After celebrating the feast of St Maria Goretti, I thought of sharing with you an insight into another virgin martyr of the last century, a contemporary of Goretti. Blessed Karolina Kozka was born in Poland on August 2, 1898, and at the age of 16, she became the victim of a sex attack and was murdered. Prior to that she was known locally for her strong faith and her eagerness to catechize her neighbours and children. Kózka is often referred to as the "Polish Maria Goretti" due to the manner of her death. Kózka's death caused great public outrage against Russians since a Russian soldier was believed to have attacked and killed her. She had been kidnapped along with her father, as one of the soldiers attempted to force himself upon her but she struggled and thwarted his attempted rape. Enraged, the soldier then stabbed her with his bayonet multiple times. She managed to escape and ran some 800 meters towards nearby swamps which saved her from further attacks. The soldier saw her fall and gave up the chase believing her to be dead. She was found a few days later in the woods, half naked and in bare feet which were badly wounded, and her neck slit with a knife. Three thousand people flocked to her funeral and called for her canonization cause to be introduced as she died defending her virginity. The cause formally commenced in the 1950s and culminated in 1987 with Pope John Paull II beatifying her in her and his, native Poland. Her major shrine is in her native Tarnow, Poland, and her feast day is celebrated on November 18.
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