Blessed Angela Salawa
Also known as
- Aniela Salawa
Profile
Daughter of Salaw Bartlomiej and Ewa Bochenek, the youngest of ten children in a pious tradesman’s family. She received two years of formal education, and at age 12 began work as a domestic in nearby homes. On 27 April 1900 she joined the Saint Zita Assocation, a religious group for maids. Within this church-centered place, Angela felt at home, and devoted her free time to the house, the church, and a call to religion, attending Mass daily and in routine contact with Franciscans. She was unable to enter religious life due to poor health, and continued to work as a maid and to mentor other young women. She became a Franciscan tertiary on 15 March 1912. Worked as a nurse in a Krakow hospital during World War I, spending her own money and any that she could beg to buy better food for injured soldiers. In 1917 her health collapsed completely; she spent the last five years of her life in a small room, surviving on the charity of the Saint Zita Association, and spending her time in prayer.
Born
- 9 September 1881 in Siepraw, Malopolskie, Poland
- 12 March 1922 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland of natural causes
- relics transferred to the Franciscan Chapel of the Lord’s Passion on 13 May 1949
- 23 October 1987 by Pope John Paul II (decree of heroic virtues)
Readings
“Aniela Salawa can serve as an example of a strong faith, a perfect conformity with God’s will and an unusual piety.” – Pope John Paul II
MLA Citation
- “Blessed Angela Salawa“. CatholicSaints.Info. 3 July 2023. Web. 28 May 2024. <>