Triumph of the Heart – The Director’s Story

Anthony D’Ambrosio, writer and director of the film on St. Maximilian Kolbe, TRIUMPH OF THE HEART, tells the story of his painful journey through physical suffering and loss of faith, and how an encounter with the saint brought him healing and hope, and inspired him to bring this message to others.

Anthony D’Ambrosio’s Story
(Triumph of the Heart Director)

I lost my faith
and wanted to die.

My name is Anthony D’Ambrosio, and I’m the writer and director of Triumph of the Heart.
I was a good Catholic. I did the right things. I even went to seminary, but I left when I fell in love. But just before I got engaged, everything fell apart.

I got sick. An undiagnosed medical condition destroyed my life. I couldn’t sleep. My relationship ended. I could barely hold down my job. And worst of all, there was no cure—no end in sight.

The darkness closed in, and I lost my faith. I didn’t want to live anymore.

But then I remembered Kolbe.

St. Maximilian Kolbe was a priest, a writer, and a Catholic friar. During World War II, he was arrested and sent to Auschwitz for his vocal opposition to the ideologies of the day.

He watched as 10 men were condemned to die in the starvation bunker—a brutal death sentence. When one man cried out, “My wife, my children!” Kolbe stepped forward and offered his own life in exchange.

I kept coming back to that starvation bunker—the place where Kolbe chose to love in the face of unimaginable suffering. I thought about how he forged a brotherhood in that darkness, how he transformed despair into hope. Slowly, a light began to break through.

Kolbe’s story gave me a way forward, and this film is my way of sharing that light with the world.

In an age that runs from pain and avoids the cost of love, Kolbe shows us another way. He is a saint for our time—and his story is one we all need to hear.

-Anthony D’Ambrosio

 

 

For more details about Anthony’s journey through pain and doubt, and the healing power of Kolbe’s message, check out his interview with the National Catholic Register.

 

For more on the film about St. Maximilian Kolbe, visit our Triumph of the Heart page, or go to the film’s website at www.triumphoftheheart.com.

For an excerpt from St. Maximilian Kolbe’s writings, read Zeal for God’s Glory

 

Banner/featured image courtesy of Sherwood Fellows and Triumph of the Heart.  Used with permission.