Catherine arrived on March 8, 1843, at the Gold Coast with Caribbean recruits for the Basel Mission.
On March 8, 1843, Catherine Mulgrave landed in Christiansborg (now Osu, Accra) on the Gold Coast, arriving with 24 other mission recruits from Jamaica and Antigua under the auspices of the Basel Mission. This seminal event marked her entry into missionary work on African soil. It was emblematic of a broader mission strategy to repatriate Africans from the Diaspora back to their homelands to foster Christianity and education. The mission faced traditional resistance and cultural barriers, yet Catherine's hard work on these principles greatly influenced the educational landscape, aiding in the creation of a literate, culturally reformed group among the African populace.