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USS
Maximillian Information and History |
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The U.S.S. Maximillian is a Central Ohio Science-Fiction
Fan association, and the largest independent vessel in the area. In existence
for over 16 years, the Maximillian continues to boldly go where no fan club has
gone before, bringing a unique mix of fellowship, fun, group outings and
charity. We meet on the second Saturday of every month at various
libraries throughout the Columbus area for our business meetings.
If you are a fan of any form of trek, or just sci-fi in
general, you have a place on the Maximillian. Though our members are as varied
as their backgrounds, walks of life, interests and talents, Star Trek is what
brings them together.
Outside of the monthly meetings, the Maximillian provides
an activity program which allows it's members to have fun, help the community,
and develop lasting friendships. These activities include attending, and in
many cases, working Star Trek and SF conventions throughout the area, seeing
movies as a group, museum trips, community service, picnics, trips to amusement
parks, and even outdoor activities such as canoeing and camping. In other
words, the Maximillian is limited only by the imaginations of it's members.
The Maximillian organizational structure is similar to that
of a Sovereign class starship in the fictional universe depicted in Star Trek.
Our members hold fictional positions within the organization and earn fictional
rank to denote their time as members as well as their level of activity. In
addition, an elaborate awards program has been developed to recognize our members
for their achievements and activity. What you put into the organization is what
you get out of it. Our main objectives are to help the community be a better
place to live and make lasting friendships, and most importantly, to have fun.
 
The USS Maximillian was established in May of 1992 by Captain Robert S. Lyon and
Commander Gregory A. Dunn in Marion, Ohio. During Lyon's two year term as
commanding officer, the ship's groundwork was established with an initial
compliment of a dozen crewmembers. Despite Marion's relatively small population
and lack of resources, the ship maintained a decent activity program for Star
Trek fans in the area.
In May of 1994 Lyon was forced to step down from Command
due to academic obligations.
The Original crew appointed Lyon as their founding Admiral,
and Captain Matt Morris was given command. Under Morris's administration the
Max was moved to Columbus, Ohio where it began to grow and prosper. The
elaborate award system was put into place at this time to recognize members for
their dedication to the ship and community.
In March of 1998 Captain Terry McPherson was elected to the
center seat. McPherson was forced to step down due to health concerns in March
of 1999, and Captain Elaine Jackson then assumed Command of the ship through
February 2000. In March of 2000 Sidley Howard was elected Captain of the Max
and served until February of 2002, when Captain Charles Connor was elected,
choosing to step aside in February of 2004.
Captain Chris Stephenson commanded a ship of
over three dozen members when he was sworn in. There were almost 70
members when he ended his 2nd term of office in February 2008.
Currently Captain CJ Biro steers the ship toward the future, and the future of the Max
is bright.
The Captains of the U.S.S. Maximillian, Past
and Present:
FADM Robert Lyon
VADM Gregory Dunn
ADM Matthew Morris
ENS Terry McPherson
ADM Elaine Jackson
CAPT Sidley Howard
Tribune Charles Connor
Commodore Chris Stephenson
CAPT CJ Biro
Captains of the USS
Maximillian
First
Officers of the USS Maximillian
MAXIMILIAN KOLBE
(Reprinted with
Permission from
http://www.catholicforum.com/saints/saintm01.htm
The Maximillian is not afflilated with any religious or political group.)
Also known as
Apostle of
Consecration to Mary; Massimiliano Maria Kolbe; Maximilian Mary Kolbe; Raymond
Kolbe
Memorial
14 August
Profile
Second of three
sons born to a
poor but pious Catholic family in Russian
occupied
Poland. His parents, both
Franciscan
lay
tertiaries, worked at home as weavers. His
father, Julius, later ran a religious book
store, then enlisted in Pilsudski's
army, fought for
Polish independence from
Russia, and was
hanged by the
Russians as a traitor in
1914. His
mother, Marianne Dabrowska, later became a
Benedictine
nun. His brother Alphonse became a
priest.
Raymond was known as a mischievous child, sometimes considered wild, and a trial
to his parents. However, in
1906 at Pabianice, at age twelve and around the
time of his first Communion, he received a vision of the
Virgin Mary that changed his life.
I asked the
Mother of God what was to become of me. Then
she came to me holding two crowns, one white, the other red. She asked if I was
willing to accept either of these crowns. The white one meant that I should
persevere in purity, and the red that I should become a
martyr. I said that I would accept them both.
