Bishop Ireton High School and the Basilica of Saint Mary are sponsoring a production of Maximilian: Saint of Auschwitz on Saturday, September 28, at 7:30 pm at Bishop Ireton High School’s Garwood Whaley Auditorium in Alexandria.
Maximilian: Saint of Auschwitz is a dramatic one-man Catholic theater performance by Leonardo Defilippis. The play opens when the young Raymond Kolbe expresses his desire to be a priest. In spite of the trials he encounters as a seminarian, the Blessed Mother sustains him in his journey. In a vision, she offers him the choice between two crowns – one of purity or one of martyrdom. He boldly chooses both. This now sets the stage for the unfolding of the intense plot.
In this tour-de-force performance, Defilippis switches effortlessly from Maximilian Kolbe to Nazi, alternating dramatically between good and evil. The audience is drawn into the compelling events of this courageous life and into Kolbe’s message of trust. Maximilian is completed by a breath-taking musical score. Our updated version of the play also includes projected images and newsreels of Nazi Germany. This historical footage makes the story come alive in a visceral manner.
Now, perhaps more than ever, Maximilian has a special relevance for our time. The play offers an engaging reflection on the dangers we face in the current attack on religious freedom. This story is one of sacrificial love and of martyrdom for the Catholic Church.