Katharina von Bora. That is the name of the woman who Martin Luther ended up marrying during the Reformation. Ordinarily, when one thinks of the Reformation, one may end up thinking primarily about people like: Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Melancthon, King Henry the VIII, and so on. Far too often, women take the back seat in our history books and thoughts (I know they do for me). So for this newsletter, let’s explore Katharina’s life and legacy in the Reformation.
Katharina von Bora was born to a lesser Saxony noble family and sent away early in her life to be educated at a Convent in Brehna. After many years of being a nun, she and other nuns in her Convent wanted to leave the Convent and join the Reformation. On April 4th of 1523, she received such an opportunity, leaving the Convent by smuggling herself and her colleagues in delivery barrels from a merchant to enter Wittenberg. Her marriage to Luther made her move into the Black Cloister, which was the former Augustinian monastery that Luther lived in with his fellow monks. In this place, Katherina would become the backbone of the entire Reformation. Katherina took hold of all the assets in the cloister including the livestock and the brewery to make a modest living in her own right. She even ended up making this space a place where many of the Reformers could meet and discuss pertinent topics to the Reformation. Having both the work ethic and strength of character to love others, she became a parent to six children by birth and four more by adoption. Even after Luther passed, she would not be dissuaded from leaving the Black Cloister as she saw it both as home and her life’s work. Even after the destruction of her home due to a period of war, she would come to rebuild the cloister along with the help of her benefactor, Johann Freidrich, to make a modest living once again. After leaving the cloister again due to plague, she tragically passed away from a tragic cart accident that killed her at the age of 53. Katherina’s legacy has been one of the most credited with giving women a voice during a time when women were seen as lesser. Though it would take many years before the first woman pastor beyond biblical recorded history would take place, Katherina’s contributions would come to affect every protestant denomination far beyond her own.
Sometimes in our own lives it may not seem like we are doing much. But as Katherina proves, sometimes even one change in someone’s life can make all the difference, echoing throughout history for all to see and for generations to come.
God bless you this Lenten Season!
Pastor Evan Meester, April 2026
