Vleeschfontein - a Shrine of Botswana People

The Society of Jesus (Jesuits Fathers) was asked by the Pope to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people living along the Zambezi river deep in the African interior. On 15 April 1879, the first group of missionary priests and brothers left St. Aiden's College in Grahamstown and began their journey to the Zambezi River area. They had four heavy wagons each drawn by a yoke of twelve to eighteen oxen. These wagons became their home over the next five months. It took four weeks to reach the city of Kimberley, a distance of four hundred miles. Continuing their journey north, they arrived in Zeerust on 24 June. A few days later, having crossed the Dwarsburg Mountains, they outspanned their oxen at the spring wells of Vleeschfontein where they rested before continuing their journey through the Marico river valley. On 7 July they reached the place where the Marico and Crocodile rivers meet to form the Limpopo River. From there they continued northwards to Zimbabwe, laying the foundation of the Catholic Church in that area.
Due to the harsh conditions the missionaries had to endure, the Jesuits Fathers decided to set-up a permament base where priests could rest on their long trek from Grahamstown to the Zambezi Mission territory and so the farm Kalfontein, known to hunters as Vleeschfontein, was bought. The mission was opened and blessed on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, 8 December 1884. The priests' house became the first permament Mass centre among the Botswana, with the first public Mass being celebrated on 1 January 1885 and the first baptism on 25 May. At the end of the same year a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes was erected close to priests' house.
During the 1890's, the railway line was extended from Kimberley to Bulawayo, via Zeerust, and so the mission station at Vleeschfontain was no longer needed by the Jesuits. In 1894 they handed the mission over the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (the OMI Fathers) who served the people until the mission was closed in 1950.
In 1913, the first Sisters, from the Holy Family Congregation, joined the OMI priests at Vleeschfontein where they founded a convent and a school. The Sisters stayed at Vleeschfontain until July 1928 when the Dominican Sisters of King William's Town replaced them.
In 1925 Br. Joseph OMI built a Lourdes grotto in honour of Our Lady. At this time the priest in charge of Vleeschfontein, Fr. Goodfriend OMI, became critically ill with blood fever. The people began a nevena to St. Theresa of Liseaux seeking her intervention for his full recovery. Their prayers were answered and by the eigth day of their nevena Fr Goodfriend was well enough to celebrate Mass. In thanksgiving, a small chapel, dedicated to St. Therese, was erected and solemnly blessed on 3 January 1927. During the dedication ceremony it rained, bringing to an end the severe drought the people had endured for many months. From that day on the people have called St Therese Mmapula, meaning "mother of the rain".
In the 1940's a biter dispute over who owned the farm on which the mission was built broke out between some of the people and the OMI priests. In 1950 the mission closed down completely due in part of this dispute but also to the forced removals of the then apartheid government. The priests and sisters returned to Pretoria; the people trekked to various neighbouring villages; some crossed the border into Botswana and settled in Molepolole.
However, out of the ashes of suffering new life merged. For seventy years the people of Vleeschfontein had nurtured their Catholic faith. This faith was now part of their life story, part of their life experience. As the people scattered, the seeds of that faith were planted in the many villages in which they settled (eg. Supingstad, Vitrangies, Kameelboom, Debrak, Sesobe). These families became the foundation stones of many of new Catholic Communities served by the Redemptorist Fathers who had taken over the area from OMI priests in 1950.

Many years later, in 2003, Bishop Kevin Dowling CSsR of Rustenburg publically acknowledged the pain and suffering caused by the Vleeschfontein diaspora. A year later he established Vleeschfontein, (often referred to as Maropeng - our place of origin - by the people) as an offcial diocesan pilgrimage site. The first pilgrimage to be held at Vleeschfontein took place in 2004 during which Kgosi Albert Mokoka of Sesobe proudly observed, "we have reclaimed our spiritual inheritence".

As pilgrims, if we walk softly, God's spirit will wisper to us in stillness of the bush: "be still and know that I am God".
Be still. Let your God look upon you.

The Shrine is now located inside of the Madikwe Game Reserve and it is not accesible freelly.

The Pilgrimage of Shrine Directors from South Africa to the Shrine on 3-5 November 2008.

This year the Directors of the Shrines in South Africa have met in the Vleeschfontein Shrine to pray together, to learn from each other as well to share their experiences in order to look for the ways of development of Shrines as Places of Pilgrimages where People of God can experience the Sacrum and be transformed by God's Spirit. There attended: Msgr. Gregory Van Dyk from Bethlehem Diocese - our Coordinator, Sr. M Joanne - Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary - Schoenstatt Shrines, Fr. Cosmas Mzizi - Kevelaer Shrine - Diocese of Mariannhill, Fr. Sipho Mbatha - Fatima Shrine - Diocese of Eshowe, Fr. Raphael Chinde - representing Ngome Shrine - Diocese of Eshowe and Fr. Stanley Dziuba - Centocow Mission - Diocese of Umzimkulu.
We were welcomed cordially by Fr. Noel Gillespie - the Shrine Director - in his parish - in Tlokweng and later accommodated at nearby B&B.

On 4th of November we all went to visit the Shrine still travelling about 120km through sourranding bushes and villages - Madikwe Game reserve where the Shrine is located. On the way we could see many wild animals the same like the first missionaries.

Finnally we have reached the Shrine place. The old mission that was closed in 1950 is occupied now by the North West Parks and Tourism Board. In the old OMI monastery are the offices and accommodation for the visitors. The school is also used by the Board.

We have looked around the place and then celebrated the Holy Mass in the old priests' house that was also used as the first chapel when the first Holy Mass was celebrated for Botswana People. After the Hoily Mass we have adored the Holy Sacrament and prayed the rosasy thanking God for the whole work of the first missionaries as well for the renewal of the place as the Shrine where there is "the place of origin" of people's faith in God

Some photos from this visit in the Shrine.

In the evening we have gathered together to share our experiences from the pilgrimage to the Shrine as well to meet with Rt. Rev. Bp. Kevin Dowling of Rustenburg and other priests from neighbouring parishes. Sr. Joanne gave also the input on the understaning of Shrines in the Scripture.

Compiled by: Fr. Stanley Dziuba - Centocow Mission

Next day morning after the Holy Mass in the parish Church of Fr. Noel we departed to our home shrines.