Feast Day of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv ~ August 14th
“Hate destroys. Love alone creates.” This line uttered by Saint Maximilian Kolbe, OFM Conv. over 75 years ago is more appropriate now than ever! We live in a world where hatred seems to be the norm. There are times when we want to throw up our arms in defeat. The devil seems to be winning. Saint Maximilian gives us an example on how to defeat hatred and evil in our own times. Saint Maximilian faced hatred head on. He led a life of heroic charity that culminated in his martyrdom during World War II at the Nazi death camp Auschwitz in Poland. The patron saint of prisoners, journalists, the addicted, the pro-life movement and families, he voluntarily took the place of a fellow prisoner, a husband and father who was selected to die by starvation. After he survived for two weeks without food, St. Maximilian’s death was hastened by lethal injection August 14, 1941.
The blessing of the St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv. statue by Pope Saint John Paul II, on the occasion of the Martyr of Charity’s canonization, on October 10, 1982. Our friars were gifted the statue by the family of Msgr. Siedlecki, upon his passing, through a personal connection with our Minister Provincial, the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv. Msgr. Siedlecki attended the canonization with Fr. Burakowski (as did Fr. James) and purchased the statue through the help of Fr. Flavian Slominski, OFM Conv., the rector of the Penitenzeria at the Vatican and the personal confessor of Pope St. John Paul II. The statue is now housed in a small outdoor shrine on the property of our ministry of The Shrine of St. Anthony, in Ellicott City. (See picture above it.)
Friday, August 12, 2016 Noon Mass
Veneration of relic until 5:00 p.m.
7:00 p.m. – Evening Prayer
Veneration of relic until 9:00pm Saturday, August 13, 2016 Noon Mass
Healing Prayers and Veneration of Relic until 5:00 p.m. Sunday, August 14, 2016 Noon Solemn Mass in Honor of Saint Maximilian Kolbe
Presider and Homilist Bishop Gregory J. Hartmayer, OFM Conv. (Savannah)
Procession to the Outdoor St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv. Shrine and the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto with Litany to Saint Maximilian M. Kolbe,OFM Conv.
Courtyard Picnic
Minister Provincial, the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv. holds the reliquary of the 1st class relics of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv. inside the outdoor shrine on the property of the Shrine of St. Anthony. This small structure houses the statue of St. Maximilian Kolbe that was blessed by Pope St. John Paul II at the canonization of our Martyr of Charity. Fr. James is joined by Fr. Jobe Abbass, OFM Conv., a friar of our province and the the Provincial Assistant to the Militia Immaculata – an evangelization movement identifying with Mary that was established by St. Maximilian Kolbe (on his left) and the Most Reverend Gregory J. Hartmayer, OFM Conv., a friar of our province who is the Bishop of Savannah (on right) and several other friars of our province.
At the Mass, Bro. Joseph Cannon C.S.Sp. was welcomed by Fr. James and our friars on hand as a new Postulant for our Province. Please keep him and our other five Postulants who are already at the St. Bonaventure Friary Postulancy in Chicago, IL, for a year of discernment in the first stage of Formation as Franciscan Friars Conventual.
The last two pastoral ministries to welcome the 2016 Pilgrimage of the Relic of St. Maximilian Kolbe are planning a joint event. On Sunday, August 7, 2016 , the relic of St. Maximillian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv. will be at The Church of St. Catharine of Siena (Seaside Park, NJ) for a special 4:00 p.m. service. Our Lady of the Angels Province friar and pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Roman Catholic Community (Seaside Heights, NJ), Fr. Bartholomew Karwacki, OFM Conv. will preach. He and the other friars of Our Lady of the Angels Province, who reside at the St. Catharine of Siena Friary (Fr. John Ruffo, OFM Conv. – pastor of St. Catharine of Siena, Fr. Emmett Carroll, OFM Conv., Fr. Antone Kandrac, OFM Conv., Fr. Terence Pescatore, OFM Conv. and Friar Gregory Spuhler) welcome all to join them in this special celebration.
Our ministries in New Jersey are the last to welcome the 1st degree beard fragment relics that have been traveling throughout our province since the Opening Ceremonies in January 2016, at our special ministry of the Shrine of St. Anthony (Ellicott City, MD). There are three ministry locations before the relics return to the Shrine for the Closing Ceremonies on the Feast of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv.:
Excerpt from the July 24, 2016 St. Peter Parish Bulletin:
In commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Conventual Franciscan Friar, St. Maximilian Kolbe, Our Lady of the Angels Province has scheduled a pilgrimage of a relic throughout our province U.S. and Canadian territory. The reliquary is one of four that was created in 1971 (11 years prior to his canonization). The relics will be at Saint Peter Church in Point Pleasant Beach from Friday, July 29 through Sunday, July 31, 2016.
