Immaculata magazine. In spite of many difficulties and set backs, the printing increased and many of the pagan Japanese came to be converted. Some of the converted Japanese wrote touching letters. One letter reads: “Thank-you for sending me your magazine called the ‘Kishi no Sono’. Thank-you also for your kind letter. I have been sick for some time, but since my friend, who receives your magazine, spoke to me about the Catholic Religion, I have forgotten my own sufferings.”

In 1932, Fr. Maximilian left Japan for India to set up another monastery of Our Lady’s Knights. He was worn out and very sick. During his voyage to India he writes: “We must move quickly and spread devotion to Our Lady in every country of the world. There is no time to lose!”

When Fr. Maximilian arrived in India, he went to Ernakulam to see the Catholic Archbishop. The Archbishop was very cold towards the holy priest. Fr. Maximilian prayed to St. Therese of the Child Jesus to help him out, and soon all the difficulties were cleared away. It seemed like a miracle, and the Archbishop of Ernakulam wrote to the General of the Franciscan Order, officially inviting the Polish missionaries.

However, the mission did not blossom in India and it took a lot of effort to get things going. Fr. Maximilian had worked too hard and was in terrible health. On May 23^rd, 1936, he left for Poland, where at the Provincial Chapter, he was elected Guardian of Niepokalanow in Poland. This was a heavy cross for the saintly priest, because his heart remained with his dear pagans in Japan.

When Fr. Maximilian returned to Poland, in his writings and conferences, he made others aware that there was a coming catastrophe and also that he would die. He did not want to waste any time because of this, and he pushed onward more than before.

The saintly priest wanted everyone to become saints. Speaking to some people one day, he cried, “I demand that you become saints, and very great saints!” “But look here, Father! Do you not ask too much?” asked one person. “Why no!” he replied, “Sanctity is not a luxury, but a simple duty. It is one of Christ’s first teachings: ‘Be ye perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect.’”

All the people stared at the good Father. “Look, I will show you that sanctity is not difficult,” he said. Taking a piece of chalk, he wrote on the blackboard: w = W. “Here is my formula,” he continued. “Do you understand it? The small ‘w’ is my will. The capital ‘W’ is the Will of God. When you refuse to do God’s Will, the two lines cross like this: then you have a cross. If you don’t want to make a cross for yourself, then unite your will with the Holy Will of the good God, who wants you to become saints. It is so simple, all you have to do is obey!”

But who was Fr. Maximilian asking the people at the conference to obey? Why, it was God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost, Our Lady, and of course our Superiors. If we obey their desires and inspirations, we cannot help but please the good God.

The holy priest carried on. “THERE IS NOT ONE SINGLE HEROIC ACT THAT WE ARE UNABLE TO DO WITH THE HELP OF OUR LADY. We must show by good example how to sacrifice ourselves without limits for Mary. Our life is short. We must do all things as Mary would do them, and love God as Mary loves God. But remember these things are only learned on your knees by praying and meditating.”

Fr. Maximilian preached more by his example than by his words. His life was a continual prayer. He showed this to his Brothers as well. When there was something important to do, and the foreman would come to ask the good Father’s advice, they would both kneel down before a statue of Our Lady and then they would talk about the question or problem.

Fr. Maximilian was aware that the end of his life was approaching. He had something special to tell the Brothers. He said they could either go see a Christmas play or stay with him. Many went to see the Christmas play and some stayed behind to be with the holy priest. He spoke in solemn but gentle tones. “My dear Brothers, for the present I am still with you. You love me and I love you in return. But I will not always be here. I will die and you will stay. Before leaving, I would like to leave you something. I am your Father and you are my children. If you only knew how happy I am. In spite of all the troubles and difficulties of daily life, somewhere at the bottom of my heart, there is always this peace, this joy that cannot be expressed in human words.”

He was silent for a moment, and then humbly carried on, “My Brothers, love Mary, love Mary. She will make you happy. Give her your confidence and give yourself to her totally, without limits. Mary is the Mother of God. The Holy Ghost makes His spouse Mary, known however and to whomever He wills.”

The friars were all ears. They took in every word. The holy priest continued with tears in his eyes, “I am very happy and my soul is flooded with joy because I have been promised a place in Heaven. Yes, I will go to Heaven one day. My sons, love Mary, love Mary, love Mary!”

