Karolina Kózka

Although a simple layperson and an adolescent, Karolina led an active life of apostolate within her community. Under the influence of her uncle Franciszek Borzęcki, who managed a local library, she developed a great interest in spiritual reading and religious instruction. She became a catechist for her siblings as well as for the children of neighboring farms.

In 1913, a new parish was established in Zabawa. Karolina became actively involved with the first parish priest, Father Władysław Mendrala, who quickly considered her his "right hand" for the organization of parish life. She participated actively in various pious associations, such as the Apostleship of Prayer, the Temperance Confraternity, and the Living Rosary. She also dedicated herself to the care of the sick and the elderly in her village. In May 1914, she received the sacrament of confirmation, just a few months before the outbreak of the First World War.

The martyrdom of Karolina Kózka occurred at the beginning of the First World War. In November 1914, troops of the Imperial Russian Army invaded the Tarnów region and occupied the villages of Wał-Ruda and Zabawa. On November 18, 1914, around 9:00 a.m., an armed Russian soldier entered the Kózka home under the pretext of seeking information about Austrian forces. He ordered Karolina and her father to follow him to meet his commander.

Upon reaching the edge of the forest, the soldier forced Karolina's father to turn back under threat. Despite his reluctance and terror, the father was forced to leave his sixteen-year-old daughter alone with the soldier. The soldier dragged Karolina deeper into the woods and attempted to rape her. Karolina resisted with heroic strength to defend her chastity. She managed to break free and ran through the marshes to escape her attacker. Furious at her resistance, the soldier pursued her and struck her several times with his bayonet. Karolina collapsed and died shortly thereafter from massive hemorrhaging caused by her wounds, particularly to the jugular vein.

Her body was not found until December 4, 1914, by a village resident, Franciszek Szwiec. The subsequent autopsy confirmed that she died a virgin, having defended her purity to the end. Her funeral, celebrated on December 6, 1914, brought together approximately 3,000 people and took on the dimension of a demonstration of faith and patriotism.

The reputation of holiness and martyrdom of Karolina Kózka was established immediately after her death. As early as 1916, a monument was erected in her memory near the church of Zabawa, and a cross was planted at the site of her martyrdom in the forest. In 1917, with the authorization of the Bishop of Tarnów, Mgr Leon Wałęga, her remains were exhumed from the parish cemetery and transferred to a tomb near the church of Zabawa.

In 1948, Father Władysław Mendrala presented an official petition during the diocesan synod to request the opening of her cause for beatification. The diocesan informative process was officially opened on February 11, 1965, by the Bishop of Tarnów, Mgr Jerzy Ablewicz, and concluded in 1967. On October 6, 1981, her remains were again exhumed and placed in a sarcophagus in the porch of the church of Zabawa.

On June 30, 1986, in the presence of Pope John Paul II, the decree recognizing her martyrdom in defensum castitatis (in defense of chastity) was officially promulgated. Karolina Kózka was beatified by Pope John Paul II on June 10, 1987, in Tarnów, during his third apostolic journey to Poland, before a vast crowd. On this occasion, her relics were transferred under the high altar of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Zabawa, which is today her official shrine.

Nicknamed the 'Polish Maria Goretti' due to the similarity of her martyrdom, Blessed Karolina Kózka has become a model of purity, courage, and fidelity to evangelical values for the youth. Her spirituality was centered on a deep devotion to the Virgin Mary, the Eucharist, and the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

She is considered the patroness of Polish youth, farmers, as well as victims of sexual abuse and violence. Her shrine in Zabawa attracts many pilgrims. Every 18th of the month, a Way of the Cross is organized along the path of her martyrdom, connecting the location of her birthplace in Wał-Ruda to the place of her death in the forest. In November 2020, Pope Francis recalled her example to young people, highlighting the value of purity, respect for the human body, and the dignity of women.