Karolina Kózka
Polish martyr (1898–1914)
Feast: 18 November (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Karolina Kózka was born on 2 August 1898 at Wał-Ruda, near Tarnów, Poland, to a poor peasant family. Guided by her spiritual director, she took an active part in parish life and taught the catechism to her brothers and sisters and the neighbours' children.
On 18 November 1914, in the First World War, she was seized by a Russian soldier and dragged into the forest. She resisted his assault and was killed: she was sixteen.
The miracles
As a martyr, beatified without a miracle.
Why that counted as sanctity
A peasant girl and catechist who died defending her purity.
The cause
The cause continues. No postulation address is published here yet. Favours received through this person’s intercession, and offers of help, are best sent to the religious order or congregation they belonged to, or to the diocese where the cause was opened; either will pass them to the postulation.
Connected on this site
- Maria Goretti Saint“Kózka is often referred to as the "Polish Maria Goretti" due to the manner of her death.” — Wikipedia
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints - biography: Carolina Kózka
- Wikidata Q2537197 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Karolina Kózka (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.