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| The Militia of the Immaculata |
 As a friar, one of the most important gifts I believe the Conventual Franciscan Order has given to the Church is The Militia of the Immaculata, founded by St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe in 1917, to assist Her in the mission of evangelization. The MI points out for us the strong devotion our Order has for the Immaculate Mother of God, one of the elements of the charism that we have inherited from our Seraphic Father St. Francis.
As Franciscan friars we are called to respond to those words that Our Lord Jesus Christ proclaimed to St. Francis, "Go and rebuild my Church that you see falling into ruin." St. Maximilian, a Conventual Franciscan, followed this cue by responding to this call to rebuild the church when he witnessed the spread of godlessness and attack upon the Church of Christ. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, he gathered with a group of friars to consecrate themselves to the Blessed Mother. In doing so they united jointly with Her Immaculate Heart, in order that they could battle sin, error and the snares of Satan with the Love and truth of Our Lord Jesus Christ as revealed through his Church. To proclaim the saving Gospel of Christ and to be instruments of his Kingdom in the hands of Mary is the aim of the Militia of the Immaculata. Ever since I entered the Order in 1988, I have valued this apostolate of our Order and have tried to promote it in whatever way possible. I have witnessed the MI in the Philippines, England, the United States, as well as in my native Australia where I first entered the Order. A flexible movement of over 4 million people worldwide incorporates the MI consecration in their daily living of the Catholic Faith. Many people strengthened by this vibrant relationship with Our Lady have deepened their faith and have sought to bring Christ' s Divine Mercy to others, whether through an active apostolate, or just the witness of their daily living. For each person, the Marian Consecration means to respond to the gift of Mary as Mother, bestowed to each of us by our Crucified Savior: "Behold Your Mother." Like the beloved disciple, we are called to take her home in our daily lives, to learn from her example of faith, hope and charity as seen throughout the Scriptures, and to trust in Her Motherly care and intercession as we make our journey to Heaven. Mother Teresa, who was a member of the MI, had often praised the MI as something beautiful for God. Following the examples of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe, the saintly nun worked tirelessly serving the poor and needy of Calcutta. The MI is a pontifical public association, which has the full support and blessing of the Holy See. If you would like more information about the MI, or how to enroll in the movement, then please contact me at brlouis@hotmail.com. God bless you, and through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin and St. Maximilian may we learn from the example of St. Maximilian to follow our Lord in union with Our Lady and to proclaim the Mercy of Our Heavenly Father in life and death. Br. Louis Mary Schmid, OFM Conv. MI delegate for the Province of St. Joseph of Cupertino To learn more about the Militia of the Immaculata, we invite you to visit http://www.consecration.com |
| St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe |
Who is this Hero of Auschwitz who founded the Militia of the Immaculata? And what does he teach us today? Mankind is always in need of heroes, men and women who were exceptional for their ideals and deeds. This is particularly true today when forces of materialism tend to lessen man's dignity and his ideals. Nevertheless, in the midst of the world's darkness there are heroes who are like beacons of light to enkindle idealism and to bolster man's dignity. In the sphere of politics and government there are heroes who light the fire of freedom and justice in the hearts of men among professional men, social workers, military men, scientists, and indeed in all strata of society there are heroes.No less are there heroes in the sphere of faith and religion. God always raises up heroes, men and women who are models of supernatural strength and virtue. In a society blackened by a constant pursuit of leisure God raises up lovers of the Cross. To a society of blackened by disbelief and lack of prayer, God sends forth souls overflowing with faith and love. For a society blackened by frequent infidelities to God and neighbor, God inspires self-sacrificing champions of charity. The world, according to its standards, may not recognize them as heroes. Nevertheless they are living testimonials of the power of love - love of God and love of men. One such hero was Fr. Maximilian Maria Kolbe, a Conventual Franciscan priest and founder of the great Marian movement, the Knights of the Immaculata. Father Maximilian will be remembered as God's “hero of Auschwitz,” the infamous Nazi concentration camp where three million persons perished by were murder. His heroic charity was revealed' when he offered his life for that of a fellow prisoner who was condemned to die by starvation. Father Maximilian's acceptance of this cruel death with all its horrors so amazed his Nazi executioners that they remarked, "The like of this one we have never seen." Father Maximilian became the hero of Auschwitz through a life totally dedicated to God through the Immaculate Virgin. To understand and appreciate him, one must understand the role that Mary Immaculate played in his life. Like St. Maximilian Kolbe, God calls us to be defenders of human life, a gift directly given to each of us and which comes from God. St. Maximilian's example of giving his life up to save the life of another should spurn us in our Catholic duty to defend life, especially the defenseless unborn in the womb. In other words, it is our duty and privilege to respect all human beings created in the sacred image of God and to treat all people with the charity and courtesy that befits people as children of God. Our Faith teaches us that human life begins at conception in the womb and only the Lord has the authority to end it. Life is sacred "from the womb to the tomb." When we pray the Hail Mary we are praying the great prayer of life when we address the Mother of God: "Blessed is the fruit of thy womb and, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death." The Militia of the Immaculata has always supported and promoted the pro-life cause around the world, as a ministry that flows respectively from our consecration to the Immaculate Virgin, thus advancing the Kingdom of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It should come as no surprise that our primary duty as Christians is to promote and uphold the reign of the Kingdom of God against the kingdom of darkness and death. St. Maximilian calls us in this crucial hour of the world's history, as did Pope John Paul II, to not be afraid of defending life. Therefore, to defend the unborn against abortion, to defend the elderly against euthanasia, to defend the poor, the sick, and refugees against unjust laws, persecution, and economic oppression is of utmost importance in our life as Christians. To work for the conversion of all prisoners and to decry the death penalty unless in extreme situations as taught in the Catechism of the Catholic Church are our responsibilities are Christians. Trusting in the Holy Spirit and united with the will of our Heavenly Father, through Christ our Lord, St. Maximilian calls you and me, to be courageous instruments of the Gospel of life under the maternal care of our Blessed Mother, the Immaculata, who is the Mother of Life itself. We can begin to be a bit more engaging in our efforts against the culture of death by prayer, which must always be the beginning and the end of our activity. In bringing all our concerns to the Merciful Heart of Jesus by coming before Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist through Adoration, we can open ourselves to His life-giving grace. We then seek that Mercy for those in danger of death, especially the unborn and those about to be executed. Strengthened by his Divine Mercy and enriched by His sanctifying grace through the sacraments, we then seek to act in His Love. When we actively choose to defend the unborn, assist mothers-to-be in difficulty, aid the elderly, help the poor, etc., we arduously remember the words of St. Maximilian, "Love alone creates; love alone conquers." In imitation of Our Lady at the visitation of her cousin Elizabeth, we likewise assist our neighbor in difficulty. Whether that person be an unwed mother, perhaps an elderly homebound individual, or a young father struggling to put bread on the table for his family, or the homeless teenager, or a mistreated prisoner, it is our duty to act in accordance with our Lord's own divine mandate: "Whatever you do for the least of these, My brothers and sisters, that you do unto Me." Thus, in imitation of Our Lady and St. Maximilian, let us pray, reflect, and then act to defend God's precious gift of life. |