{"product_id":"saint-maximilian-kolbe-medal-necklace","title":"Saint Maximilian Kolbe Medal Necklace – Patron Saint of Prisoners, Families and Recovering Addicts","description":"\u003ch2 class=\"western\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSaint Maximilian Kolbe, Patron Saint of Prisoners and Families\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMaximilian Kolbe was a Polish Franciscan friar who, before the Second World War, ran one of the largest Catholic publishing operations in Europe, including a magazine, a radio station, and a religious community he founded near Warsaw. Arrested by the Gestapo in 1941 and sent to Auschwitz, he continued quietly ministering to fellow prisoners under conditions designed to strip away every trace of dignity. When guards selected ten men to die by starvation as punishment for another prisoner's escape, Kolbe volunteered to take the place of one of them, a husband and father named Franciszek Gajowniczek, so his family would be spared the loss. He survived weeks in the starvation bunker before being killed by lethal injection on August 14, 1941. Gajowniczek survived the war and attended Kolbe's canonization decades later. Kolbe is remembered today as a patron of prisoners, families, journalists, and the pro-life movement.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA Gift For...\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSomeone incarcerated, or a family member supporting them\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSomeone in recovery from addiction, or supporting a loved one through it\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJournalists, publishers, and media professionals\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA father or family facing hardship\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone who's sacrificed something significant for someone else's family\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA person drawn to stories of quiet, deliberate courage\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA Confirmation Gift for Maximilian\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConsidering Maximilian for a confirmation name? \"Chose to Stand In\" or \"Gave Freely\" both fit within the 20-character line limit. He suits confirmation well because his entire legacy rests on one deliberate choice made for a stranger, a clear example of faith translated directly into action.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Saint Maximilian Kolbe Medal\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe design shows Kolbe haloed, holding a cross in his Auschwitz prisoner uniform marked with his camp number, 16670, set against a watchtower and barbed wire referencing where his final act of sacrifice took place. The natural gold or silver of the metal forms the illustration itself. Black ink is applied to the pendant surface and the metal shows through as the image. A shatterproof liquid glass coating seals the surface. The result has a depth and precision that printed medals don't achieve.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePersonalization and Engraving\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReverse engraving available in Tangerine cursive, 2 lines, 20 characters max each. Well-suited pairings: a name with \"Gave Freely,\" or a family date paired with \"Chose to Stand In.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSaint Maximilian Kolbe's feast day is August 14th.\u003c\/b\u003e The man he saved, Franciszek Gajowniczek, lived another fifty-three years and was present when Kolbe was declared a saint, close enough to see exactly what his own survival had cost someone else.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRelated Devotions for Polish Saints of the Twentieth Century and Recovery\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sanctummedals.com\/products\/saint-faustina-kowalska-medal-necklace\"\u003eSaint Faustina Kowalska Medal\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e. Faustina and Kolbe were both Polish, both lived through the same era of national suffering, and both were canonized by a fellow Pole, John Paul II, making them a natural pairing for anyone drawn to Poland's twentieth-century saints specifically.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sanctummedals.com\/products\/saint-john-of-god-medal-necklace\"\u003eSaint John of God Medal\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e. John of God is patron of alcoholics specifically, giving Kolbe's recovering-addicts patronage a direct companion for anyone whose gift is centered on that struggle rather than his prisoner or family story.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sanctummedals.com\/products\/saint-matthias-medal-necklace\"\u003eSaint Matthias Medal\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e. Matthias is also invoked as a patron of alcoholics, standing alongside John of God as a second, apostolic-era companion for Kolbe's recovery patronage.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Sanctum Medals","offers":[{"title":"Stainless Steel \/ No","offer_id":53699205759312,"sku":null,"price":55.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Stainless Steel \/ Yes","offer_id":53699205792080,"sku":null,"price":70.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"18k Gold Finish \/ No","offer_id":53699205824848,"sku":null,"price":70.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"18k Gold Finish \/ Yes","offer_id":53699205857616,"sku":null,"price":85.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0939\/7852\/6032\/files\/Saint-Maximilian-Kolbe-Medal-Gold-frontview.jpg?v=1790456968","url":"https:\/\/sanctummedals.com\/products\/saint-maximilian-kolbe-medal-necklace","provider":"Sanctum Medals","version":"1.0","type":"link"}