Catherine the Rose

Catherine The Rose

One of my great grandmothers was Catherine Butmanski Riedel Rose Huber. Born November 18,

1703 in Seitendorf, Germany. She is one of the nobodies in my family with a great story to tell.

Catherine was the only daughter of her dear parents, whose excellent love and care she enjoyed.

She was also encouraged to learn at a very young age. Her mother promised her that as soon as she

learned to read, she would give her a very pretty book, all to herself and nobody else's. At the time

books were very expensive. This created a desire within in her to learn as quickly as possible. After she

learned to read, her mother remembered her promise and gave her a beautiful book. The book was the

Bible in which her mother had to keep hidden from Catherine's father because he was a devoted

Catholic.

Catholic's were forbidden to read the Bible for themselves, because of their belief that a

commoner could not interrupt it correctly without a member of clergy. When her father was not at

home, she would always pull the Good Book out of its hiding place and read as much as she could until

the time of his arrival. The Bible became her favorite book and that was the only book in which she

read from. If her father ever found out about the hidden book, her and her mother both would be label

as a heretic from her father.

One day the father came home and caught Catherine reading the Good Book. He never trusted

them again and would not let Catherine and her mother be alone. Every time he went to Mass they were

to be with him.

Catherine's mother would often tell her, “Oh, If I only knew of a small corner of the desert,

where I could bring about my salvation of my soul without the constraints of one's conscience and if I

was free as you my dear child, I would wander the whole world and seek out the true children of God”.

Her mother would often fall on her knees with tears in her eyes praying that God would

enlighten her and her daughter and to send someone that who would teach them the way to everlasting

life. This made such an impression on Catherine's heart that she did not know peace, day or night.

This could not be noticed by her father. Anyone who was against the doctrines of the Catholic

Church he called seducers or devils. He threatened Catherine and her mother to not even give it a second thought.

Over a period of time the father loosened the restrictions that he had placed on Catherine and

her mother. Catherine used this new found freedom to seek out and search for people in similar

situations as her own. She prayed feverishly to God that He would lead her out of the shadows of her

father and his church.

When Catherine was 21 years of age, she decided to leave home to seek out people who

believed the same as she did. When she told her mother of her plans, her mother said, “Say nothing to

me. I can neither help nor advise you, your father and I will miss. But when your father misses you I

will enjoy it. But do what you think, if your soul is to be saved, then I can not and do not desire to

hinder you should it cost me my life.”

Catherine waited until the Feast of all Saints to leave. She made out that she was going to Mass

and left on her way without saying a word to anyone. With all her trust in God, that he would lead her

way.

It was a beautiful day when she left and came to a high mountain overlooking the village. She

looked at her home one last time and saw the parishioners coming out of the church.

Fear took hold of Catherine that her father would become enraged and come after her. She fell

to her knees asking God for His help. When she finished and stood up, she ran as fast as she could and

in that hour the sky became gray and it soon began to snow. The snow was so heavy that people could

only see just a few feet ahead of them.

She gained strength and traveled all night in the snow storm and the next day she finally came

to the village of Niederwiese. The people of the village wondered who this beautiful young lady was

and where had she come from. After they had learned the reasons of her flight, they sent her to Master

Schwedler. He looked upon her very carefully and asked, “What made you leave your parents and

friends?”. She answered him and said, “I am looking for people where I can learn for certain the

salvation of my soul without any religious bondage and that is why I risked everything”. She told him

the whole story of her life and about her father.

Master Schwedler said, “If this is the true reason, then your journey's will be successful and

here you will be poor and have to nourish yourself.” Catherine said, “Then I will not notice anything, if

I can only find rest for my soul”. After that Master Schwedler said, “God be with you” and gave her a

writ of recommendation and sent her to the blessed Count Nicolaus Zinzendorf in Herrnhut, better

know as the Moravians.

She soon entered into the town and was greeted with open arms and shortly after she was

married to her first husband Friedrich Riedel.

Catherine's father had found out where she was and went with a few other men to bring her

back. After he saw that his efforts were in vain, he left Catherine and never bothered with her again.