Friday, July 29 7:00 p.m.: Welcoming of the relics of Saint Maximilian Kolbe to the parish of Saint Peter with Evening Prayer.
Church will remain open until 9:00 p.m. with the relics on display.
Saturday, July 30 8:30 a.m.: Votive Mass in honor of Saint Maximilian Kolbe.
Relics on display from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 31 Regular Sunday Mass schedule (7:30, 9:00, 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 noon):
Relics on display from 7:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
The last New York stop on the 2016Pilgrimage of the Relic of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv tour is our pastoral ministry of the Roman Catholic Community of Most Holy Trinity – St.Mary, in Brooklyn. Join Our Lady of the Angels Province friars, Fr. Justin Biase, OFM Conv. (Guardian of the Most Holy Trinity Friary and Parochial Vicar at Most Holy Trinity – St. Mary), Fr. Russell Governale, OFM Conv. (Vocation Director @ 718-510-5822 or vocations@olaprovince.org), Fr. Pedro de Oliveira, OFM Conv. (pastor of Most Holy Trinity – St. Mary), Br. Nicholas Spano, OFM Conv. (Director of the San Damiano Mission), and Fr. Mieczyslaw Wilk, OFM Conv. (a friar from Krakow who serves as Parochial Vicar at Most Holy Trinity – St. Mary) for a weekend filled with events honoring the Martyr of Charity‘s life.
St. Maximilian Kolbe Relic Tour July 22-24, 2016 Friday, July 22, 2016
7:00 p.m. Arrival & Welcoming and Veneration of the Relic of St. Maximilian Kolbe
followed by a Tri-Lingual Mass (English, Spanish, Polish) Saturday, July 23, 2016
8:30 a.m. Holy Rosary (Tri-Lingual)
9:00 a.m. Tri-Lingual Mass in honor of St. Maximilian Kolbe with veneration of Relic
The celebration continues with light refreshments &
the viewing of the video Life for Life, in School Gymnasium Sunday Masses
8:15 a.m. Polish Mass followed by veneration of Relic of St. Kolbe
9:30 a.m. English Mass followed by veneration of Relic of St. Kolbe
10:45 a.m. Spanish Mass followed by veneration of Relic of St. Kolbe
12:30 p.m. English Mass followed by veneration of Relic of St. Kolbe
(Excerpt from the July 3rd St. Adalbert Roman Catholic Church – Parish Bulletin) THE RELIC OF ST. MAXIMILIAN KOLBE TO BE VENERATED AT ST. ADALBERT PARISH, ELMHURST, NEW YORK JULY 15 – 17, 2016
Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of St. Maximilian Kolbe, O.F.M., the Our Lady of the Angels Province U.S.A. is offering the faithful the opportunity to venerate the first class relic of the saint. On 28 May 1941 St. Maximilian Kolbe was transferred to Auschwitz and branded as prisoner 16670. He was assigned to a special work group staffed by priests and supervised by especially vicious and abusive guards. His calm dedication to the faith brought him the worst jobs available, and more beatings than anyone else. At one point he was beaten, lashed, and left for dead. The prisoners managed to smuggle him into the camp hospital where he spent his recovery time hearing confessions. When he returned to the camp, Maximilian ministered to other prisoners, including conducting Mass and delivering communion using smuggled bread and wine. In July 1941 there was an escape from the camp. Camp protocol, designed to make the prisoners guard each other, required that ten men be slaughtered in retribution for each escaped prisoner. Franciszek Gajowniczek, a married man with young children was chosen to die for the escape. Maximilian volunteered to take his place, and died as he had always wished – in service. Do not forget to ask this great saint, who was willing to give up his own life, to intercede for you or your loved one’s addiction! He will surely hear your prayers and present the to Our Lord!
(Excerpt from the July 10th St. Adalbert Roman Catholic Church – Parish Bulletin)
As St. Adalbert Church continues to celebrate their 125th Anniversary as a Parish, they invite all to venerate the Relic of St. Maximilian after all Masses July 15-17, 2016. They will have the relic on display during those days, in their lower church.
St. Adalbert Roman Catholic Church Mass Schedule:
Friday, July 15th: 6:45 a.m. & 9:00 a.m.
