Month of Mary #10 ( 16min) Play -Tonight we move from St. Louis de Montfort to St. Maximilian Kolbe. Father gives us an introduction to the life of the Saint, from his childhood when Our Lady appeared to him and offered him a white crown (purity) and a red crown (martyrdom), up to his “Martyrdom of Charity,” when took another man’s place in a Nazi starvation bunker*. St. Maximilian’s particular trait was his burning desire to do the will of God and to offer himself completely to whatever God’s will desired.

Today’s Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit, Living in Mary. Make me pure in body and spirit and help me to die to myself.

*It was Franciszek Gajowniczek, whose last public event before his death in 1995 was right here at Our Lady’s Chapel.

Ave Maria!

Audio (MP3)

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Month of Mary #15 ( 09min) Play – Having established that Mary does the will of God perfectly, and that by uniting ourselves to Her, we too can be united to the will of God, we now ask if there is anything more than abandoning ourselves to Her care. And, yes, St. Maximilian tells us, to be the graces of the Immaculate. Is this to far? St. Louis had us give ourselves to Mary as Her slave, but St. Maximilian has us be Her instrument. In Her hands, we will become instruments for the salvation of souls, but we must give ourselves without reserve, and She will use us to bring all to God, and to do it in the most perfect, easiest, and most beautiful way: through Her.

Today’s Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit, living in Mary. Prepare me to be a fit instrument in the hands of the Immaculata.

Ave Maria!

Audio (MP3)

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Happy 100th to the Militia of the Immaculate!!

Below is from the National Catholic Register:

How saint-started devotion has impacted the world.

by Joseph Pronechen

St. Maximilian Kolbe founded the Militia of the Immaculata with six fellow Franciscan seminarians in Poland Oct. 16, 1917 — three days after the final Fatima apparitions.Although the future saint may not have heard of Fatima, his ideas would fulfill some major requests Our Lady made for the world when she appeared in Portugal.The Militia Immaculatae — Latin for Militia of the Immaculata (MissionImmaculata.com) — “is a global vision of Catholic life under a new form, consisting in the bond with the Immaculata, our universal Mediatrix before Jesus,” St. Maximilian wrote. “The goal of the MI is, in fact, to make sure that all become saints. In all this activity, what strikes the eye most of all is its Marian thrust. This is a consequence of a precise understanding of the mission of the Immaculata.”The MI has grown into a worldwide movement in the last century and is today designated as an international public association of the faithful by the Holy See.According to MI’s national coordinator, Antonella Di Piazza, there are

Source: O Immaculata: St. Maximilian’s Marian Militia Turns 100 | ncregister.com

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Ave Maria!

The panel of speakers give answers to question at the Marian Coredemption symposium at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, La Crosse, WI in 2018. The panel consisted of Fr. Angelo Geiger, OFM Conv, Fr. Elias Mills, FI, Msgr. Arthur B. Calkins, and Dr. Robert Fastiggi. Questions asked are:

0:55 – What were St. Maximilian Kolbe’s reasons for starting the MI (Militia of the Immaculate)?

3:09 – What was Joseph’s role in the Redemption?

21:06 – Was Mary separated from God when she lost Jesus?

24:49 – What is the relationship between Joseph and Mary?

For more talks from this conference: http://dev.airmaria.com/tag/la-crosse-coredemption-symposium-2018/

This two day Marian Symposium was called “Mary Coredemptrix: Relevance and Remedy for Our Time” and was held at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, La Crosse, WI, October 12-13, 2018 on how Mary is the the Co-redeemer with Christ in that, although the redemption fully depended on Christ, Mary played a unique role.

It was sponsored by the Franciscans of the Immaculate – https://marymediatrix.com/
in conjunction with Dr. Mark Miravalle – https://www.markmiravalle.com/
and the International Marian Association – https://internationalmarian.com/

For more on the shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe: https://www.guadalupeshrine.org/

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The Life of St. Maximilian Kolbe, Martyr, First Order (1894-1941) for the Franciscan Saint of the Day for Aug 14. St. Maximilian Kolbe was born in Poland and studied for the priesthood in Italy and returned to Poland to start his mass media apostolate centered on his Knight of the Immaculate to promote his Militia of the Immaculate, becoming the largest newspaper in Poland and started the City of the Immaculate that became the largest religious house in the history of the Church. The Nazis sent him to the death camp Auschwitz where he took the place of a condemned prisoner, dying as a martyr of charity.

Reflection is on the Militia of Mary Immaculate that St Maximilian started to combat anti-Catholic forces by promoting devotion to Mary Immaculate and particularly consecration to Mary, giving our whole selves to Mary. and how such Catholic action promotes the reign of Christ.

For more on St. Maximilian Kolbe
– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximilian_Kolbe
– https://saintmaximiliankolbe.com/

Also on Youtube: https://youtu.be/qKDYfAQh-c8

Read by Fr. Ignatius Manfredonia, FI from Marion Habig’s ‘The Franciscan Book of Saints’ Revised Edition, Franciscan Herald Press, ISBN: 978-0819907516

Playlist of Franciscan Saints: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TxcAETrU_k&list=PLejh_e0-LN4wErRczZGry4TXytCZFiLCm

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With Dr. J. Isaac Goff, we continue to read through chapter four of The Theologian of Auschwitz by Fr. Peter Damian Fehlner, this time looking at the Purpose, Conditions, and Means of St. Maximilian Kolbe’s Militia of the Immaculate. We then look at the integration of the intellect and will as essential for an integral Christian life, and workable only by the action of the Holy Spirit working in those who are, like Jesus, both Children of God and Children of Mary. We even get to see some unpublished writings of Fr. Peter Damian Fehlner on the charismatic life.