But Catherine relayed through one of the men, a message for her mother. “If it was at all possible, that

her mother could come to be with her that she had found such people that they were searching for”.

After several months her mother arrived and Catherine had the joy of seeing her until she

passed away. Catherine said, “My dear mother had to survive in the most extreme misery, but she often

spoke, 'such a peace of God surrounded me that nothing too difficult become of me”. Catherine's

mother became a blessing among the people.

On October 14, 1735 Catherine received the call to go to Georgia. She left on a ship called the

“Simonds”. She was following her husband who left the year earlier. She had a difficult trip of 18

weeks and entered the port of Savannah, Georgia on February 16, 1736. Savannah at that time had a population of around 600 people.

Among the other passengers of the ship called the Simonds, were John and Charles Wesley, the

founders of the Methodist Church.

When she arrived, she learned of her husbands passing away from fever. She had 2 children

from this marriage and both died in Herrnhut. She had found herself a widow for a first time.

Soon after, in 1737 she married my great-grandfather Peter Rose who had journeyed with

Catherine's first husband on the ship called the “Two Brothers” and in order to learn the language

of the Indians, they lived among the Creek Indians in an village along the Savannah River. The Indians

made them heartily welcome in their village. This is where they had their children including my Great-

Grandmother Susannah Rose (1737-1810).

At first they experienced difficult trails and overcame them with the evident help of the Savior.

But often my Great-Grandfather would travel to the city and stay all night. Catherine found herself

alone in their house among the Indians with their children. The drunken Indians would rage around the

house and she truly felt in danger among them.

Catherine and her husband Peter along with their children after building a school and teaching

the Indians to read and write, moved to Germantown, Pennsylvania.

March of 1740, Her husband Peter passed away. She had been widowed for a second time.

After a couple of years, the Blessed Count Zinzendorf came to America and found her in

Germantown, Pennsylvania. He comforted her and she always remembered their time together in

Germany and that time she always attributed to the indescribable Faith of the Savior that He had kept

her with His people.

Soon after she was married a 3^rd time to Johan Michael Huber and they served the community in

different ways and always with the children.

Her husband Johan received a calling to go on a mission trip to the West Indies and there she

was widowed a 3^rd time. This marriage was blessed with two children.

A few years later, she moved to Nazareth, Pennsylvania as headmistress of the widows choir

and had oversight of the children school. She preformed this service as well as caretaker of the sick for

several years because they had no doctor.

She often explained, 'that the Savior had helped her through wonderfully, and that she had truly

sometimes experienced his help visibly.' A part of the Widows Choir moved in a few years to

Bethlehem. She moved to Bethlehem to stay with her duties. She had great support of the community

because they particularly took care of widows. Catherine remained active where she could, until her

Widows Choir moved into its new Choir House in Bethlehem, where she was again very busy.

She then moved to Nazareth again, and remained with her former duties for several more years,

until she was called to Bethlehem once again and had to take over the midwife duties. Here she spent

her time most happily.

In the year 1772, she traveled for several months to Philadelphia and had the pleasure of seeing

and caring for her first grandchild. Philadelphia was the largest city in Colonial America. Four years

later it would become the first Capitol of the United States.

Catherine is quoted as saying, “I have held every position in the community, from the greatest to

the smallest, nothing was too great to me, nothing too small, what help it was to me, when I didn't

know, and learned that I had found that ground, where my anchor would forever hold. I have not

longed for anything, neither for good days nor for honor, rather my constant attention was to live for

my Redeemer and to serve Him, wherever occasion was found. Now my constant plea and entreaty

answered, to be at home by the Lord.”

In the last year of her life, she had much to endure from a bad leg and great weakness. She

retained her active spirit, and on January 21, 1789 where she laid in her bed, she looked forward to

midday when she would see her son and grandchild and from then on she laid completely still and took no more notice.

No one could tell if she had to endure pain. The community held prayers by her bed and each

could feel an easy peace on them and on January 29th, she passed away very gently and blessedly,

under the blessing of the community and her choir, in the 95th year of her life.

She had seven children, five of whom preceded her into eternity, that is, one son and four

daughters. One son and one daughter were still living, from whom she lived to see seven grandchildren,

of which five were still living at the time of her death.