Recently our church went on pilgrimage to Krakow in Poland, with a particular visit to Auschwitz, the former concentration camp.

Whilst there we heard many harrowing stories of the sheer horror that befell the millions of people who passed through its gates; Jews, Gypsies, Homosexuals, Christian priests, all different kinds of people, who were subjected to such sheer acts of cruelty, cruelty that many of us can’t even begin to imagine.

Old and young alike, no one was spared the brutality of a regime that was intent on wiping out a demographic of people that either believed or lived a different way. Their bodies were broken – physically – in many ways; their mental strength was tested in ways that no living person should ever have to endure - that many could not mentally endure. But there was one thing that could not be broken, and that was the indomitable spirit within.

Jews and priests alike were forbidden from practising their faith on pain of death, and yet their belief in their God could not be extinguished, no matter what was dished out to them. There are numerous stories of faith and prayer being offered to God in the most telling of circumstances; beautiful acts of kindness being shown by a people who were being treated less than human just because they were perceived to be different.

At Auschwitz-Birkenau we stood in front of the complete ruins of two gas chambers and crematoria where over one million innocent men, women and children were led to their death. We were told stories by our guide that detailed the absolute horror that was dished out to so many innocent people over such a relative short period of time. But we were also told stories of hope, love and faith… none more so than Father Maximilian Kolbe, a Catholic priest imprisoned because he refused to stop helping his fellow man.

We witnessed the exact cell where he and nine others were incarcerated without food and water, eventually starving to death. We witnessed the cramped conditions where they agonisingly lived out their last days here on earth, with Fr Maximilian offering prayers and Mass for those in his care. He continued to do so until the last prisoner had died. He was then injected with carbolic acid so that the cell could quickly be cleared for more prisoners to suffer the same fate.

It is a known fact that the vast majority of those sent to Auschwitz and other extermination camps retained their faith. Their faith and prayers, both as individuals and as clandestine groups, saw them through the darkest of times, even unto death. It would have been easy for them and people such has Fr Maximilian to give up on a God, who, it seemed, had given up on them. But they had faith, a deep faith that transcended the sheer horror of their predicament.

Having a strong belief system – whatever that belief is – in God or in something that is at the centre of our being can really help in life’s journey. It not only provides a sense of purpose, but also allows awareness that we are not alone in the world, especially when we are in need of comfort and sustenance.

For those at Auschwitz, God was with them, even when the most ungodly acts were being committed against them, allowing the spirit to transcend above the broken body and mind, demonstrating a resilience that can appear to be unworldly, impossible.

Our prayers are offered, not only for all those who perished under that regime in WWII, but also for all people who are persecuted and treated unjustly just because they appear to be different. For the sake of all those who perished at Auschwitz and other death camps we must never allow this to happen again. We must come together as one people – of faith or no faith – to support and care for our fellow man. A spirit of love and unity will see us overcome all hatred.