Think of bold women in our faith tradition, and Katharina von Bora Luther might immediately come to mind. Katie, as we call her, was born in the eastern German state of Saxony in 1499. When she was ten, Katie was sent to a Cistercian nunnery, and was consecrated as a nun in 1515, at age 16. She and Martin Luther married in 1525.
Katie managed all the household affairs. She was a frugal and shrewd entrepreneur: She raised and bred cattle. She ran a brewery. She took in students and professors as boarders. She had several gardens, which fed both her family (she and Luther had six children) and the boarders. She managed the stables. Using nursing skills learned while in the cloister, Katie cared for many of the local ill. She participated in Luther’s famous table talks. She assisted a call committee in securing a new pastor, at Luther’s request. Katie was a Renaissance woman, excelling in many areas. We might say there’s a bit of Katie in all of us.
This message is excerpted from the 2009 Women of the ELCA resource “A Bold Life of Faith: Katharina von Bora Luther,” written by Linda Post Bushkofsky. Today we commemorate Katharina von Bora (“Katie”) Luther, renewer of the church, 1552.Tomorrow we will hold a Blue Christmas Service via Zoom. All are welcome.
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