S P 3 R N

St. Maximilian Kolbe

SP3RN radio shack

St. Maximilian founded the

Militia Immaculata

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Dr. Ted Figlock - W1JMJ (SK)  and Lloyd Roach - K3QNT  founded the net in 1998 to commemorate the life and martyrdom of Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe – SP3RN.  

Father Kolbe was a Franciscan Priest who founded Niepokalanow (City of Mary), a large monastery in Poland using media for their mission of dedication to the Blessed Mother.  Fr. Kolbe and his Franciscan brothers published dozens of weekly and monthly periodicals to promote the Roman Catholic faith and devotion to the Blessed Mother in particular.  At one point in the late 1930s, circulation exceeded one million copies monthly, making Niepokalanow the largest publisher in Poland. 

Fr. Kolbe was a Ph.D. level philosopher and an insightful theologian.  In addition to his print operations, he built a religious short-wave radio station in 1938 with the call sign of SP3RN.  Unfortunately, his plans to extend his amateur radio operations to his monastery in Nagasaki, Japan were not consummated.

On 26 May 1941 Fr. Kolbe's monastery was shut down by the Nazi SS.  Fr. Kolbe was arrested and sent to Auschwitz concentration camp, where he was assigned Prisoner #16670.  In July of 1941, ten prisoners were condemned to death because of an escape attempt from the camp.  Among the condemned was Francizek Gajowniczek, a Polish Sergeant.    Kolbe stepped out of line and offered his life in place of Gajowniczek's.  The Nazi commandant accepted the exchange and sent Kolbe to a camp starvation bunker where he was deprived of food and water for nearly two weeks.  Maximilian Kolbe died on 14 August 1941, hence our operating frequency of 7241 khz.  

Maximilian Kolbe was canonized by Pope John Paul II on 10 October 1982.  He is considered the patron saint of the addicted and of amateur radio operators.   The National Shrine of Saint Maximilian Kolbe (http://www.marytown.com) is located in Libertyville, IL, in suburban Chicago.  Among the many sites with more information is MissionImmaculata.com

Click here for some great history and pictures of the original SP3RN at Niepokalanow, Poland from 1938. 

In a National Catholic Reporter article of March 9, 2024, Clare McCallan describes the making of a film about St. Maximilian Kolbe.

Another interesting read is "The Catholic Holocaust in Nagasaki" about Maximilian Kolbe's Monastery Mugenzai No Sono "Garden of Mary" found at catholicculture.org

Lloyd wrote:  WAS SAINT MAX REALLY A HAM?

National Catholic Register posted an article about St. Max and the net, thanks to Bill K3RMW.

TELEVISION DOCUMENTARY

The Servant Brothers of the Home of the Mother have produced this documentary about the life of St. Max at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THT5QxhCiGE&sns=em

TELEVISION INTERVIEW

Altoona/Johnstown Diocese Bishop Mark Bartchak interviewed K3QNT about the Saint Max Net on Bishop Mark's weekly show broadcast over ABC-23 WATM-TV Johnstown, PA. When you follow the link, scroll Down to the program from May 27, 2018 and slide over to the 20-minute mark.