Sára Salkaházi was born on May 11, 1899, in Kassa (now Košice, Slovakia), into a well-to-do family. Initially trained as a teacher, she later pursued various professions, including bookbinding, millinery, and journalism. Her journalistic work often highlighted social issues, particularly those affecting the poor and marginalized. In 1929, at the age of 30, Salkaházi joined the Sisters of Social Service, a Hungarian religious society devoted to charitable and social causes. Despite initial reservations from the congregation due to her background, she embraced her calling with the motto from Isaiah: "Here I am! Send me!"

During World War II, as the Hungarian Nazi Party gained power and began persecuting Jews, Sister Sára and her congregation provided safe havens for those in danger. She opened Working Girls' Homes to shelter Jewish women and children, often disguising them and providing forged documents to ensure their safety. Her efforts are credited with saving approximately 100 Jewish lives.  In 1943, she smuggled a Jewish refugee from Slovakia and the woman's son out of the Sisters' house in Kassa, which was being searched by the Gestapo, and brought them temporarily to Budapest. ​‍

On December 27, 1944, Sister Sára was arrested by the pro-Nazi Arrow Cross Party, along with several of the individuals she was sheltering. They were executed on the banks of the Danube River in Budapest; her body was never recovered.  In recognition of her bravery and sacrifice, Yad Vashem honored her as Righteous Among the Nations in 1969. The Catholic Church beatified her on September 17, 2006