Mission tour of Trappist monasteries

The tour begins near Pinetown at Mariannhill Monastery and then moves through spectacular countryside to Trappist monastery churches near Ixopo and Donnybrook.

Your guide. Nicki von der Heyde Nicki von der Heyde lives near Underberg, KwaZulu-Natal. She graduated from the University of Cape Town having read English and History, and later taught history at high school. After raising a family, she combined her love for travel and South African war history by becoming a specialist guide for foreign tourists visiting the Anglo-Zulu and Anglo Boer War battlefields. The Trappist monasteries added a new and fascinating dimension to her history trails and encompass cultural experiences in spectacular scenery. Nicki is renowned for her expert knowledge and passion for her subject. She is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and an honorary life member of the Anglo-Zulu War Historical Society. Her business, Campaign Trails, has three times been awarded the coveted Tour Operator of the Year award in KZN and she was a finalist in the Nedbank Regional Business Achievers’ Awards. Her recently published book, ‘Field Guide to the Battlefields of South Africa’ was shortlisted for the Nielsen award.

A TRIP ON THE TRAPPIST TRAIL

A small group of locals recently set off on a day-trip to explore some of the Missions established by the Trappists .

The establishment of these missions is a fascinating and complex story. The founding Abbot, Francis Pfanner, was the Abbot of the Trappist monastery of Mariawald in Germany. The Trappists are a branch of the Catholic Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance who practice St Benedict’s rule, which includes stability, fidelity to monastic life, obedience, and living by the work of their hands. They do not take a vow of silence, but do not speak unless really necessary, using sign language where possible, and unseemly laughter is frowned upon. They make very unlikely missionaries.

In 1880 Abbot Pfanner answered a call from Bishop Ricards to come to South Africa to evangelise. His first attempt to establish a mission in the Eastern Cape was abandoned, and he and his monks moved to land close to what is now Pinetown, and established Mariannhill in 1882. From there they extended their work to Reichenau in 1886, and subsequently Mariathal, Lourdes, Kevalar, Emmaus, Centocow and many others.

The Missions were enormously beneficial to the local communities, with the example of the hard-working monks personally laboured, and who were innovative in using what materials were to hand to make bricks and tiles, and build beautiful churches. They established farms, schools, and mills which ground local crops. They taught agricultural skills, and many crafts such as wagon-building, book-binding, carpentry and printing.

Abbot Francis Pfanner was often at odds with his Order, as the problem of how to reconcile the then-accepted strict rules of monastic life with his robust mission work created many tensions, and he was viewed as a maverick by many. Eventually he was removed from his position and spent the last 15 years of his life in seclusion at Emmaus Mission, where he died in 1909. He is buried at Mariannhill.

Kings Grant

Our first stop was King’s Grant, close to Ixopo. The land the Mission was built on was originally a grant to the heirs of Dick King – he of the famous Durban-to-Grahamstown horse ride - and his son Frank sold the farm to the Trappists in 1891. They called it St Isidor after the patron saint of farmers. It was used as a farm to supply the neighbouring Mariathal Mission and St Mary’s Seminary, and included a maize mill, a dairy, a brick factory, a piggery, and a little gem of a chapel. But times change, the Seminary closed, and the farm was sold in 1996 and renamed Kings Grant. Lovingly restored, it has a charming guesthouse and wedding venue, with a restaurant and blissful gardens. It is a delight to visit; a tranquil oasis.

Emaus

We then went on to Emaus Mission at Umzimkulu, established by Abbot Pfanner, and where he spent the last 15 years of his life. Here in solitude and contemplation, he personally built the Stations of the Cross up the mountain-side, laboriously hacking out steps and erecting cairns. It is a very peaceful place Emaus, and there is a solemn sort of atmosphere as you climb the hard-won stairs to the Grotto – perhaps it is true, the legend that his heart was buried here, before his body was taken to Mariannhill when he died in 1909. The buildings have been modernised, though the original structures have been cleverly incorporated, and Abbot Pfanner would certainly have approved of the cheerful sounds of the school-children playing.

Lourdes

Lourdes at Harding was once a place where hundreds of missionary monks and sisters lived, a thriving, constructive community. Driving into Lourdes mid-week as we did is at first a sobering experience. It seems deserted, desolate, impressive buildings fallen into ruin, blackened by fire, part of the shells remaining, the gaping window spaces draped with bird nests. But the beautiful Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes stands proud and serene, and the influence of Abbot Pfanner and his gifted, though untrained, architect Brother Nivard Streicher is unmistakable everywhere in the red bricks and distinctive style of architecture. And soon that unfortunate first impression is dispelled, as we are surprisingly joined by a smiling and enthusiastic young Italian lay-brother, who shows us the work being done to rebuild Lourdes. He is a member of a Catholic organisation called Koinonia John the Baptist, established in 1979 in Italy, consisting of families, lay brothers and sisters and priests that work in many parts of the world evangelising and rebuilding. Called to Lourdes by the Bishop of Umzimkulu, the organisation is working hard on reconstruction, has almost completed the restoration of the church, and has made an impressive difference to Lourdes. They have very ambitious plans.

