A Story of Astonishing Mercy

The atrocities of Nazi Germany during World War II are among the darkest chapters in history. Few figures embodied its evil more than Rudolf Höss, the commandant of Auschwitz.

Höss was entrusted with carrying out the "Final Solution"—the mass extermination of European Jews. Under his leadership, 2.5 million people were executed at Auschwitz, while another half-million perished from starvation and disease.

Determined to make death as efficient as possible, Höss pioneered the use of Zyklon B gas, which allowed him to kill 2,000 people at a time. He personally observed the first gassing, wearing a protective mask, and later admitted that it put his mind at ease "for the mass extermination of the Jews was to start soon."

He was, in every sense, a monster.

Yet even in Auschwitz, amidst indescribable suffering, there was a beacon of faith: Prisoner #16670, a Catholic priest. Despite his own suffering, he gave away his meager rations, comforted fellow prisoners, and encouraged them to pray for the conversion of their persecutors—including Höss himself.

One day, after several prisoners escaped, the Nazis chose ten men at random to starve to death as punishment. One of them, a husband and father, cried out in despair, “My wife, my children!”

Then, something astonishing happened.

Prisoner #16670 stepped forward and volunteered to take his place.

The Nazis, even happier to take the life of priest, agreed.

This man was Maximilian Kolbe.

Two weeks passed, and while the other condemned men perished, Kolbe miraculously remained alive. Finally, Höss ordered his execution by lethal injection.

In another moment of divine providence, the SS once raided a Jesuit community, sending its priests to Auschwitz. Their superior, Father John, had been absent during the raid but could not bear to abandon his fellow priests. He voluntarily walked into Auschwitz—a nearly unheard-of decision.

But when he stood before Höss, the feared commandant did something unexpected: he let Father John go.

After the war, Höss was captured, put on trial, and sentenced to death. His execution would take place at Auschwitz—the very place where he had sentenced so many others to die.

While awaiting execution, Höss anticipated cruelty—surely, he would now receive the same merciless treatment he had inflicted on so many.

Instead, his captors treated him with dignity and kindness.

This shocked him and shook him to his core.

On April 4, 1947—Good Friday—Rudolf Höss made a shocking request: he wanted to confess his sins.

Yes you read that right.  

Höss was a baptized Catholic.

But finding a priest willing to hear his confession was no easy task. But Höss himself suggested one name: Father John.

When the guards finally located Fr John, he was in Kraków—praying at the Shrine of Divine Mercy.

Fr. John came to Höss’s prison cell, and for hours, the former Auschwitz commandant laid bare the depths of his sins. At the end of his confession, Father John acted in persona Christi, and absolved Höss of his sins.

The next day, the priest returned to bring Höss Holy Communion. As the man who had orchestrated so much death received the Body of Christ, tears streamed down his face.

Soon after, he was led to the gallows and executed for his crimes.

But he did not die alone in despair. He died reconciled to God.

This is the radical power of Divine Mercy.

It’s unsettling. It’s astonishing. It's almost even scandalous... Höss didn’t deserve forgiveness. He didn’t deserve mercy.

But that's exactly the point. None of us deserve Christ's mercy.

And yet, God offers it freely—to all who seek it.

Embracing the Message of Divine Mercy

Divine Mercy is available to all of us. No matter how far we may have fallen, Jesus invites us to trust in His mercy, seek repentance, and spread His love to the world. 

To carry this beautiful message with you every day, we’re launching a Divine Mercy Bracelet in early April.

Be the first to know when they are available—join the waitlist today!