Fr. Karol Golda, Polish Salesian Martyr

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.