Maximilian Kolbe (1894-1941)
Feast Day: August 14

St. Maximilian Kolbe, the Polish priest who sacrificed his life for another at Auschwitz, is a true model of courage for January. Born in 1894 to a weaver and a midwife, young Raymund Kolbe had a vision at age twelve of the Virgin Mary. She offered him two crowns—one white and one red—symbolizing purity and martyrdom. She asked if he would accept either of them, and he said he would accept both. 

In 1907, Kolbe and his brother became Franciscans, and entered seminary. In 1910 he chose his religious name, Maximilian, and in 1918 he was ordained a priest. Always dedicated to the Virgin Mary, he founded the Militia Immaculatae, an organization for the honor of Mary. After recovering from tuberculosis, he carried out missionary journeys to China and Japan. He had returned to Poland by the time World War II began. Kolbe remained in his monastery, which organized a temporary hospital, sheltered 2,000 Jews, and published anti-Nazi materials. Kolbe was arrested, along with four other monks, on February 17, 1941, when the Nazis shut down his monastery. He was transferred to Auschwitz, where he continued to work as a priest and comfort his fellow inmates. In July, someone escaped from Maximilian Kolbe's bunker, and in retribution, the Nazis chose ten men for death by starvation. When the priest heard one of the men cry out "My wife! My children!" he volunteered to take that man's place. Kolbe and his nine companions were taken to an underground bunker, where most passed away from starvation. The priest consoled the others, leading them in prayers and hymns. He was one of the few still remaining after two weeks without food or water, and willingly accepted death by lethal injection on August 14, 1941. 

Franciszek Gajowniczek, the man for whom Maximilian Kolbe sacrificed himself and also a Catholic, lived until 1995 and attended Kolbe's beatification and canonization. In 1994, he told a translator that "so long as he ... has breath in his lungs, he would consider it his duty to tell people about the heroic act of love by Maximilian Kolbe." 

---

​Maximilian Kolbe: Saint for Anointing of the Sick. Barbara Yoffie. Illustrated by Jeff Albrecht. Liguori Publications, 2014. (K-3)
Part of the Saints and Me! series, this biography of Maximilian Kolbe for younger readers emphasizes the connection between Kolbe and the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick—the cover shows him anointing a fellow prisoner. As a priest at Auschwitz, Kolbe comforted the dying as all priests do when they offer the Anointing of the Sick. Slightly cartoony illustrations accompany a book for younger kids. 

---

Maximilian Kolbe: The Saint of Auschwitz. Jean-Francois Vivier. Illustrated by Denoël. Sophia Institute Press, 2020. (3-6)
A graphic novel format makes this rendition of Maximilian Kolbe's life gripping and immersive for older children. The authors consulted real archives to put together a realistic, powerful story of Kolbe's life.  

---

Saint Maximilian Kolbe: A Hero of the Holocaust. Fiorella de Maria. Ignatius Press, 2022. (4-6)
Part of Ignatius' high-quality series of chapter books for older children on Catholic saints. This book thoroughly tells the story of Kolbe's life, beginning with his childhood vision of the two crowns of purity and martyrdom. A readable book that will draw older children in from the beginning, though not suitable for a morning gathering due to its novel-style length and format. 

---

“Maximilian Kolbe” in  Character is Destiny.  Inspiring Stories Every Young Person Should Know and Every Adult Should Remember.  
John McCain and Mark Salter. Random House, 2005, pp.146-152. (5-6)  
​Compassion
In World War II, Polish priest Maximilian Kolbe wrote fearlessly about the confrontation between “good and evil, sin and love” and his work was seen as a threat to the Nazi regime.  Kolbe was rounded up by the Gestapo and interned at Auschwitz.  McCain and Salter recount the gripping tale of suffering in the camp, Kolbe’s work there, and the priest’s sacrifice of his own life to save a fellow prisoner from execution.  Because of the graphic descriptions of suffering, the story is not recommended for younger children, but it is a compelling true story of compassion and love in action.

---

Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821)
Feast Day: January 4

​Elizabeth Ann Seton is an exemplar of courage, fortitude, and resilience. Imagine coming from a wealthy family, having five children, but losing your home, your husband, and all your financial resources before age 30.  And being famous for what you did later! Born Elizabeth Ann Bayley to a socially prominent New York family in 1774, Elizabeth's father was surgeon who assisted immigrants arriving on New York's Staten Island; her mother (who died when she was three) and stepmother were both active in the Episcopal church's ministry to the city's poor.

Young Elizabeth helped charter the city's "Society for the Relief of Poor Widows with Small Children" in 1797. She married merchant William Seton at age nineteen and had five children. When her husband's business went bankrupt and she was tragically widowed at age 29, her life took a different path. Her husband's battle with tuberculosis had taken them to Italy, where friends introduced her to the Catholic faith.  Elizabeth converted to Catholicism and was received into the Church in New York City in 1805 and confirmed by Archbishop John Carroll, who a few years later asked her to assist him in Baltimore.  Scorned for her conversion by many of her Manhattan friends, she picked up her family and headed to Maryland.  There she started schools for girls, the first free Catholic school, and founded the Order of the Sisters of Charity (later Daughters of Charity) to care for children of the poor. Renowned as a charming, educated, and gracious woman, she had the courage to follow her calling,  ignore the anti-Catholic sentiment of her times, leave her home and serve the Lord and her country in a new way.

---

Mother Seton and the Sisters of Charity. Alma Power-Waters. Ignatius Press, 2000. (4-6)​

Part of Ignatius Press' series for older children, this chapter book tells the story of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton's life in an accessible format. Elizabeth Bayley, who was born into a Protestant family, married William Seton and had five children before he died of tuberculosis in 1803. Elizabeth converted to Catholicism and eventually founded the American Sisters of Charity, which had 21 communities by the time of her death. 

Elizabeth Ann Seton: Mother for Many. Barbara Yoffie. Illustrated by Katherine Borgatti. Liguori, 2013. (K-3)

Geared to younger children, this book in the Saints and Me! series tells the story of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton's life in a slim illustrated edition. 

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton: Daughter of America. Jeanne Marie Grunwell. Illustrated by Mari Goering. Pauline Books & Media, 1999. (K-6)

Another chapter book edition, this one in the Encounter the Saints series, explores the life of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in an edition that can be read independently by older children or read aloud to younger children (one reviewer reported reading this to 3- and 4-year olds!)