On October 31st, Lutherans celebrate Reformation Day, the day Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg.   His action started the series of events that became The Reformation. Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483, in Eisleben, Saxony, then part of the Holy Roman Empire.  His family soon moved to Mansfeld, …

Born in Strasburg in 1497 to a large artisan class family, Katharina Schutz was the fifth of ten children. Katharina received sufficient education to read and write fluently in German, but not Latin. Devout, she attended church, performed good works, and read the Bible in German.  She considered herself a “Church mother,” someone who cared for all people without respect to …

Born in Fort Wayne, IN in 1963, Bradley Schmeling moved with his family to Cincinnati in 1970.  The Schmeling family attended churches belonging to the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.  Though not clergy, his parents served in leadership roles. After graduating from high school in 1981, Schmeling attended Ohio University, majoring in Telecommunications/Journalism.  During college, he joined the LCA, a predecessor …

On October 4, the ELCA commemorates Rev. Theodor Fliedner. Born in Eppstein, Germany on January 21, 1800, Theodor Fliedner was the son and grandson of Lutheran pastors.  Though studious as a child, Fliedner also helped both his parents with their daily activities. In 1813 the Napoleonic Wars brought troops to Eppstein, and “camp pestilence” came with them. Fliedner’s father took …

Rev. Elizabeth Platz, the first woman ordained by the LCA, was born and raised in Pittsburgh.  When she received a scholarship to attend college, her parents, though not college educated themselves, encouraged her to take advantage.  Platz graduated from Chattham University in 1962 with a degree in history. While at Chattham, she discovered an interest in theological history and decided …

Frederick Valentine Melsheimer. The “Father of American Entomology,” was born in Regenborn, Brunswick (now part of Germany) in 1749.   The son of the Duke of Brunswick’s Superintendent of Forestry, Melsheimer claimed entomologist August W. Knoch as a childhood friend.  At the University of Helmstedt in Brunswick, Melsheimer studied sciences and religion from 1769 to 1772.  Afterward, he served as a …

On September 2, the ELCA commermerates Nikolai Grundtvig, also refered to as NFS Grundtvig. The son of a Lutheran pastor, Nikolai Grundtvig was born in Udby, Denmark in 1783.   Though brought up in a religious household and educated in the European Enlightenment tradition, Grundtvig’s views on both education and religion evolved over his lifetime.  Through his many writings, he heavily …

The granddaughter of King John I of Denmark, Elisabeth was born in Colin (now combined with Berlin) in 1510 to Elector Joachim I of Brandenburg and his wife, also named Elisabeth.  Young Elisabeth received a religious and humanist education extensive enough to include Latin. In 1525, at the age of 14, Elisabeth married the much older Duke Eric I Brunswick-Göttingen-Calenberg. …

Kaj Harald Leininger Petersen was born in Maribo, Denmark on January 13, 1898 to Carl Petersen, a tanner, and his wife Mathilde.  Following the death of Carl in 1899 and Mathilde in 1903, Kaj went to live with Peter and Marie Munk in Opager,about 10 miles from Maribo, and took on their last name, becoming Kaj Munk. In 1917, Munk …

On August 13th, the ELCA commemorates Florence Nightingale.  Though Nightingale was a practicing Anglican, and not Lutheran, her nursing training was from a Lutheran institution. Born in 1820 in Florence, Italy, Nightingale belonged to a very wealthy British Family.  They subsequently returned to England in 1821.  Nightingale’s father, William, personally saw to the education of his daughters.  According to a …