Maximilian Kolbe was a Polish priest who died as prisoner 16770 in
Auschwitz,
on August 14, 1941.
When a prisoner escaped from the camp, the Nazis selected 10 others to be killed by starvation in reprisal for the escape. One of the 10 selected to die, Franciszek Gajowniczek, began to cry:
My wife! My children! I will never see them again! At this Maximilian Kolbe stepped forward and asked to die in his place. His request was granted ...
