A Polish priest named Father Maximilian Kolbe was arrested by the Nazis for his defiance against their laws. He sheltered Jews and partisans and while being a Pole with German roots which could have given him special protection, he refused to swear an oath and call himself “German”. He was arrested and placed in Auschwitz.
When Kolbe was in Auschwitz, he continued to care for others, praying for prisoners, giving them comfort and helping out the weak and wary with their slave labor. He would get beaten and whipped frequently by guards for this, but never stopped. When ten random men were picked to die in retaliation for an escape, one of the men cried out in despair — he felt his wife and children would surely die if he were to be killed. Father Maximilian stood up and offered to take the man’s place.
Father Maximilian and the nine other men were sentenced to die by starvation. He kept praying with the other men throughout the ordeal. Each time the guards checked on the men, Kolbe was standing and praying. Eventually they wanted to clear out the space and killed Father Maximilian by lethal injection, as he took too long to die. He died calmly, a true believer until his last unhurried breath.