Our feeling as we leave is quite different. We are hopeful and relieved that such a striking and historic place is being brought back to life to serve the people of the community once more

Centacow

This Mission was founded in 1888, when Abbot Francis Pfanner bought a small farm on the west bank of the Umzimkulu River, in the Creighton district. The Abbot named the new station after the famous Polish Shrine of our Lady of Czestochowa. That shrine has an ancient icon known as The Black Madonna, reputed to perform miracles, and there is a copy of the icon in the present magnificent Church of the Sacred Heart, designed by Brother Nivard Streicher, at Centacow. The tower in the Italian style is beautiful; there is a wonderful rosette stained glass window in the apse, and colourful murals on the walls.

The brothers continued their life’s work of contributing to the community, evangelising, developing the farm, and establishing vineyards, orchards and forests. Apart from basic education they taught many skills including carpentry and blacksmithing. A hospital was opened in 1936, named after the especially loved and dedicated Father Apollinaris Schwanberger. The Trappists gradually moved on, and the Pauline Fathers from Czestochowa took over their work. The hospital still serves the people of the district; it is now a KZN Provincial Hospital.

The trip is so worthwhile

All of the Trappist missions are different, and interesting to visit. Their focus has changed in some ways, as they adapt to changing times, but they are still providing education and care of every kind to their surrounding communities. Their founder was said to be a crusty and impatient soul who did not suffer fools gladly, and who bulldozed anything standing in the way of his vision, including the rules and regulations of the establishment he belonged to. In the almost 150 years since Francis Pfanner first heard of South Africa, many thousands of people have had their lives enriched by the results of his courage and persistence; and his work goes on. Somewhere up there, Abbot Francis is smiling.

Our trip was guided by Nicki von der Heyde. She is knowledgeable and organised, and a fund of fascinating information and anecdotes. nicki@campaigntrails.co.za

Article by Jenny Rogers

REICHENAU MISSION by M Clark

The early governments had a policy of providing land to those blacks who had assisted them in many of their various operations and sometime in the 1870’s’s land had been given to Sakayedwa at what is now Pevensey. I believe this had been done because they felt that putting this small black community at Pevensey would get them out of their hair and as the reports about conditions in the Underberg area had been so bad it would be unlikely that white men would want to settle there and there would therefore be no question of friction arising between the communities. About 1885 Sakayedwa asked the Catholic church based at Marianhill near Pinetown to open a mission station on his new home at Pevensey . The church was planning to open a system of missions a days ride apart so in 1885 Fr Francis Pfanner the Abbot of Marianhill mission station near Pinetown rode up and looked at the site where Sakhayedwa wanted them to buy the land and build their mission station.

Accordingly on the 28th October the following year of 1886 a party of eight brothers and a priest, Fr Arsenius set off from Marianhill with six wagons loaded with tools and building material.. They arrived on site on the 9th of November and immediately set to work.. On the 3 rd March 1887 Fr Francis Pfanner came back and after a ceremony named the new mission station Riechenau named after the Benedictine monastery on Lake Constance on the border of Southern Germany and Switzerland. On the 23 rd April 1887 the first party of sisters arrived to take up the accommodation that had been prepared for them. The arrival of the sisters was reported to have been celebrated with much enthusiasm by the small community. The sisters soon set about organizing a school while the brothers were getting on with the building of further buildings and the church. They taught their pupils not only to read and write but also gave them practical skills in cooking, gardening and caring for animals including carpentry and other useful subjects for the boys. The male pupils were expected to help with work around the mission after classes, repairing the roads, buildings or work on the farm and they all remarked on the hard physical work that was put in by the staff even the priests joining in.

Among the sisters that arrived at the beginning there was Sr.Angela Michel who was later on to nurse Fr Francis Pfanner at Emaus where he had gone when he left Marianhill and where he was to die at the age of 84. There was also Sr Clara Lessak, Sr Phillipine Treumond, The priests sent to man the mission once it was up and running were :- Fr Gerard Wolpert, (later to become the third Abbott of Marianhill), Fr Hyacinth Solomon, Fr Joseph Biegner, Fr Angelica, Fr Ambrosius Hentes, Fr Ansgar Scosygiel, Fr Mansuell Poll and Fr Sales Esser, who became responsible for the building of the church. Amongst the brothers there were : Brothers: Fridelin, Paulkos, Sebastian, Cornelius, Germanus, Cyprian, Wentzel and Nivard who attained fame for building the bridge over the Pholela river at the mission. This was a major undertaking and has great stone pillars that have withstood all the major floods of more than a century. The bridge deck was constructed of iron which alone must have been a major undertaking at a time when machinery for placing such heavy loads was not yet available ands everything had to be carried on ox drawn wagons. The church a most outstanding building which was beautifully decorated with various religious murals. Unfortunately the roof was designed without gutters but some misguided soul decided that gutters should be fitted. The result has been that the gutters have filled up with leaves and debris of one sort or another and the water instead of falling to the ground has built up and runs down the walls which has damaged the murals on the inside walls with damp. Because the walls are high and no specialized equipment is available the gutters are not cleaned out and unless they are removed very soon the fine murals will all soon be destroyed.

