OLPH will present live drama highlighting the ultimate sacrifice for religious freedom

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – “Maximilian: Saint of Auschwitz,” a professional live production that tells the dramatic story of one man who stood up to the evil forces of Nazism, will be performed on Monday, Aug. 13, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Corpus Christi.

“The production holds a powerfully relevant message for our culture, at a time when religious freedom and values are under attack,” Janice Gonzalez, publicist for Saint Luke Productions, said.

Starring Leonardo Defilippis, this one-man drama illustrates the life of Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish Catholic priest whose courage in the face of attacks against his Catholic faith led to his imprisonment in the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. He was forced into slave labor, tortured and finally came forward to take the place of a married man, who was condemned to death by starvation.

Defilippis, who starred in the 2004 feature film “Thérèse,” switches characters and costumes with a speed and believability that amazes audiences. The drama includes technological artistry in the form of a majestic orchestral soundtrack, professional lighting and a video backdrop that sets the story in a historical yet relevant context.

“We live in an exciting, challenging time, and we need heroes to show us the way we should live in an increasingly secular world,” Defilippis said.

“The compelling images, combined with Leonardo’s impressive performance, made me realize this was a real man of our modern age who actually lived and died for another person. It gives me the courage to live my faith no matter what happens,” said an audience member after a recent performance.

As founder and president of Saint Luke Productions, Defilippis has for 31 years produced numerous one-man plays on the lives of the saints and the Gospels, and has created feature films, television and radio/internet programming, including the popular Benedictus Moments, which are broadcast daily. His live production “Vianney” on Saint John Vianney, toured the country extensively in celebration of the recent Year for Priests.

The showing at Our lady of Perpetual Help will open the South-Central Texas Tour. This fall, “Maximilian: Saint of Auschwitz” will tour in New Jersey, New York, Illinois, Missouri, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Texas, Washington and Oregon. Additional tours are forming for California and Michigan in 2013.

“Maximilian: Saint of Auschwitz is an inspiring dramatic portrayal not to be missed, filled with all the elements of professional theater yet striking in its simplicity,” Gonzalez said.

The production runs 90 minutes, and is suitable for ages 10 and up. Admission will be a free-will offering. For more information, contact Gloria Nunez at the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish Office at (361) 991-7891 or by email at [email protected].