“Tell us more, Father,” the Brothers pleaded. “Where were you told this wonderful news? Please tell us, this may be our last chance to ask you!”

The good Father smiled, “Very well my sons, I will tell you. This happened in Japan. Now I will tell you nothing more, so please do not ask me for more information. My reason for telling my secret to you is so that you may gain strength and support from it in the trials that lay ahead for you. You must tell no one what I have just spoken to you as long as I am alive! God bless you, my sons.”

At the beginning of 1938, Fr. Maximilian told his Brothers that there would most certainly be a War. In March he said, “I want you to know, my Brothers, that a terrible conflict is taking place right now. We must expect the very worst for Poland. We are in the hands of Our Lady. I wish that we will all become Martyrs. Wouldn’t it be nice to seal our love for Mary with our blood? God’s Will be done!”

The Brothers had much to pray and think about. Sad to say, in September 1939, the Brothers fully realized the truth of Fr. Maximilian’s words. World War II started and Poland suffered tremendously. Bombs were dropped endlessly, night and day, on Poland. Cities and villages burned like torches all over the country. The people were terrified. They had never seen the like before. Suffering was everywhere. People were dying like flies…

Niepokalanow was also bombed. Seeing the situation getting worse every hour, Fr. Maximilian called his Brothers together and told them that they must go and take refuge with their families where they would be in less danger.

Some Brothers who were stronger stayed with him. The holy priest told these Brothers to renew their Act of Consecration to Our Lady. Bombs continued to fall. They prayed for the grace to persevere, to do God’s Holy Will in all things.

On September 19^th, 1939, the German Nazi’s came to the monastery and barked at the friars to leave immediately. They forced the Brothers into trucks and hauled them off to a camp. At the camp, Fr. Maximilian and his Brothers suffered greatly. They had beds of straw, and the rooms were extremely dirty.

The people were given very little food to eat; they were always hungry. The Brothers were able to keep their religious rules to some degree. As the months passed, Fr. Maximilian encouraged them, “We live in a great time of penance. Let us profit by it. Suffering is good and sweet to him who accepts it willingly. Courage. My children, our mission is coming to an end!”

True to his words, Fr. Maximilian and the Brothers were released on December 8^th, 1939, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. All returned to the monastery at Niepokalanow. They had adoration of the Blessed Sacrament night and day. Gradually more Brothers returned to the monastery; soon they numbered three hundred and seventy. Some Brothers who could not return had to keep hiding until better times came.

The Brothers succeeded in putting out another issue of the Immaculata magazine on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 8^th, 1940. In this magazine, Fr. Maximilian wrote his last article. He wrote, “No one in the world can change the truth. All that we can do is to seek it, find it, and live it!” How very true are these precious words.

On February 14^th, 1941, the terrible Nazi soldiers came to the Friary and took Fr. Maximilian and four other priests away with them to a concentration camp. The priests were treated terribly. One of the soldiers hit Fr. Maximilian a great number of times because the holy priest confessed that he believed in Christ Crucified.

Fr. Maximilian wrote a few letters to the Brothers at Niepokalanow from time to time. In his last letter dated May 12^th, 1941, he writes, “Let us be more and more completely led by Our Lady wherever she wants us to go, so that doing our duty through love, we may save ALL souls!”

A few days later, the German soldiers took Fr. Maximilian to Auschwitz. Millions of people were killed at this “Death Camp.” Fr. Maximilian continued to suffer. He was beaten and starved, but his heart still burned with great love for Jesus and Mary.

In July 1941, in Block 14, where Fr. Maximilian was imprisoned, a prisoner was missing. Because of this, ten men were forced to starve to death. As the men were picked out one of them cried, “I will never see my poor wife and children again!” Fr. Maximilian heard the poor man cry out, and offered to take his place. What a wonderful act of charity!

Into the dark bunker they went. The door was locked shut. Fr. Maximilian, being among them, heard their confessions and encouraged them to sing. As the days passed, six men died. On August 15th, 1941, as three men lay dying in the bunker, a jailer came and killed Fr. Maximilian by giving him a poisonous needle. The holy priest died as he had lived, with a great love for Jesus, Mary, and his fellow man. He laid down his life that another might live!

St. Maximilian, pray for us!

The End

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