Pray for Your Persecutors: New Catholic Film Shares the Inspiring Story of the Martyr for Charity, St. Maximilian Kolbe
- André Escaleira, Jr.
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Franciszek Gajowniczek fell to his knees, weeping and begging for his life.
Just singled out among a number of Auschwitz prisoners, marked for death by starvation as the Nazis retaliated for an escaped prisoner, Gajowniczek pleaded to be spared, lamenting his family’s fate if he were to die.
His cries fell on deaf ears until St. Maximilian Kolbe stepped forward and offered to take his place.
The two weeks that followed were dark, as St. Maximilian Kolbe and his nine companions were starved and denied water.
Yet, even amid the torturous suffering, the holy Franciscan led his fellow prisoners in prayer and hymns, encouraging them to hope despite the deep despair that encircled them.
At the end of two weeks, St. Maximilian Kolbe and the three surviving prisoners were put to death by lethal injection.
This fall, a new film will tell his story in a new and powerful way.
A project of Sherwood Fellows, Triumph of the Heart will explore St. Maximilian Kolbe’s story and his triumph over the darkness of war, suffering and death.
“I’ve seen how important the stories of our saints are,” said Anthony D’Ambrosio, the film’s director. “They’re the most important kind of treasure that we have in order to share a credible version of Christianity to the world.”
For D’Ambrosio, these stories were a powerful witness to the faith, showing him what following Christ could look like in a practical way. In Triumph of the Heart, he hopes to present one such story to inspire and evangelize.
'Who Would I Step Forward For?
Nearly a century later, Kolbe’s example resounds through the ages and poses us an interesting challenge: who would I step forward for? Who would I give my life for?
For many, there might be obvious answers. Parents would give their lives for their children; husbands for their wives; soldiers for their country.
But less obviously and more difficult, in Matthew 5:43-48, Jesus challenges us to proverbially “step forward” for neighbor and enemy alike.
“There’s lots and lots of division. It’s been getting worse the past few years,” said Cecilia Stevenson, a producer on the film. “I think a lot of Christians, myself included, we just don’t think about that loving your enemies part and what that actually looks like.”
While we may not know how well Kolbe knew Gajowniczek or the other prisoners, Stevenson pointed out that some of those with whom Kolbe was imprisoned could have been opposed to his morals or beliefs.
“Even though we don’t know the specifics, the idea of stepping forward in charity, whether it’s for a friend or an enemy, I think is super relevant in our current time,” she continued. “And I think it’s a beautiful witness to what it means to live out the Christian life and to love your neighbor, to love your enemies.”
A Testimony to Hope
Amid great darkness, St. Maximilian Kolbe’s witness stands as a beacon of light and hope for the world, D’Ambrosio said.
“It was his actions, his life, that led to a resurgence of hope in the people that were around him and ultimately led to a deeper conversion for his whole country, and I think, for the whole Church,” he told the Denver Catholic, pointing to the impact the Martyr for Charity has had. “He lived out the story of Christianity in the face of great darkness in a way that’s very inspiring.”
As Kolbe sat imprisoned in a bunker, starving, he gave witness to a truth greater than death, making a declaration of hope for the benefit of those with whom he 36 was imprisoned and the other Auschwitz prisoners who would hear their prayers and singing.
“He’s trying to slowly win them over through loving them consistently,” Stevenson shared of Kolbe’s hope-filled testimony while imprisoned. “Bringing hope back into the conversation in a real and tangible way. Throughout the story, we show these different ways that he doesn’t give up in this pursuit of trying to bring these men to hope and to love. He’s trying to introduce to them the idea that they can make a difference in the cell through their song, through their voices. They can inspire, encourage and bring hope to the prisoners that are outside the cell.”
Through his faith-filled presence to his fellow prisoners, Kolbe embodied Jesus’ own presence in their lives — and in each of ours.
“It’s really interesting to think about the story from the perspective of the men who didn’t get saved, but were joined by Kolbe,” D’Ambrosio said, highlighting Christ’s own closeness to us in our suffering. “I think that Kolbe really shows what that looks like by joining these nine other men who are in such a terrible and terrifying space full of such grief and such loss and such hopelessness. Kolbe joins them there and, by doing so, opens up a doorway to Heaven inside of that darkness.”
God-with-us in our Prisons, in our Darkness
In short, Stevenson said she hopes Triumph of the Heart fosters deeper hope during the Jubilee Year, illustrating that God is with us in our own prisons, sufferings and despair.
“I hope that people who are struggling in ways similar to the men in the cell and how they might have been struggling, people who feel like they’re in their own prison, whatever that might look like for them, whether it’s abuse, addiction, anxiety, depression and all those sorts of mental or physical prisons, would somehow watch this film and through the grace of God and the Holy Spirit be inspired and encouraged,” she shared.
“I hope that they would feel hope, that it’s not hopeless. There is something worth living and dying for. They are not alone in their suffering. They are not alone in their prisons. I would ultimately hope that they would see how Kolbe helped and ministered and was just with the men in the cell. Christ does that exact same thing for us in our prisons. He wants to enter into our prisons, enter into our suffering and just be with us,” she concluded.
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Triumph of the Heart is currently seeking community members interested in hosting screenings during the film’s opening weekend in September. In order for the film to be successful and to lead to the production of more beautiful Catholic movies, D’Ambrosio said, a strong theatrical release is needed. For more information on hosting a screening and spreading the word about the new film sharing the Martyr for Charity’s story, visit triumphoftheheart.com.
