About the Saint Maximilian Performance
In a dramatic one-man performance by Leonardo Defilippis, Maximilian opens with the young Raymond Kolbe, son of devout Polish parents, expressing his desire to be a priest. In spite of the trials he encounters as a seminarian, he is sustained in his journey to the priesthood by a vision from the Blessed Mother who offers him the choice between two crowns – one of purity or one of martyrdom. He boldly chooses both. This now sets the stage for the unfolding of the intense plot.
As a student friar, Maximilian establishes the Marian organization, Militia of the Immaculata which is dedicated to restoring the world to Christ through Mary in a fearless and radical way. Shortly after Kolbe’s ordination, the Militia of the Immaculata receives the Church’s blessing as a “Pious Union.” The organization applies the spirit of evangelization by reaching out through the media with the popular magazine Knight of the Immaculata. In spite of growing political tensions, the friar’s magazine plays a significant role in spiritually preparing the people of Europe for the coming holocaust.
Fr. Maximilian courageously speaks of the looming battle against government control, perseveres against evil and the forces of Nazism, and eventually exposes the real enemy. He sees the Holy Mother as God’s agent in battling the darkness which was gathering in opposition to the Church and indeed, covering the whole world. This heroic priest encourages others through his own witness to pray for the conversion of the enemy of the Church, by making a call to action through prayer - to Our Lady and the rosary.
In 1941, Fr. Maximilian Kolbe is arrested by the Gestapo and sent to the infamous Auschwitz death camp where he is forced into slave labor and tortured. In a riveting scene, the saint offers to take the place of a married man condemned to death by starvation, fulfilling the very words of Christ: “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
The newly updated production of Maximilian is a perfect drama for our times, offering the faithful courage and a real sense of hope. Proving that death is not the end, but only the beginning, this story is one of sacrificial love and ultimately, of martyrdom for the Catholic Church. Defilippis says, “St. Maximilian Kolbe has a powerful yet cautionary message for all of us – to not take the freedoms we cherish for granted, but rather to defend them with our lives.”
Now, perhaps more than ever, this production on the life of this true hero offers an engaging way of educating the faithful to the dangers we face in the current attack on religious freedom. Kolbe teaches us by his words, “I don’t fear death, I fear sin.”
Maximilian remains one of Saint Luke Productions' most requested live dramas. The performance runs 90 minutes, and is suitable for ages 9 and up.