A Pilgrimage to the Northern Cape
Wherever the Catholic Church is present, there are sites for pilgrimage. Ann van Niekerk tells of her experiences making a spiritual journey by car to the Northern Cape.
The petrol attendant did not mind Cape Town’s pre-dawn chill. Our 4:00 encounter with her marked the beginning of a pilgrimage to the Northern Cape which would see us — a group of five and our Yorkie dog Hoppie — cover around 1900km. We chatted and offered the attendant the reassurance of God’s love for her. She saw us off with a big smile.
The night before, after our Legion of Mary meeting, we had prayed for travel blessings outside the locked shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. In the pitch-black night, we could see Our Lady only through the frosted-glass doors, yet in the photos taken as we prayed, she can be seen in clear light.
Now, in the dark morning, the petrol attendant had asked us why we were going on this pilgrimage. The idea had emerged six months earlier, during a retreat of the Legion of Mary’s Our Lady Tabernacle of the Most High praesidium of St Anthony of Padua parish in Kraaifontein.
There were many reasons for this holy trip. We wanted to celebrate the Legion’s centennial anniversary which ended in September, and to pray that more people will join the Legion of Mary, to be Our Lady’s soldiers and pray with her to combat evil. We embarked on this pilgrimage for our spiritual enrichment, and to spread God’s Word, love and light to everyone we would meet on the road, regardless of their denomination.
Sandra Shamrock, Lena Jeffries, Ann van Niekerk with dog Hoppie in front of a Divine Mercy image in Pella’s Immaculate Conception cathedral.
Our parish priest, Fr Francesco Fabris, had given us another task: to remind the priests on our way that the Lord has truly risen and that Jesus loves them. The priests know that, of course, but we are allowed to remind them.
From a personal perspective, I also wanted to show my fellow legionaries where it all started for me. The legend of my parents is “engraved” in the Northern Cape, especially in the presence of the Legion of Mary. Their love for God and true devotion to Mary is engraved in me, as it is in my son Mario, who despite his special needs is an enthusiastic legionary whose presence in our group lifts us all.
Rosary on the tarmac
Now we were on the N7. Just after Malmesbury we prayed the rosary, accompanied only by the sound of tyres beating on the asphalt. There was an angelic atmosphere in the car. Where we could, we interacted with people — from petrol attendants to the people at eateries to the kids playing in the dust roads of Kamieskroon. At roadside rest-stops we unpacked our snacks under trees or umbrellas, and we said the Legion’s Catena prayer. Drivers in big trucks would wave at us and toot their hooters.
Our first destination was Garies, the chief town of the Namaqualand district. We had no idea where the Catholic church was located; even the GPS did not help. But we found the church of St Francis of Assisi, a beautiful round building.
As we entered the gate towards the big crucifix outside the church, people stood closer to watch what we were doing. Interaction! A Dutch Reformed man introduced himself. He told us about his wife who had to go to hospital in Upington for treatment, but they had nowhere to stay. I gave him my sister’s details in Upington, and told him she would help them.
It somehow felt a little like directing Mary and Joseph on Christmas Eve.
Murals depicting scenes from Holy Week on a rocky wall outside the cathedral in Pella
‘Very Nice’ and ‘Cardinal’
We then went on our way to Kamieskroon, where there is a big Catholic mission with a parish and school and many other buildings. We met Fr Jeremea Makau OMI, and prayed at the stone grotto where Our Lady stands under the open skies. We also encountered two naughty guys on their way to buy wine. We had great laughs with these men, called “Very Nice” and “Cardinal”. We told them about the love of Jesus for them. With a packet of chips under the arm, they left, still smiling and waving at us.
We spent the night at a friend’s place in Kamieskroon. After 500km on the road, it was nice to rest. Lovely, warm people welcomed us, serving us bottomless cups of the nicest tea. The relaxed country atmosphere was wonderful. Children were playing in the dust roads, goat bells were ringing. And every passerby waved and greeted — a quite unfamiliar gesture to us “city slickers”.
In the darkness of the early morning we left for Springbok.
On the way, our first stop was at Matjieskloof. We took photos in front of the majestic Ss Peter & Paul church, and prayed the Our Father. The Salesianum Convent school, which I attended many years ago, is still standing. At St Anna’s, a private school in a big, clean building, principal Sr Marie Antonie came out to greet us.
The cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Pella
Cathedral in an oasis
At Pella, the awesomeness of the huge Immaculate Conception cathedral, lined on each side with its tall palm trees, took our breath away. The quietness of Pella, an oasis in the Namakwa desert close to the Namibian border, is almost sacred. Fr Angus Osborne came to greet us and let us into the majestic, holy cathedral, which was consecrated in 1895. We prayed a chaplet in front of an enormous Divine Mercy image. In the sanctuary stood small table, set in a similar way to a Legionary altar. There we prayed our Catena. Four bishops and a priest are buried in the cathedral. These include Bishop JM Simon and Fr Leo Wolf, the two Oblates of St Francis de Sales missionaries who built the church —without any experience in either architecture or construction.
Back on the road to Upington, we prayed the rosary, passing Aggenys and Pofadder. Our only disappointment was at Augrabies Falls, where we were not allowed to enter because of our dog. Along the way, I pointed out all the Catholic missions to my fellow pilgrims — Friersdale, Blaauwskop, Keimoes. Time constraints meant that we could not visit every town in search for churches. I pointed out all the out-stations where my parents started many praesidia of the Legion of Mary.
Sandra Shamrock, Mario van Niekerk and Lena Jeffries at the grave of the author’s parents in Upington.
Roosterbrood and soup
We arrived in Upington in the late afternoon and my two sisters treated us to traditional roosterbrood and a hearty soup. The next day we enjoyed a meal with the local parish priest, Fr Willem Basson.
I guided my fellow pilgrims around Upington, showing them sights such as the longest palm avenue in the southern hemisphere. We then crossed the mighty Orange River and visited the graves of my parents and of my sister, who had died in a hit-and-run accident a few months previously. Throughout, we said our general prayers, Legionary prayers and the rosary. We had many prayer intentions.
Before Mass, we stood at the feet of Our Lady of the Molopo, located in a stone grotto at the side of St Augustine church, the co-cathedral of the diocese of Keimoes-Upington. After Mass Fr Basson gave us his travel blessings. Our pilgrimage was almost over and we were going home.
It was a long drive back to Cape Town as we covered the 800km in one stretch. We continued to pray the rosary on our way, in the car and during stops in the open air. We arrived home safely, thanks be to God. It was the best road trip ever, having shared it with people who were full of joy, peace and faith.
We returned to Cape Town spiritually blessed, and know that those whom we met on our journey felt the same. It is so amazing to spread God’s Word and his love, to let his love shine. Our God reigns!
Published in the February 2023 issue of The Southern Cross magazine
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