St. Maximilian Kolbe Laminated Prayer Card | Martyr of Auschwitz
This laminated St. Maximilian Kolbe prayer card features a full-color devotional image of the Martyr of Charity on the front and his prayer on the reverse. Sealed in protective laminate, this holy card is built for years of daily carry in a wallet, purse, prayer book, or on your home altar — without bending, fading, or tearing like a standard paper holy card.
St. Maximilian Kolbe is one of the most powerful saints of the 20th century — a man whose life reads like a novel but whose death reads like the Gospel. He was a Polish Franciscan priest, a brilliant theologian, a media pioneer who founded a Catholic publishing empire, and a tireless promoter of devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. When the Nazis invaded Poland, he sheltered thousands of refugees — including over 2,000 Jews — at his monastery. He was arrested by the Gestapo in 1941 and sent to Auschwitz. When the Nazis selected ten men to die by starvation as punishment for an escaped prisoner, Kolbe stepped forward and volunteered to take the place of a stranger — a Polish army sergeant named Franciszek Gajowniczek, a husband and father. Kolbe was thrown into the starvation bunker. After two weeks without food or water, he was still alive — leading the other condemned men in prayer and hymns. The Nazis killed him with a lethal injection of carbolic acid on August 14, 1941. He was 47 years old. He offered his arm to the executioner calmly. His last words were "Ave Maria." Pope John Paul II canonized him in 1982 and gave him the unique title "Martyr of Charity" — the only saint in Catholic history to receive that designation.
Product Details
- Size: Standard holy card size — fits in a wallet, purse, pocket, or prayer book
- Material: Full-color print sealed in protective laminate
- Front: St. Maximilian Kolbe devotional image
- Back: Prayer to St. Maximilian Kolbe
- Durability: Water-resistant, bend-resistant, designed for years of everyday carry
Gift Ideas & Uses
A St. Maximilian Kolbe prayer card speaks to anyone who has ever been asked to sacrifice for someone else — and to anyone who has ever needed someone to sacrifice for them. Give it to a first responder who puts their life on the line for strangers. Tuck it into a care package for someone in prison or jail ministry — Kolbe is the patron saint of prisoners and knows what it means to be locked in a cell waiting to die. Give it to a friend in recovery from addiction — Kolbe is the patron saint of those struggling with drug addiction, and his intercession is invoked in Catholic recovery programs around the world. Include it in a gift for a Confirmation candidate who chose Maximilian as their patron — he is one of the most popular Confirmation saints for young men drawn to courage and radical sacrifice.
Kolbe is also a patron of the pro-life movement because he gave his life so another man could live. His prayer card is a meaningful handout at pro-life events, March for Life gatherings, and parish Respect Life month activities in October. At under $1, you can distribute them freely and widely.
Pair this card with a Miraculous Medal — Kolbe's entire priestly life was built on devotion to the Immaculate Virgin Mary, and the Miraculous Medal was central to his Marian spirituality. Add a rosary to the gift — Kolbe prayed the Rosary constantly, including in the starvation bunker at Auschwitz. For more patron saint cards, browse our full Laminated Prayer Cards collection. For a wallet-sized rosary, see our Rosary Cards. For patron saint jewelry, browse our Patron Saint Medals collection.
The Legacy of St. Maximilian Kolbe
What makes Kolbe extraordinary is not just how he died — it is how he lived. Before the war, he was already one of the most dynamic priests in the Catholic Church. In 1927, he founded Niepokalanów — the "City of the Immaculata" — a Franciscan friary near Warsaw that grew to become the largest Catholic religious community in the world at the time, with over 700 friars. From Niepokalanów he published a daily newspaper, a monthly magazine with a circulation of over one million, and operated a radio station — all dedicated to spreading devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He then traveled to Japan and founded a second friary on the outskirts of Nagasaki — built on a hillside that, by providence, shielded it from the atomic bomb blast in 1945, saving the community. Kolbe understood that modern media could be used to evangelize on a scale the Church had never imagined. He was a visionary, a builder, and an organizer — and he gave it all up the moment God asked him to give his life for a stranger. Franciszek Gajowniczek — the man Kolbe saved — survived Auschwitz and lived to age 93. He spent the rest of his life telling the world what Kolbe did for him. He was present at St. Peter's Basilica in 1982 when Pope John Paul II canonized the man who had died in his place.
