Fr. Karol Golda,
Polish Salesian Martyr
(ANS – Krakow – May 13, 2026) – Fr. Karol Golda
was born in Tychy in Upper Silesia on December 23, 1914, the son of Ludwik and
Anna Golda. He spent his early school years in his hometown and attended
secondary school in Pszczyna.
From his earliest years, one characteristic saying has been
remembered. He loved being in elevated places. When asked what drew him there,
he replied: “I must strive upward.” He was distinguished by a deep and edifying
piety. He frequently received Holy Communion and gladly adored the Blessed
Sacrament.
When he was 13, he came into contact with Salesian students
from Oswiecim, their stories about life in the boarding school and community
captivated him. He resolved to be admitted to Oswiecim.
Those responsible for the boarding school initially rejected
his request. He went personally to the director and was accepted conditionally.
That was enuf for him. His parents tried to dissuade him, explaining that life
in such an institution might be too difficult; they presented him with
prospects of a comfortable future in the world.
Yet they already sensed that in the heart of their young son
there had arisen a desire to dedicate his life entirely to God. At that time,
young Karol repeated the words of St. Stanislaus Kostka: “I was born for
greater things.”
From that moment, God led him along a path not always easy,
but certain—a path of truth and salvation. His school years were marked by
diligent study and steady moral growth. He was characterized by
conscientiousness in fulfilling his duties and by a warm attitude toward his
superiors and fellow students. He was also a good athlete, showing agility,
strength, and grace.
Salesian Path
In 1931, at the age of only 16, he was admitted to the Salesian
novitiate in Czerwinsk. One of his companions wrote of him: “Despite his very
young age, he showed that he took the formation of his spirit very seriously.”
On July 23, 1932, he completed the novitiate and made temporary vows.
He continued his formation in Marszalki, where he finished secondary
school and then undertook studies in philosophy and the sciences. He was
exceptionally helpful toward his fellow students, assisting the weaker ones not
only in their studies but also in various practical matters. It is no surprise
that he received a very favorable evaluation from his superiors: “Cleric Karol
Golda—distinguished by a good spirit, very talented, fond of mathematics and
philosophy, ready for any work.”
This opinion enabled him later to be sent to Rome to study
at the Gregorian University.
After completing his secondary education, he was sent for
practical training to Daszawa, where he worked with boys. There he had the
opportunity to demonstrate his educational abilities. He made full use of all
the pedagogical knowledge he had acquired. His love for sports attracted dozens
of boys to him. He was able to organize them, energize even the slowest and
most reluctant, and was present everywhere, attentive to everything. He
encouraged the less active, calmed the more impetuous, and did all this with
such kindness and fairness that no one protested—everyone accepted his guidance
with good will.
Given such remarkable abilities, his superiors shortened his
practical training and, in 1935, sent him to Rome for theological studies.
There, the deepening of theological knowledge became his
principal occupation. He did not distract himself with secondary interests,
which allowed him to grasp many complex issues. His favorite subjects were
dogmatic theology and Sacred Scripture.
On January 15, 1937, he made his perpetual profession in
Rome, and on December 18, 1938, he was ordained by in the Salesian basilica of
the Sacred Heart in Rome. The following day he celebrated his first Holy Mass
in the Catacombs of St. Callistus. After obtaining a licentiate in theology, he
returned to Poland in July 1939.
The outbreak of World War II found Fr. Golda in Poznan. With
others, he went to the Salesian house in Lad. He remained remarkably calm,
doing good to everyone around him. In October, he returned to Poznan, where he
assisted in pastoral ministry at the Salesian church on Wroniecka Street.
He wished to continue his biblical studies, but the German
authorities refused permission. His superiors then appointed him director of
studies for a group of theology students in Oswiecim. He carried out this
responsibility with seriousness and dedication. At the same time, he willingly
engaged in all forms of priestly ministry, even serving for a time in the
parish of Myslowice.
His piety deepened continually. He came to love deeply the
common religious life, in which he found warmth and a family-like
atmosphere—something every human heart longs for.
Arrest
On December 31, 1941, the Gestapo arrested Fr. Golda and
imprisoned him in the nearby death camp of KL Auschwitz. The reason for his
arrest was specific. Fr. Karol devoted himself zealously to the confessional,
reconciling people with God. He served everyone, including those who spoke
German.
For some time, one of the German soldiers had been coming to
him quite frequently for confession. He was a sincere Catholic who had been
conscripted into the army. It was well known that Hitler’s military regulations
forbade soldiers to receive the sacraments privately. Moreover, Polish priests
were not permitted to carry out priestly ministry to Germans. Fr. Karol was
aware of the grave consequences that awaited him for this reason. The vigilant
eye of the Gestapo soon detected the “offense” of the Polish priest. Fr. Karol
was arrested and taken to the concentration camp, while the penitent was sent
to the Eastern Front.
Martyrdom and Death
Fr. Karol endured 5 months of true martyrdom, during which
he was not spared torture or confinement in the starvation bunker. Even among
the local SS, there prevailed the opinion that Fr. Golda died as a victim of
the seal of confession. One of his confreres wrote of him: “He fell at his
priestly post. Supernatural love compelled him to embrace it. If his entire
life had been a mastery of the will over trying circumstances and nerves, then
in a heroic manner he accomplished this in his final experiences in the camp.
Even those ill-disposed toward him were forced to pay tribute to his holy and
unyielding priestly will.”
On May 14, 1942, Fr. Karol Golda, camp number 18160, died in
Auschwitz, only 28 years of age. A merciless martyr’s death tore from the ranks
of the Salesians a priest full of zeal, an exemplary religious, and a gifted
educator. He died in the 9th year of his religious profession and the 3rd year
of his priesthood. He bore.
Beatification Process
Fr. Karol Golda is one of the 122 Servants of God for whom
the beatification process of the 2nd group of Polish martyrs of World War II began
on September 17, 2003. On May 24, 2011, the diocesan phase concluded in
Pelplin, and all documentation was forwarded to the Congregation for the Causes
of Saints in Rome. The Positio was submitted on July 21, 2022. The postulator
of the cause is Fr. Pierluigi Cameroni, Salesian postulator general.
On March 28, 2023, the historical consultors of the
Dicastery for the Causes of Saints issued a positive opinion regarding the
Positio suppletiva super martyrio of Fr. Jan Swierc and 8 companions, Salesian priests
murdered in odium fidei in German extermination camps in 1941–1942. On
October 24, 2025, Pope Leo XIV ordered the promulgation of the decree on martyrdom.