A hand operated mill for grinding meal was replaced in December 1896 by a much bigger mill operated by a water turbine on the river below the three story mill building and which drew its water from the top of the small water fall just below the bridge and not far from the mill . The cost of all this machinery came to 900 pounds which was a lot of money in those days but still cheap considering all the effort that must have gone into it. In 1987 there were severe floods and the turbine house was washed away and the turbine unseated. This caused consternation among the Heritage community and all sorts of promises were made that the damage would be repaired but nothing much was done for a good ten years The turbine was re seated but nothing further was done until about 2010 when a group of concerned people undertook to make the necessary repairs and set up the old mill once more. The SAAF were holding exercises in Underberg and kindly provided a helicopter to lift the turbine out of the river bed and put it on a truck which took it to Durban for repairs. Once these repairs had been effected they once more obligingly returned the turbine to its original mountings. Without this help the operation would have proved very difficult and time consuming. The mission garden and lands supplied Marianhill and a number of other stations with produce, vegetables, mealies, wheat and oats from the Riechenau farm for many years. They imported cattle from the Algarve in 1894 largely for milk production to feed the members of the mission but they got hit by Rinderpest in 1895 and lost a number of animals despite them being inoculated for the disease. For years the produce from their garden was to win a great number of prizes on nearby shows.

A set of three bells arrived in 1901 that had been cast by Griedl in Vienna. The big bell was named St Bernard and weighed 420 kg. The middle one was named St Joseph and weighed 256 kg. The small bell was called Marie Annunciata and weighed 125 kg. Getting them into place in the tall tower of the church must have been another mammoth task and it would be interesting to see just how they managed it. The three wooden altars were carved by Ferdnand Stieflesser at St Ulrick-Groeden in the Tyrol and cost 149 pounds. On the 15 th February 1902 the bells rang out over the valley for the first time amidst great rejoicing.

The mission kept on expanding and opened an agricultural school in 1928 which trained a lot of students. Fr Marius Kalus was in charge of the school and Fr Sales Schwarzmann taught the practical and technical subjects. When the agricultural school was shut down in 1946 the building became the Seminary which began with 17 students and in which many priests were trained until that too was shut down in 1962 by the Bantu Education Act of the Nationalist government. The boarding establishment of the children’s school had been closed in 1956 by the same Act but a school continued to operate for the local children until the demise of the Nationalist government in 1994. The St Josephs farm and the seminary buildings were sold off to R W Hardingham under whom the farm became the highest milk producer in the area for a time until bigger dairy farms caught up with him. After the government related closure the Seminary building became Pevensey Place, a home for disabled persons and the farm was later on sold to Gilmennie who kept it for a few years and then sold it to the McNamara family. The Mission retained a portion of the land and the remainder was leased to Robin Smail from New Zealand for a bout five years but was then taken back and handed to the community. Currently there are plans to create a large dairy complex on a sort of partnership between the mission and local farmers who would oversee the operation of the scheme. A large dam has been constructed up stream on the Pholela river with the object pf providing sufficient water for irrigation of the proposed dairy complex.

In 1951 Fr Sebastian took over the control of the mission by which time it had some ten outstations. Fr Sebastian was a very down to earth priest from southern Germany who had no illusions as to the short comings of his congregation. He spoke with a heavy German accent and his Zulu was not of the best so although he called down Hell fire and retribution on all the miscreants under his charge few understood what he was talking about. However if they fell by the wayside a second time he was reputed to have beaten a respect for God into them with his fists. The cynics said that he converted far more souls that way than by preaching ! When Fr Sebastian retired and returned to Germany a black priest took his place and shortly thereafter the last of the white nuns left too.

During the 1960’s and 70’s it would appear that half the senior members of the Lesotho government, the managers, overseers and some of the directors and ministers had been trained at Reichenau and they all spoke with awe of the hard physical manner in which the priests and brothers all worked, they said that there was no relaxing after classes and the priests would wield a pick and shovel along with everyone else. They worked side by side with the students and helping fix the roads, till the fields and do any other hard physical task that required doing. The Basutho students had never seen white men work like that and stood in mighty awe of them all.

The mission catered not only to the black community but to the white members as well because there was no Catholic church in Underberg until the 1970’s. One white farmer a congregant of Reichenau was known for picking up any black man asking for a lift on Sunday but he then made them attend the service before he would allow them to proceed.

In the 1990’s with the new political dispensation a bed and breakfast section was opened accommodating about twelve adults that was used by quite a few visitors to Underberg. A number pf weddings have been solemnized in the old church amongst them a number of prominent politicians families, as well as a few of the local catholic community despite there now being a Catholic church in Underberg. The complex is well worth a visit to see the old church with its murals and the fine stone buildings which are a lasting example of the skills of the masons who dressed all the stone by hand leaving a monument to the industry of the times before technology made life so much easier for us all.

Information in this article was gleaned from many sources.

Soaring spires and spectacular scenery.

“People with an interest in history, architecture, art, stain glass and landscaping will be inspired by this tour”