Catherine von Bora was born on 29th of January 1499, to an impoverished nobleman’s family. She was sent to the convent school of the Benedict order in Brehna in 1504, just after her mother died. 1508 found her enrolled in the convent of Nimbschen. She took her vows, and became a nun on October 8th, 1518.
Catherine, or Kate (as Luther called her), spent the next few years performing the duties of a nun, but finally became dissatisfied with this life after hearing the teachings of Luther. The lady abbess, desirous for the other nuns to know the teachings of “that heretic Martin Luther” and to learn to abhor them, aloud the nuns to read the writings of Luther. It pleased God to use these writings of Luthers to turn heart of Kate (and eight of her companions) to a true knowledge of the salvation offered in Christ alone.
Smuggled out in barrels, Kate and her companions escaped to Wittenberg. In two years, with the assistance of Luther, all of the nuns where able to find homes, employments, or husbands. All of them – except Kate. She has stayed with many different families yet appeared to have little interest in marriage. Many proposals came to her from able men, yet she refused them all. Finally after a private conversation with a friend, Kate told him she would be willing only to marry Dr. Luther or himself.
Luther proposed to Kate to not long after and she excepted him. The two where married on June 13, 1525. They had a full and abundant life. Luther was very busy and Kate took to the task of taking care of the monastery. This was a very large task, considering the number of guest, visitors, and students that visited the Luther home every year. She bore six children, Johannes, Elizabeth, Magdalena, Martin Jr., Paul, and Margarete. All but two of them lived to maturity. The Luther’s also adopted and raise four orphans.
Luther died in 1546 leaving Kate alone with the children. When asked to leave the abbey that had been their home for so long, she refused. She eventually was forced to leave with the break out of the Schmalkaldic War, and she fled to Magdeburg. She was able to return to Wittenburg at the close of the war but found the it torn down and laid waist. She remain, though in poverty, in Wittenburg until 1552, when she was again forced to flee. This time do the outbreak of the black plague and a harvest failure. On her way to Torgau her cart was involved in a bad accisdent near the city gate. Three months later she died on December 20, 1552.
Catherine Von Bora had a strong faith in Christ, and was willing His servant. She was an able companion and help meet to Dr. Luther in his work for the Lord. She is quoting as saying, just before her death, “I will stick to Christ as a burr to cloth.”
