August Hlond was born in Brzeckowice, Poland, on 5 July 1881. Second of 11 children, his father was a railways worker. Having received a simple but strong faith from his parents, at the age of 12, attracted by Don Bosco's reputation, he followed his older brother Ignatius to Italy to consecrate himself to the Lord among the Salesians, and soon attracted two more brothers. Admitted to the novitiate at Foglizzo Canavese, he received the cassock from Blessed Michael Rua.
After his religious profession he was sent to Rome where he attended the Gregorian University. Ordained a priest on 23 September 1905, he was the Rector of various Salesian houses in Przemyśl and then in Vienna. Following Don Bosco's charism, in all his activities he took care of young people, especially the poor.
He was the first Superior of the German-Hungarian Province. In Vienna he had the opportunity to be appreciated by Archbishop Achilles Ratti, who, having become Pontiff with the name of Pius XI, appointed him Apostolic Administrator of Upper Silesia, a responsibility of exceptional delicacy, as a disputed land between Germany and Poland: from his mediation between Germans and Poles the Diocese of Katowice was born in 1925, of which he became bishop. Significantly, he chose Don Bosco's motto as his episcopal motto: "Da mihi animas coetera tolle" (Give me the souls, take away the rest).
He lived among the people, sharing the joys and sufferings of the simplest people. In 1926 he was appointed Archbishop of Gniezno and Poznań and Primate of Poland and just a year later the Pope made him a cardinal. In 1932 he founded the Society of Christ for Polish Emigrants, aimed at assisting the many compatriots who left the country, and in the period between the two wars he was very critical of social injustices. To counteract the effects of the economic crisis, he established the Social Council at the headquarters of the Primate of Poland. He also reacted to the rising tide of nationalism and in 1936 wrote a famous pastoral letter on moral principles in the social and political field.
Also in 1936, he led the first Synod of Polish Bishops. He became a great promoter of Catholic Action and was the first pastor in Poland, if not in the whole world to establish a "Youth Festival". In March 1939 he participated in the Conclave that elected Pius XII.
On 1 September of the same year, the Nazis invaded Poland: World War II began. Card. Hlond, at the request of the Polish government and in agreement with the Apostolic Nuncio, went to Rome to inform the Holy Father of the tragic situation in Poland; unable to return to his homeland, he took refuge in Lourdes. He raised his voice against Hitler's violations of human rights and religious freedom. From the Abbey of Hautecombe he denounced the persecutions against the Jews in Poland. The Gestapo entered the Abbey and arrested him, deporting him to Paris. The cardinal categorically refused to support the formation of a pro-Nazi Polish government. He was interned first in Lorraine and then in Westphalia. Freed by Allied troops, in 1945 he returned to his homeland.
But in the new Poland liberated from Nazism, he found Communism. Once again he courageously defended the Poles, this time standing up with vigorous pastoral care against Marxist atheist oppression, and he also had to escape some attacks.
On 4 March 1946, while maintaining the see of Gniezno, he was appointed Archbishop of Warsaw by Pius XII. His successor, the Blessed Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, called him a Pastor "with his gaze set on the future".
He died on 22 October 1948 of pneumonia at the age of 67. On his deathbed he spoke these words: “I have worked for Christ and for Poland and I will still do so... I made many sacrifices for Jesus and sought his glory; I leave with joy” and he prophesied,“Fight under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The victory, when it comes, will be the victory of the Most Holy Mother." Thousands of people attended the funeral and for the first time in the history of Poland, the burial took place in the cathedral itself.
In the history of the Church of Poland, Cardinal Augusto Hlond was one of the most eminent figures for the religious witness of his life, for the greatness, variety and originality of his pastoral ministry and for the sufferings he faced with intrepid Christian spirit for the Kingdom of God.
