Membership in the Immaculate ‘Soldiers means complete dedication to the Kingdom of God and the salvation of souls through Mary Immaculate.” -Pope St. John Paul II.
The Immaculate ‘Soldiers is the Eric Michel Ministries International New Life Catholic Ministry version of the Roman Catholic Militia Immaculatae (meaning the “Army of the Immaculate One”), called in English the Knights of the Immaculata, is a worldwide Catholic evangelization movement founded by St. Maximilian Kolbe in 1917.
Joining the IS involves making a personal act of consecration to Mary. Members wear the Miraculous Medal as an outward sign of their consecration. The purpose of the Knights is contained in these words: to do all you can for the conversion of sinners, heretics, schismatics and so on, above all the Masons, and for the sanctification of all persons under the sponsorship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Immaculate Mediatrix.
Fr. Maximilian Kolbe, 1938.
Maximilian Maria Kolbe OFM Conv (born Raymund Kolbe; Polish: Maksymilian Maria Kolbe; 8 January 1894 – 14 August 1941) was a Polish Catholic priest and Conventual Franciscan friar who volunteered to die in place of a man named Franciszek Gajowniczek in the German death camp of Auschwitz, located in German-occupied Poland during World War II. He had been active in promoting the veneration of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, founding and supervising the monastery of Niepokalanów near Warsaw, operating an amateur radio station (SP3RN), and founding or running several other organizations and publications.
On 10 October 1982, Pope John Paul II canonized Kolbe and declared him a martyr of charity. The Catholic Church venerates him as the patron saint of amateur radio operators, drug addicts, political prisoners, families, journalists, and prisoners. John Paul II declared him “the patron of our difficult century”. His feast day is 14 August, the day of his martyrdom. The Immaculata prayer is a Traditional Catholic Marian prayer composed by Saint Maximillian Kolbe. It is a prayer of consecration to the Immaculata, i.e. the immaculately conceived Virgin Mary.
The consecration prayer is as follows:
O Immaculata, Queen of Heaven and Earth, refuge of sinners, and our most loving Mother, God has willed to entrust the entire order of mercy to you. I, (name), a repentant sinner, cast myself at your feet, humbly imploring you to take me with all that I am and have, wholly to yourself, as your possession and property. Please make of me all my powers of soul and body, my whole life, death and eternity, whatever pleases you.
If it pleases you, use all that I am and have without reserve wholly to accomplish what was said of you: “She will crush your head” and “You alone have destroyed all heresies in the whole world.” Let me be a fit instrument in your immaculate and merciful hands for introducing and increasing your glory to the maximum in all the many strayed and indifferent souls, and thus help extend the blessed kingdom of the most Sacred Heart of Jesus as far as possible. For wherever you enter, you obtain the grace of conversion and growth in holiness since it is through your hands that all graces come to us from the most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
℣. Allow me to praise you, O Sacred Virgin
℟. Give me strength against your enemies
Amen
