A novena to St. Maximilian Kolbe is nine days of prayer asking the intercession of the Polish Franciscan priest (1894–1941) who founded the Militia of the Immaculata, spread devotion to Mary through the press, and at Auschwitz offered his life in place of a father of a family condemned to die of starvation. Pope St. John Paul II canonized him in 1982 as a “martyr of charity.” The novena is traditionally prayed from August 5 to 13, ending on the eve of his feast on August 14, the day he died. It is often prayed for families, for prisoners, for people struggling with addiction and for the pro-life cause. Each day follows his life with a passage of Scripture.
A short prayer to St. Maximilian Kolbe, written for this page:
St. Maximilian, you gave everything to the Immaculata and your life for a stranger.
Pray for me in my need: (name your intention).
Help me to love Jesus and Mary as you did, and to lay down my life for others in small ways every day. Amen.
How to pray the novena
- Make the Sign of the Cross and name your intention.
- Read the passage and reflection for the day.
- Pray the short prayer to St. Maximilian above.
- End with an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory Be.
Day 1: Two crowns
As a boy, Raymond Kolbe asked Our Lady what would become of him. She showed him two crowns, a white one for purity and a red one for martyrdom, and he said he chose both. St. Paul wrote (2 Timothy 4:7–8, Douay-Rheims):
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.
As to the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of justice, which the Lord the just judge will render to me in that day: and not only to me, but to them also that love his coming. Make haste to come to me quickly.
Intention: for children and young people discerning their vocation.
Day 2: A son of St. Francis
At sixteen he entered the Conventual Franciscans and took the name Maximilian. Galatians 6:14 (Douay-Rheims):
But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ; by whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world.
Intention: for religious and priests.
Day 3: The Militia of the Immaculata
In 1917, as a student in Rome, he founded with six companions the Militia of the Immaculata, to win the world for Christ through Mary. Apocalypse 12:1 (Douay-Rheims):
And a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars:
Intention: for a total consecration to Mary.
Day 4: The power of the press
Back in Poland, sick with tuberculosis, he founded the magazine The Knight of the Immaculata, which reached hundreds of thousands of readers. Jesus said (Mark 16:15, Douay-Rheims):
And he said to them: Go ye into the whole world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Intention: for Catholic journalists and media.
Day 5: City of the Immaculata
He built Niepokalanów, a friary near Warsaw that grew to hundreds of friars, and founded a similar mission at Nagasaki, in Japan. Matthew 28:19–20 (Douay-Rheims):
Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.
Intention: for missionaries.
Day 6: Arrested
After the Nazi invasion, Niepokalanów sheltered refugees, including Jews. In February 1941 he was arrested and sent to Auschwitz. Matthew 5:10 (Douay-Rheims):
Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Intention: for all who suffer persecution and imprisonment.
Day 7: “I am a Catholic priest”
In July 1941, after a prisoner escaped, ten men were chosen to die of starvation. One of them, Franciszek Gajowniczek, cried out for his wife and children. Father Kolbe stepped forward and asked to take his place. Jesus said (John 15:13, Douay-Rheims):
Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Intention: for fathers and families.
Day 8: Songs in the starvation bunker
In the starvation cell he led the condemned men in prayer and hymns. Acts 16:25 (Douay-Rheims):
And at midnight, Paul and Silas praying, praised God. And they that were in prison, heard them.
Intention: for the dying, that they may not die alone.
Day 9: The martyr of charity
After two weeks, he was killed by lethal injection on August 14, 1941, the eve of the Assumption. Franciszek Gajowniczek survived the war and was present at his canonization. Wisdom 3:1–3 (Douay-Rheims):
But the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and the torment of death shall not touch them.
In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die: and their departure was taken for misery:
And their going away from us, for utter destruction: but they are in peace.
Intention: for my intention, and for the grace of self-giving love.
Frequently asked questions
When is St. Maximilian Kolbe’s feast day?
August 14, the day of his death in 1941.
What is St. Maximilian Kolbe the patron saint of?
Prisoners, families, people struggling with drug addiction, journalists, amateur radio operators and the pro-life movement.
Who was the man he saved?
Franciszek Gajowniczek, a Polish sergeant and father, who lived until 1995.
More prayers
- St. Maximilian Kolbe prayer
- Total consecration to Mary
- Miraculous Medal novena
- Catholic prayer for addiction
- St. Edith Stein
- Novenas
Texts and sources
- 2 Timothy 4:7–8; Galatians 6:14; Apocalypse 12:1; Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19–20 and 5:10; John 15:13; Acts 16:25; Wisdom 3:1–3 (Douay-Rheims).