Saturday, July 16th: 9:00 a.m. & 5:00 p.m. Vigil Mass Note: Reconciliation on Saturday from 4-5:00 p.m.
Sunday, July 17th: 8:30 a.m., 10:00 a.m. (in Polish) & 11:30 a.m
Friday, July 8th ~ 6:00 p.m.
Welcoming the holy relics with a brief prayer service in church.
After the prayer service, the video Life for Life, will be shown in the church hall. Saturday, July 9th ~ 4:00 p.m.
Lord’s Day Vigil Mass followed by Veneration of the Relics. Sunday, July 10th ~ 10:00 a.m.
Bi-Lingual (English-Polish) Mass followed by Veneration of the Relics
All are welcome to join Our Lady of the Angels Province friar and pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Fr. Conrad Salach, OFM Conv., the parish staff and the parishioners who are celebrating 111 years as the Mother Church of Polonia in the Greater New Bedford area this year, as they take the weekend to learn more about and to honor St. Maximilian Kolbe, a confrere of our Order.
Pilgrims Venerate with Fr. Conrad Salach, OFM Conv.
The Assembly
The Reliquary of the 1st Degree Relics of St. Maximilian Kolbe (Beard Fragments)
Most often, although our friars live in one friary, their ministries vary. One great example is the “family” of friars who live in the St. Paul Friary, in Kensington, CT. While most of the friars living there primarily serve the people of St. Paul Catholic Church, one of the resident friars serves as the pastor of a parish that is less than 10 miles away.
Fr. Mark Curesky, OFM Conv. is pastor of St. John Catholic Church, in Cromwell, CT, where our friars have been serving in leadership roles since 1995. This pastoral ministry will be the July 4th stop in the Pilgrimage of the Relic of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv. that remains in the New England area through mid-July. He and the St. John Parish community welcome all to join them for a special Independence Day Mass at 9:00 a.m., at which veneration of the relics will be available. This is a wonderful way to celebrate freedom and the sacrifices that help protect that gift. The closing of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Fortnight for Freedom is July 4th; the day we in the USA celebrate our cherished liberty, as a nation.
Witness to Freedom: This year, the USCCB showcased women and men of faith who bore or continue to bear witness to freedom in Christ, as part of the Fortnight for Freedom 2016, that runs from June 21 – July 4, 2016. Included in that list is St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv. (Follow link to PDF) The photo used by the USCCB Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, for this publication, is one of our small shrine of St. Maximilian located on the grounds of the Shrine of St. Anthony, in Ellicott City, MD. At the October 10, 1982 canonization of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv. many items were blessed by the Holy Father (Pope Saint John Paul II). Among them was the centerpiece statue of St. Maximilian Kolbe, now housed within the small shrine. The end of our 2016 relic tour, takes place where it all began. All are welcome to join our friars in this celebration at the Shrine of St. Anthony, on the Feast of August 14, 2016 Closing Ceremonies, in celebration of the Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe, August 14th. While you are with us, take a few moments to visit our small outdoor, open air shrine and pray with our beloved Martyr of Charity.
Our Pilgrimage of the Relic of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv. is going to remain in the New England area through mid-July. It will then head to our ministries in New York City and New Jersey before returning to the Shrine of St. Anthony, in Ellicott City, MD for the August 14, 2016 Closing Ceremonies, in celebration of the Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe.
After spending the end of June with the Felician Franciscan Sisters (Sisters of St. Felix of Cantalice, in Enfield, CT) where friar, Fr. Noel Danielewicz, OFM Conv. serves as chaplain, the relics move onto our pastoral ministry of St. Paul Catholic Church, in Kensington, CT, for the first weekend of July. Please join the parish community and our friars living and working from the St. Paul Friary, including the pastor of St. Paul Parish, Fr. Robert Schlageter, OFM Conv., for veneration at any of the parish Masses offered on those three days.
