Love in Action · Week 2 · Grades 3–5
Guided Notes: St. Maximilian Kolbe
- Name
- Date
- Class
Follow along as your teacher presents. Fill in each section when its slide is on the screen.
Two crowns and a printing press
Raymond Kolbe was born in Poland on January 8, blank 1. As a boy he had a dream or vision. Mary held out two crowns, a white one for purity and a red one for martyrdom. He said he wanted both.
At 16 he joined the blank 2 friars and took the name Maximilian. He became a priest in 1918.
Father Kolbe started a magazine about Mary and built a huge blank 3 near Warsaw. It had its own printing press and radio station. He even went to Japan as a missionary.
Words to know
Write what each word means.
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Franciscan | Write your answer |
| Friary | Write your answer |
| Missionary | Write your answer |
| Martyr | Write your answer |
| Auschwitz | Write your answer |
| Canonized | Write your answer |
Quick check
How did Father Kolbe spread the faith to many people? Circle one.
- A He wrote songs for a choir
- B He painted large church walls
- C He used magazines and radio
- D He built ships for travelers
The gift of his life
In 1939 Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Father Kolbe’s friary sheltered refugees, including about 2,000 Jewish people. In 1941 he was arrested and sent to blank 4.
That July, the guards chose ten blank 5 to die. One of them, Franciszek Gajowniczek, cried out for his wife and children. Father Kolbe stepped forward and said, “I am a Catholic priest. I want to take his place.”
Father Kolbe died on August 14, 1941. The man he saved lived until blank 6.
Quick check
Why did Father Kolbe step forward at Auschwitz? Circle one.
- A To take the place of a father
- B To ask the guards for more food
- C To try to escape from the camp
- D To give a speech to the guards
Sort it out
Father Kolbe used his tools to share good news. Which of these uses of a screen build people up, and which tear people down? Check one box for each.
| Item | Builds people up | Tears people down |
|---|---|---|
| Sending a kind message to a sick classmate | ||
| Posting a mean joke about someone | ||
| Sharing a true and hopeful story | ||
| Leaving someone out of a group chat on purpose | ||
| Giving a sibling your turn on the game | ||
| Passing along a rumor you are not sure is true |
Think, pair, share
Father Kolbe put a stranger ahead of himself. What is one way you could put someone else first this week, in person or on a screen?
Think: my idea before we talk
Sentence starters: “I could put someone first by ...”“Online, putting others first looks like ...”“It is hard to go second when ...”
Pair: something my partner said
Let us pray
“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
John 15:13
Lord Jesus, you gave your life for us.
Teach us to love others the way St. Maximilian did.
Help us use our words and our screens to share good news.
St. Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us.
Amen.
My own prayer or intention:
Well done!
You met a priest who shared good news with the world and gave his life for a stranger.
One thing I learned today:
One question I still have:
Challenge: This week, use a screen one time to build someone up: send a kind message or give up your turn.