When Martin Luther died on February 18, 1546, Katie greatly grieved his passing. She and their children were forced to leave Wittenberg that same year due to the Schmalkaldic War. They returned at the end of 1547 when the war ended only to find that all the properties other than the Black Cloister had been confiscated and ruined. The Black Cloister had been plundered and damaged in the war, but Katie rebuilt it as a boarding house.
Katie was clearly a force to be reckoned with.
Katie died December 20, 1552, in Torgau. Her final words are reported to have been, “I will stick to Christ as a burr [sticks] to cloth.”
Thank you, Lord, for the story of Katie, our sister in faith who exemplifies humor, strength, and faith.
This message was adapted from a Women of the ELCA resource, A Bold Life of Faith: Katharina von Bora Luther, written by Linda Post Bushkofsky.