Franciscans Honor Saint of Auschwitz with Relic Tour
Commemorating the 75th Anniversary of St. Maximilian Kolbe’s
martyrdom, Friars proclaim legacy of this modern saint.

To commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the martyrdom of St. Maximilian Kolbe (a friar of our Order of Friars Minor Conventual who died in the World War II concentration camp in Auschwitz, Poland) our friars of Our Lady of the Angels Province have sponsored a pilgrimage of St. Maximilian’s relics (consisting of fragments of his beard). This is the largest tour of St. Maximilian Kolbe relics in the United States. It began on January 15, 2016 with an Opening Mass celebrated by our Minister Provincial, the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv., followed by veneration, held the Shrine of St. Anthony in Ellicott City, Maryland. The tour will include 38 ministry sites along the East Coast of the United States and Canada. The pilgrimage of St. Maximilian’s relics will return to our Ellicott City, MD ministry at the Shrine of St. Anthony for a concluding Closing Ceremony, on St. Maximilian’s feast day, August 14th.

The next stop on the Kolbe Relic Tour is our pastoral ministry of the Faith Community of St. Casimir Church. Located in the historic waterfront community of Canton (2800 O’Donnell Street, Baltimore, MD 21224-4796 ~ 410-276-1981), the Opening Ceremony for this relic tour stop will take place at the 5:00 p.m. Saturday Mass, on January 23, 2016. Veneration of the relic will be available after that Mass as well as after the two parish Masses on Sunday, January 24, 2016 (8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m.). Following the 5:00 p.m. Mass on Sunday, January 24th the relic will be taken to the St. Stanislaus Kostka Chapel, in the St. Joseph Cupertino Center, on the corner of Kenwood and O’Donnell Streets. The chapel is usually open for private prayer and Eucharistic Adoration on the 3rd Monday of each month. For this special Relic Tour, the chapel will instead be open for veneration and private prayer on that Monday (January 25th) following the daily 8:00 a.m. Mass. At 4:00 p.m. the relic will be continue to be available for veneration during Eucharistic Adoration. The evening will conclude with a special Celebration Service at 7:00 p.m., followed by Night Prayer at 8:00 p.m.
All are welcome and encouraged to join the parish community and our friars serving there for this stop at St. Casimir Parish; one of our most beautiful and historic parish locations, under the pastoral leadership of Our Lady of the Angels Province friar, Fr. Dennis Grumsey, OFM Conv.
Visit the parish for weekend Mass or on any Monday – Saturday, throughout the year, for 8:00 a.m. Mass in the Chapel which stays open for private prayer until 4:00 p.m.  The St. Stanislaus Kostka Chapel is in the St. Joseph Cupertino Center across from the friary – diagonal from the Church. It is open each third Monday of the month for Eucharistic Adoration from 4-8:00 p.m., concluding with Night Prayer.

The next stop after St. Casimir Church will be one of our newest pastoral ministries of St. Wenceslaus Church (Baltimore, MD). This beautiful church (established by Bohemian Catholic immigrants in 1872 and built in 1914) is “twinned” with St. Ann’s Catholic Church (cornerstone was laid in 1873 – built 1874), under the pastoral leadership of Our Lady of the Angels Province friar, Fr. Timothy Dore, OFM Conv. They will hold a special 7:00 p.m. Welcoming Mass on Friday, January 29, 2016. All are encouraged to attend.

Click the above image to order copies of St. Maximilian Kolbe: Martyr of Charity