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Mother Matylda Getter, a Polish Franciscan mother superior, is being remembered for her courageous efforts during World War II to save hundreds of Jewish children from the horrors of the Holocaust. On January 27, as the world marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Mother Matylda's actions were highlighted as a beacon of hope amidst Nazi atrocities.
Known affectionately as "Matusia" or "Mommy," Mother Matylda was committed to caring for children and seniors. Despite being nearly 70 years old when Nazi Germany invaded Poland, she joined the resistance movement against German occupiers. Her involvement included organizing care for war orphans and political prisoners and running kitchens for the poor.
As persecution against Jews intensified with ghettos established in occupied Poland, Mother Matylda saw it as her duty to help Jewish citizens despite severe risks. "The charism of our congregation is summed up in the words of Jesus: 'whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me,'" explained Sister Magdalena Abramow-Newerly, a historian from Mother Matylda's congregation.
During this time, more than 40 orphanages run by her congregation took in Jewish children, teaching them Polish and Catholic prayers to protect them from German scrutiny. An estimated 120 sisters participated in these rescue operations; 22 received Israel's Righteous Among Nations honorific title for risking their lives to save Jews.
Sister Magdalena emphasized that their efforts were collective: “We acted together then; we still act together today.” The rescue mission saved several hundred Jews who later settled safely after the war.
Mother Matylda passed away in 1968 at Płudy near Warsaw and was posthumously honored with Righteous Among Nations status in 1985. Her story highlights not only individual bravery but also collective efforts by religious communities during Nazi occupation. Historian Jan Żaryn noted that such rescues stemmed from faith and love for one's neighbor under perilous conditions where helping Jews could result in death for entire families.
Alina Petrowa-Wasilewicz reports on this remarkable wartime heroism from Warsaw for OSV News and authored a book detailing these events titled "To Save a Thousand Worlds."