-Saint Maximilian
He entered the
Franciscan junior
seminary in Lwow,
Poland in
1907 where he excelled in mathematics and
physics. For a while he wanted to abandon the
priesthood for the
military, but eventually relented to the call
to religious life, and on
4 September
1910 he became a novice in the Conventual
Franciscan Order at age 16. He took the
name Maximilian, made his first vows on
5 September
1911, his final vows on
1 November
1914.
Studied philosophy at the Jesuit Gregorian College in
Rome from
1912 to
1915, and theology at the
Franciscan Collegio Serafico in
Rome from
1915 to
1919. On
16 October
1917, while still in
seminary, he and six friends founded the
Immaculata Movement (Militia Immaculatae, Crusade of Mary
Immaculate) devoted to the
conversion of sinners, opposition to
freemasonry (which was extremely anti-Catholic at the time), spread of the
Miraculous Medal (which they wore as their habit), and devotion to
Our Lady and the path to Christ. Stricken with
tuberculosis which nearly killed him, and left
him in frail in health the rest of his life.
Ordained on
28 April
1918 in
Rome at age 24. Received his Doctor of
Theology on
22 July
1922; his insights into
Marian theology echo today through their
influence on Vatican II.
Maximilian returned to
Poland on
29 July
1919 to
teach history in the Crakow
seminary. He had to take a medical leave from
10 August
1920 to
28 April
1921 to be treated for tuberculosis at the
hospital at Zakpane in the Tatra Mountains. In January
1922 he began
publication of the magazine Knight of the
Immaculate to fight religious apathy; by
1927 the magazine had a press run of 70,000
issues. He was forced to take another medical leave from
18 September
1926 to
13 April
1927, but the work continued. The friaries from
which he had worked were not large enough for his work, and in
1927
Polish Prince Jan Drucko-Lubecki gave him land
at Teresin near Warsaw. There he founded a new
monastery of Niepokalanow, the City of the
Immaculate which was consecrated on
8 December
1927. At its peak the Knight of the Immaculate
had a press run of 750,000 copies a month. A junior
seminary was started on the grounds in
1929. In
1935 the house began printing a daily Catholic
newspaper, The Little Daily with a press run of 137,000 on work days,
225,000 on Sundays and holy days.
Not content with his work in
Poland, Maximilian and four brothers left for
Japan in
1930. Within a month of their arrival,
penniless and knowing no Japanese, Maximilian was printing a Japanese version of
the Knight; the magazine, Seibo no Kishi grew to a circulation of
65,000 by
1936. In
1931 he founded a
monastery in Nagasaki, Japan comparable to
Niepokalanow. It survived the war, including the nuclear bombing, and serves
today as a center of Franciscan work in Japan.
In mid-1932
he left
Japan for Malabar,
India where he founded a third Niepokalanow
house. However, due to a lack of manpower, it did not survive.
Poor health forced him to curtail his missionary work and return to Poland in
1936. On
8 December
1938 the monastery started its own radio
station. By
1939 the
monastery housed a religious community of
nearly 800 men, the largest in the world in its day, and was completely
self-sufficient including medical facilities and a fire brigade staffed by the
religious brothers.
Arrested with several of his brothers on
19 September
1939 following the Nazi invasion of
Poland. Others at the
monastery were briefly exiled, but the
prisoners were released on
8 December
1939
priestly ministry, The brothers housed 3,000
Polish refugees, two-thirds of whom were
Jewish, and continued their publication work, including materials considered
anti-Nazi. For this work the presses were shut down, the congregation
suppressed, the brothers dispersed, and Maximilian was imprisoned in Pawiak
prison, Warsaw,
Polandd on
17 February
1941.
On
28 May
1941 he was transferred to Auschwitz and
branded as prisoner 16670. He was assigned to a special work group staffed by
priests and supervised by especially vicious
and abusive guards. His calm dedication to the faith brought him the worst jobs
available, and more beatings than anyone else. At one point he was beaten,
lashed, and left for dead. The prisoners managed to smuggle him into the camp
hospital where he spent his recovery time hearing confessions. When he returned
to the camp, Maximilian ministered to other
prisoners, including conducting Mass and
delivering communion using smuggled bread and wine.
In July
1941 there was an escape from the camp. Camp
protocol, designed to make the
prisoners guard each other, required that ten
men be slaughtered in retribution for each escaped
prisoner
Design is copyright 2001 Colin Brunton.
All other portions copyright their original owners. All rights reserved.
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Contact Us:
cbiro@wideopenwest.com
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