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St. Maximilian Kolbe Laminated Prayer Card | Martyr of Auschwitz
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Rosarycard.net
3308 Ogle Drive
Cary, NC 27518
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We stand behind every item we sell. If you are not 100% satisfied with your purchase, you may return it within 60 days of shipment for a full refund or exchange — no questions asked. We do not charge a restocking fee.
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We pay for return shipping on all eligible returns for U.S. customers. Free returns are limited to three per customer.
How to Return an Item
- Contact our Customer Service department at 1-800-741-7754.
- Let us know you wish to return your order.
- Within one business day, we will email you a pre-paid USPS return label with packaging instructions.
- Take your package with the return label to your nearest Post Office and mail it back to us.
- Your return should arrive at our office within 2–4 business days (excludes weekends and holidays).
- Refunds are processed within two weeks and issued to your original payment method.
Condition of Returned Items
Returned merchandise must be undamaged and in new, unused condition. Items showing signs of wear or alteration will not be accepted.
Exceptions
The following items cannot be returned for a refund:
- 14KT solid gold jewelry — this jewelry is cast to order and cannot be returned unless defective. Defective solid gold jewelry will be exchanged at our expense.
- Special orders — custom and special order items are not returnable.
Gold-filled jewelry can be returned under our standard 60-day policy.
Exchanges
If you would like to exchange an item, follow the same return process above. Once we receive your return, we will ship the replacement item to you.
Lifetime Guarantee
All Bliss Manufacturing jewelry — including patron saint medals, sterling silver, gold-filled, and 14KT gold pieces — is covered by a lifetime guarantee against manufacturing defects. Should any Bliss item tarnish or have defects, we will repair or replace it at our expense. If the item is no longer in stock, we will either replace it with a like item or issue a full refund.
All other products are covered by our standard 60-day return policy.
Questions?
Our Address
Rosarycard.net
3308 Ogle Drive
Cary, NC 27518
Return & Refund Policy
60-Day Money Back Guarantee
We stand behind every item we sell. If you are not 100% satisfied with your purchase, you may return it within 60 days of shipment for a full refund or exchange — no questions asked. We do not charge a restocking fee.
Free Returns
We pay for return shipping on all eligible returns for U.S. customers. Free returns are limited to three per customer.
How to Return an Item
- Contact our Customer Service department at 1-800-741-7754.
- Let us know you wish to return your order.
- Within one business day, we will email you a pre-paid USPS return label with packaging instructions.
- Take your package with the return label to your nearest Post Office and mail it back to us.
- Your return should arrive at our office within 2–4 business days (excludes weekends and holidays).
- Refunds are processed within two weeks and issued to your original payment method.
Condition of Returned Items
Returned merchandise must be undamaged and in new, unused condition. Items showing signs of wear or alteration will not be accepted.
Exceptions
The following items cannot be returned for a refund:
- 14KT solid gold jewelry — this jewelry is cast to order and cannot be returned unless defective. Defective solid gold jewelry will be exchanged at our expense.
- Special orders — custom and special order items are not returnable.
Gold-filled jewelry can be returned under our standard 60-day policy.
Exchanges
If you would like to exchange an item, follow the same return process above. Once we receive your return, we will ship the replacement item to you.
Lifetime Guarantee
All Bliss Manufacturing jewelry — including patron saint medals, sterling silver, gold-filled, and 14KT gold pieces — is covered by a lifetime guarantee against manufacturing defects. Should any Bliss item tarnish or have defects, we will repair or replace it at our expense. If the item is no longer in stock, we will either replace it with a like item or issue a full refund.
All other products are covered by our standard 60-day return policy.
Questions?
Our Address
Rosarycard.net
3308 Ogle Drive
Cary, NC 27518
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is St. Maximilian Kolbe?
