Little Raymond once exasperated his mother to such an extent that she exclaimed, “what will become of you?” These words struck Raymond, causing him to wonder just what would become of him. In tears he put the question before Our Lady–and the next thing he knew, he beheld her right in front of his eyes. The Mother of God appeared to Raymond and offered him two crowns to choose from, one of which was white, and the other red. Raymond, as only a child would do, said he wanted them both!

Eventually, Raymond became Friar Maximilian and was ordained a priest. When he was studying in Rome, Maximilian witnessed militant freemasons hold demonstrations against the Pope. In one of these demonstrations a banner with the image of St. Michael the Archangel under the feet of satan. The blasphemous imagery caused Maximilian to be even more zealous in his love for God. This incident inspired the creation of the Milita Immaculata, a movement to promote Marian consecration as a means to bring about Christ’s kingdom upon earth. The Militia would work for the conversion of Freemasons and enemies of the Church. Fr. Maximilian promoted the Miraculous Medal and added to the inscription, “Oh Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. And for all those who do not have recourse to thee; especially the Masons and all those recommended to thee.“ He knew how powerful Our Lady’s intercession was.

In his great zeal he helped build communities of Franciscans, one of which was in Nagasaki (it was left unscathed by the atomic explosion), dedicated to Our Lady as her loyal Knights. He started printing presses to publish magazines and newspapers to spread the faith to as many people as possible. In one of the publications, he denounced the Nazi regime in Poland and throughout the world. The Nazis had him arrested and sent to Auschwitz. While in the concentration camp, a fellow prisoner escaped.

To be continued…