Veneration Opportunities at St. Paul Catholic Church (Kensington, CT)
Friday, July 1, 2016:
Daily Masses at 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Saturday, July 2, 2016:
Vigil Mass at 4:00 p.m. (Reconciliation is also offered from 3-3:34 p.m.) Sunday, July 3, 2016:
All Masses – 7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 noon
On Monday, the 4th of July, the relics of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv. will be available for veneration at our pastoral ministry of St. John Catholic Church, in Cromwell, CT. Our Lady of the Angels Province friar and pastor, Fr. Mark Curesky, OFM Conv., along with his congregation, welcome you to join them for 9:00 a.m. Mass. Friar Mark also lives in community with the friars of St. Paul Friary who include not only Friar Robert, but the Parochial Vicars of St. Paul Catholic Church: Fr. Raymond Borkowski, OFM Conv., Fr. Charles Jagodzinski, OFM Conv and Fr. Timothy Lyons, OFM Conv. When a friar is unable to live in a friary due to health needs or work constrictions, he is considered “de familia” to a friary because friars of our Order are always part of a friary “family.” St. Paul Friary has two such friars: Fr. Augustine Pilatowski, OFM Conv. (living in an assisted living facility) and Fr. Jerzy Auguscik, OFM Conv. (a member of the Province of St. Maximilian Kolbe in Gdansk-Poland, who works with our province and serves as Administrator of St. Francis of Assisi Church, in New Britain, CT).
On the same weekend that the 2016 Pilgrimage of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe Relic will be stopping at our pastoral ministry of the Basilica of St. Stanislaus, Bishop & Martyr (Chicopee, MA), Our Lady of the Angels Province friar, Pastor and Rector of the Basilica, Fr. Joseph Benicewicz, OFM Conv., the friars, staff and parishioners will also welcome the members of the Korean War Veterans Association. They will attend the 10:00 a.m. Mass on Sunday, June 26th, as a group before going onto the Korean War Memorial on Front Street. The parish is pleased to welcome the Korean Veterans in conjunction with the Relic Tour, in commemoration of the beginning of the Korean War on June 25, 1950. The parish will also take time at the 10:00 a.m. Mass to celebrate the 60th Wedding Anniversary of parishioners Frank & Angela Kozikowski, as Frank is also Korean veteran.
Prayer for Veterans Help us, dear God, to see Your face in every Veteran we encounter.
Guide us as we imagine new ways to support Veterans and their families.
Bring healing and peace to all who have been wounded
physically, mentally and spiritually during wartime.
Help us bring Your saving grace to heal the invisible wounds of war.
We ask this in Jesus’ Holy Name.
Amen.
Prayer for All Who Serve or Have Served God of peace, we pray for those who have served our nation and have laid down their lives to protect and defend our freedom.
We pray for those who have fought, whose spirits and bodies are scarred by war, whose nights are haunted by memories too painful for the light of day.
We pray for those who serve us now, especially for those in harm’s way. Shield them from danger and bring them home.
Turn the hearts and minds of our leaders and our enemies to the work of justice and a harvest of peace.
Spare the poor, Lord, spare the poor!
May the peace You left us, the peace You gave us, be the peace that sustains, the peace that saves us.
Christ Jesus, hear us! Lord Jesus, hear our prayer!
Amen.
Our Lady of the Angels Province Minister Provincial, the Very Reverend Fr. James McCurry, OFM Conv. spoke about St. Maximilian Kolbe.
During the month of June, the 2016 Pilgrimage of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv. Relic, will stop at three of our pastoral ministries in Western Massachusetts. After the June 17-19th stop at Our Lady of the Cross (Holyoke), the relics will be welcomed to the first stop in the Chicopee area, by Our Lady of the Angles Province friars, Fr. Benedict Fagone, OFM Conv. (Pastor) & Fr. José Guadalupe Matus Castillo, OFM Conv. (Hispanic Ministry for the Diocese of Chicopee), and the parishioners of St Anthony of Padua Parish {56 St. Anthony Street, Chicopee, MA 01013-2142 ~ (413) 538-9475}. The Relic Tour will remain there from Tuesday, June 21st through Thursday, June 23rd:
June 21, 2016 (in English)
6:00 p.m. Arrival & Welcoming Mass in honor of St. Maximilian, including a presentation on the Martyr of Charity and Veneration of the Relic. June 22, 2016 (in Spanish)
5:00 p.m. Rosario a la Virgen Maria Santisima
6:00 p.m. Misa en honor a Santo Maximiliano Kolbe, Historia de San Kolbe,
La Veneracion de la Reliquia. June 23, 2016 (Bilingual)
5:00 p.m. Sacrament of Reconciliation in Spanish and English
6:00 p.m. Mass for the Intentions of the Sick & Caregivers, Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, Departure of the Relic of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, OFM Conv.
The last stop in the Western Massachusetts area will be at our pastoral ministry of the Basilica of St. Stanislaus, Bishop & Martyr (Chicopee), during the weekend of June 24-26, 2016.
PILGRIMAGE OF THE RELIC OF