St. Maximilian Kolbe (1894–1941) was a Polish Franciscan priest who volunteered to die in place of a stranger at the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. Before the war, he founded a massive Catholic publishing operation and a friary of over 700 members in Poland, and a second mission in Japan. At Auschwitz, when the Nazis selected ten men to die by starvation as punishment for an escaped prisoner, Kolbe stepped forward and offered his life in place of Franciszek Gajowniczek, a husband and father. He was killed by lethal injection on August 14, 1941. Pope John Paul II canonized him in 1982 with the unique title 'Martyr of Charity.'
What is St. Maximilian Kolbe the patron saint of?
St. Maximilian Kolbe is the patron saint of drug addictions, prisoners, political prisoners, families, journalists, the pro-life movement, and the town of Niepokalanów in Poland. He is widely invoked by people in recovery programs, prison ministry, pro-life organizations, and anyone facing a situation that requires extraordinary courage and self-sacrifice. His feast day is August 14th — the anniversary of his death at Auschwitz.
Why is St. Maximilian Kolbe called the Martyr of Charity?
Pope John Paul II gave Kolbe the unique title 'Martyr of Charity' at his canonization in 1982 — the only saint in Catholic history to receive this designation. While traditional martyrs die for refusing to renounce the faith, Kolbe died by voluntarily giving his life to save another man. His martyrdom was not a death forced upon him — it was a death he chose out of pure love for a stranger. The Pope declared that this act of self-sacrificing charity was itself a supreme act of witness to the faith.
How did St. Maximilian Kolbe die?
In July 1941, a prisoner escaped from Auschwitz. As punishment, the Nazis selected ten men from Kolbe's barracks to die by starvation. When Franciszek Gajowniczek was chosen and cried out for his wife and children, Kolbe stepped forward and asked to take his place. The commandant accepted. Kolbe was thrown into an underground starvation bunker with nine other men. For two weeks he led them in prayer and hymns, comforting the dying. After two weeks, Kolbe and three others were still alive. The Nazis killed them with lethal injections of carbolic acid on August 14, 1941. Witnesses reported that Kolbe offered his arm to the executioner calmly and that his last word was 'Ave Maria.'
Why is St. Kolbe the patron saint of addictions?
St. Maximilian Kolbe is the patron saint of those struggling with drug and alcohol addiction because he understood imprisonment — both physical and spiritual. He was literally imprisoned at Auschwitz, but he is also invoked by those who feel imprisoned by addiction. Catholic recovery programs, including some modeled on the 12-step tradition, invoke Kolbe's intercession because his life demonstrated that no prison — whether a concentration camp or an addiction — is stronger than the grace of God and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Kolbe's total devotion to Mary and his willingness to surrender his life completely to God's will resonate deeply with people in recovery.
What happened to the man St. Kolbe saved?
Franciszek Gajowniczek — the Polish army sergeant whose place Kolbe took in the starvation bunker — survived Auschwitz and lived to age 93, dying in 1995. He spent the rest of his life telling the world about Kolbe's sacrifice. He was present at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome on October 10, 1982 when Pope John Paul II canonized Kolbe. Gajowniczek said he could never forget the moment Kolbe stepped forward and asked to die in his place — and he dedicated his remaining years to honoring Kolbe's memory.
Is this prayer card appropriate for pro-life events?
Yes — St. Maximilian Kolbe is one of the patron saints of the pro-life movement because he gave his life so another person could live. His sacrifice is the most literal and dramatic example of choosing life at the cost of your own. Kolbe prayer cards are meaningful handouts at March for Life events, Respect Life Sunday celebrations in October, parish pro-life committee meetings, and any event where Catholics gather to affirm the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death. At under $1 per card, they can be distributed widely.
How durable is this laminated prayer card?
Our laminated prayer cards are sealed between two layers of protective plastic film that resist water, bending, skin oils, and everyday friction. This card is designed for years of daily carry in a wallet, purse, prayer book, or pocket. It is the kind of card you carry as a permanent companion — a daily reminder that one man's willingness to say 'I will take his place' changed the world.
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