TO LEAD EVERY INDIVIDUAL WITH MARY TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS!
St. Maximilian Kolbe was a Franciscan priest of our own times, sometimes known as the Saint of Auschwitz. He was very dedicated to Our Blessed Mother. She had appeared to him when he was just 10 years old, and she showed him two crowns, one red for martyrdom, and one white for purity. She asked him which one he wanted. In his enthusiasm and dedication, he asked for both. And that's exactly what he got.
When he was a seminarian studying in Rome in 1917, he was inspired to found the group known as the MI or the Militia Immaculata. It was a means to attaining union with the Sacred Heart of Jesus by consecrating one's whole life to Mary, under the title of her Immaculate Conception. The motto is: "To Lead Every Individual With Mary To The Sacred Heart of Jesus." It is our way of giving our lives to Mary and allowing her to do exactly what she wants to with us for the praise and glory of her Son. In the Act of Consecration we make, we tell Our Lady that we wish to become her "property," her "possession." St. Maximilian wrote extensively on Our Lady and our dedication to her. One of the analogies he used was that he wanted to be a "broom" or "brush" in her hands. As you can imagine, a broom can have great use in many cases, sometimes great, sometimes insignificant, or it can just stand in the corner unused. We can use a broom to sweep the sanctuary of a Church, or to sweep a basement, or just not use it at all. That's how we have to be in Our Lady's hands! We can let her use us for "important" things, or "unimportant" things, or maybe she is asking us to BE there in silence and stillness, not doing anything active. Either way, she is using us as she wishes and in that use we win special graces not only for ourselves, but for the whole world, the Church, our family and friends.
St. Maximilian, because he was very outspoken against the Nazi regime in his publications, was considered a special enemy and he was eventually arrested and taken to Auschwitz. While there he ministered to all the people and brought the love of Christ to each one.
One day a prisoner escaped and the Nazis deemed that unless he was returned, 10 men would die in a starvation bunker in revenge. The commander pointed out randomly 10 men who would suffer this fate. The last man to be chosen cried out, "Oh, no, my wife, my children." At that moment, St. Maximilian made his way to the front lines from the back where he had been standing, and offered his life in exchange for the other prisoner's. Surprisingly - perhaps because he was a Catholic priest, and therefore despised by the Nazis - his offer was accepted. Maximilian was sent to the starvation bunker where he lasted 2 weeks. During that time he encouraged his fellow-prisoners and each died blessing God rather than cursing him. A doctor finally came in and gave the remaining 2 or 3 inmates an injection of carbolic acid, and this is what finally killed Maximilian. He had truly won his white AND his red crown. Interestingly, the man he had substituted for, did finally get released home to his family and lived into his 90's. He only died a few years ago. He spent his life going around promoting St. Maximilian's cause.
Great story, isn't it?
As for the conditions of membership in the MI there are but 3, all of them very simple.
1) Make a voluntary and total offering of oneself to Mary Immaculate by means of the Act of Consecration which you will make preferably on a Marian feast day.
2) Carry or wear the Miraculous Medal (one will be sent with the enrollment package).
3) Have one's name placed on the register of the MI Center in Rome or at some canonically erected Affiliated Center. The easiest is at Marytown in Libertyville, IL.
That's IT! Nothing complicated.
On the day of consecration, one receives a plenary indulgence, having satisfied all the criteria for that (Communion and prayers for the Holy Father on the day and Confession 8 days before or after ).
There is a short form of the Consecration prayer which the Sisters say daily, but this is not a requirement.
The benefits are:
Through consecration, you cooperate with Mary in the work of building up and renewing the Church. She will enlighten your mind, guide your will, empower your efforts and intercede for you in a special way before the Father. You will also share in the intercessory prayers of the MI religious communities (ours is one, as are many of the Franciscan communities) who pray daily for the success of the MI movement and the sanctification of its members. Finally, you will have the support that comes from being a part of an international movement of spiritual renewal. You will have access to MI conferences and resource materials, to its national magazine, "Immaculata" and to regular mailings from the national office on how better to live out your consecration. There are also weekly e-mail notes sent.
Enrollment in the MI is open to all Catholic men and women, and children of 7 years and older. If you are interested in enrolling, please E-mail us your:
Name
Address
Phone
Date of Birth
Marian Feast Day on which you will say the Act of Consecration
May the Immaculata be the cause of many graces and blessings from her Son to you.