The Book: https://www.lectiopublishing.com/books.php?b=16

00:00:00 Opening Prayer
00:02:00 MI versus two types of revolutionary secularism: Bolshevik and Free Masonic
00:05:07 Fatima and MI: Penance, Rosary, Sacred and Immaculate Hearts
00:06:40 MI as within the Franciscan Order, but addressed to the whole Church and based in the Holy Spirit
00:09:40 Purpose, Conditions, and Means of the Militia of the Immaculate
00:13:50 Being a free and personal “instrument” of the Immaculate
00:22:39 Will and Secularism: Indifferentism vs fanaticism
00:25:50 Will and Freedom, Integration of Thought and Prayer
00:37:00 The “middle” of the secular: neither autonomy nor theocracy, neither sacred nor satanic
00:46:00 The evil of secularism: the choice for the secular as rejection of creator and disintegration of an absolute good
00:50:00 Moving through the “middle”
00:53:00 Revelation, interiorization, and supernatural obedience
01:06:00 The “middle” isolated beginning or end: cut off from reality, must make myths instead of truth
01:10:00 Sealed-off middle: obedience as servile, all is will, intellect doesn’t enter
01:11:30 Christian Critique of Jordan Peterson: Absolutizing consciousness to expense of metaphysics
01:12:44 Traditionalism: not integrating intellect leading to lack of prudence and over-reliance on external authority
01:20:00 Marian Consecration first and Marian Vow comes later
01:28:47 Marian Consecration and opposition to Kolbe
01:32:47 Transubstantiation into Mary: Union of Love in Christian Life
01:35:10 Primary dogmatic use of “Transubstantiation”
01:36:30 Analogical extension: Mary into Holy Spirit, We into Mary: Recapitulation and ordering
01:42:20 Transformation of person to establish communion between persons: Transubstantiation on personal level
01:47:00 Bonaventure: Love transforms the one loving into the one loved [ut transformet amantem in amantum] II Sent., d. 39, dubium 1, resp.
01:56:30 Russian Orthodox: Florensky and Bulgakov
02:00:00 Charismatic/Mystical/Contemplative Theology: Institutional, Sacramental, Spiritual elements of Church inseparable
02:03:00 Reading unpublished words of Fr. Peter
02:05:12 An uncharismatic faith: supernatural qua habit, intellectual/natural qua lived out
02:05:40 Charismatic faith: supernatural in second act, lived by power of Holy Spirit
02:08:30 Marian Consecration as taking our baptism and state of life to maturity in the Holy Spirit
02:10:30 Born Again without a Mother? Marian Consecration as being Born-Again Christians
02:14:40 Jesus is Center, Mary is Central
02:20:00 Jonathan Pageau and all symbols converging on Christ on Cross and in Eucharist
02:21:20 Mary as hermeneutic for living the Cross and the Mass

Ave Maria!

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Fr Matthias gives the homily at Bloomington, IN, on Aug 14, 2024, on how St. Maximilian Kolbe’s life of Marian devotion and ultimate martyrdom teaches us to trust in Our Lady’s guidance for true transformation in Christ.

The solemnity of St. Maximilian Kolbe, highlighting his significant Marian devotion, which builds on the charism of St. Francis of Assisi. St. Maximilian, deeply influenced by his mother’s teachings, embraced a life dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, asking her what would become of him. He received a vision of Our Lady offering him two crowns: one of purity and one of martyrdom, which he accepted. This moment marked a profound change in his life, leading him to establish the Militia of the Immaculate in 1917, which now has millions of members. St. Maximilian’s deep trust in Our Lady led to remarkable achievements, including the founding of the Marian friary Niepokalanów in Poland and the successful launch of the Catholic periodical “The Knight of the Immaculate.” Even when he faced the ultimate test of faith in Auschwitz, where he offered his life in place of another, St. Maximilian’s consecration to Mary brought him perfect conformity to Christ, emphasizing that Our Lady is not an obstacle but a channel of God’s greatest graces. Father concludes by encouraging everyone to follow St. Maximilian’s example, allowing Our Lady to transform their lives through her guidance.

John 19:27 – Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/19?27
Revelation 2:10 – “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/revelation/2?10
John 15:13 – “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/15?13
CCC 971 – “The Church’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship.” – http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/971.htm
CCC 969 – “Mary’s role in the Church is inseparable from her union with Christ and flows directly from it.” – http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/969.htm
CCC 2447 – “The works of mercy are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor.” – http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/2447.htm

00:00 – Solemnity of St. Maximilian
00:29 – Marian Influence in Franciscan Order
01:31 – St. Maximilian’s Vision of Crowns
03:29 – Embracing Martyrdom and Confession
05:01 – Founding Militia of the Immaculate
06:17 – Miraculous Growth of the Order
07:00 – Perfect Conformity to Christ
09:11 – St. Maximilian’s Radiant Death

Ave Maria!

Mass: St. Maximilian Kolbe – Solemnity – http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/
Readings:  – http://usccb.org/bible/readings/081424.cfm
1st: wis 3:1-9
Resp: psa 116:10-17
2nd: 1jo 3:13-18
Gsp: joh 15:12-17

More on the Readings: http://dev.airmaria.com/r?m=1344

Also on Facebook:
and YouTube: https://youtu.be/dj5Lz6lzQkM

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