On June 1-13, 2024, a new edition of the Kolbe Project designed for English-speaking friars took place.
Six friars from the African Federation of Conventual Franciscans (AFCOF) participated. They were Friars Emmanuel Mutune MUTUA and Simon KAARU from the Province of St. Francis of Assisi in Kenya; Friars Evaristo Kabaso MWAPE and Stephen CHISHALA from the Province of the Franciscan Protomartyrs in Zambia, and Friars Amedeus Cyprian MARO and Simon Leonce NAKEI from the Provincial Custody of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe in Tanzania.
Friars Piotr BIELENIN and Wojciech SZYMCZAK led the course program which explores Kolbean spirituality and the life of St. Maximilian M. KOLBE. The Kolbe Project was organized by the Province of St. Anthony and Bl. James of Strepar in Poland (Cracow), the St. Maximilian Center in Harmęże, Poland, and the Institute of Franciscan Studies in Cracow. The project aims to reflect on today’s social, political and ecclesial reality in the light of the charism of St. Maximilian, and to examine his thoughts and actions in order to find solutions to the spiritual, religious and apostolic challenges of today.
The project was conducted in two ways: the friars attended a series of lectures and workshops and they visited sites related to the life, activities and death of St. Maximilian.
The course began at the St. Francis of Assisi Friary in Cracow, where St. Maximilian founded the first communities of the Militia of the Immaculata. He founded them first among the friars and later among the lay faithful. In response to the need for continuing formation, he created a monthly magazine, Knight of the Immaculata, the first issues of which were published in the friary in Cracow. The friars also visited Cracow’s historic city center, where they prayed at Wawel Cathedral, the Shrine of Divine Mercy and the Shrine of St. John Paul II.
The lectures and workshops took place at the St. Maximilian Center in Harmęże, near Auschwitz. There, the friars were introduced to Kolbean thought; they explored the Writings of St. Maximilian Kolbe and interpreted today’s reality in their light. One important event was an extended visit to the Auschwitz concentration camp where St. Maximilian died. The event was even more special because the participants got to learn some of the lesser-known history of the mass extermination and the disregard for human life that took place in the concentration camp. They spent several hours meditating at the site of the Birkenau camp (Auschwitz II) or in the immediate vicinity of the Auschwitz camp. In the end, everyone returned to the Auschwitz State Museum, where they prayed inside the cell where the martyrdom of St. Maximilian took place. The friars gained a deeper understanding of the reality of the camp when they viewed the shocking testimony of life in Auschwitz that was depicted in a series of paintings created by one of the prisoners, Marian KOŁODZIEJ. His exhibition, “Negatives of Memory,” is on display in the basement of the Conventual Franciscan church in Harmęże.
While at the St. Maximilian Center, the participants met with the friars who work there on a daily basis. The friars talked about their experience in spreading the Kolbean legacy through retreats, formation meetings, and in particular, through the Internet and social media. The participants also visited the Father Kolbe Missionary Sisters of the Immaculata, whose charism and work are inspired by the life of St. Maximilian.
At the end of their stay in Harmęże, the friars celebrated Mass for the local parishioners. Friar Simon KAARU gave the homily and everyone sang a song of thanksgiving in Swahili.
The next stop was the friary-seminary in Łódź Łagiewniki, Poland. On the way, the friars stopped at the National Marian Shrine at the Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, Poland, where St. Maximilian prayed several times.
The next day was devoted to St. Maximilian’s childhood. In Zduńska Wola, Poland, the participants prayed at the church where St. Maximilian’s parents were married, and where their son Rajmund was baptized. Next, the friars visited the KOLBE family home, which was a special history lesson.
From Zduńska Wola the friars traveled to Pabianice, where they viewed the two crowns displayed in the parish church. They also visited the church named after St. Maximilian which features a huge altar painting of the saint. The painting had been displayed in front of “Bernini’s Glory” [the Holy Spirit window behind the main papal altar of St. Peter’s Basilica] at the time of Maximilian’s beatification in Rome.
Another highlight was a visit to Niepokalanów, the friary-publishing house founded by St. Maximilian. Several hours were devoted to learning about the past and current history of the friary. The friars visited the friary’s museum dedicated to St. Maximilian, where they saw two cells where he lived, the printing presses, the publishing house, the infirmary, the editorial office of Radio Niepokalanów, the basilica, and the friary cemetery. Later, they joined the friars of the community for lunch. Afterwards, they celebrated Mass in the First Chapel in Niepokalanów, where, for years, Father KOLBE used to celebrate Mass. This fact was made evident by the use of his chasuble and chalice during the liturgy.
After visiting the Niepokalanow Friary, the participants stayed overnight in Niepokalanów Lasek, a place built by St. Maximilian to serve as a rest house for the friars after their strenuous publishing work. Currently, this house serves as a formation center for the Militia of the Immaculata in Poland.
The next day, until noon, the friars spend time alone in Niepokalanów in order to reflect personally in this place so dear to St. Maximilian. They later visited the archive where some of St. Maximilian’s personal belongings are stored. In the afternoon, the they traveled to Warsaw and, after a short rest at the friary housing the Provincial Curia, they took a walk through the historic city center.
During dinner on the last evening, they summarized their experiences, shared observations and expressed their gratitude to all those who made the Kolbe Project possible.
An edition of the Kolbe Project designed for Italian-speaking friars is scheduled for September of this year.
Friar Piotr BIELENIN
