Genevieve Maynard Photography

Kevelaer Mission Station seemed deserted as I drove over the cattle grid at the gate and past the fountain. A bright blue sky over a wide expanse of trimmed lawn, buildings guarding its perimeter, and paving leading to a row of admin rooms. I wandered across to a small wooden spire which turned out to be the only remaining part of the first church built here when the mission was established in 1888 as a staging post for monks making the two day journey on between Pine Town and Reichenau.
 
A vehicle had driven in to the mission grounds and down the hill behind the admin buildings so I walked back over, calling out hello to a man busy packing things into the back of his bakkie. He was in fact the priest I had corresponded with to arrange my visit, and was getting ready to return to a new role at Marianhill. He assured me I was very welcome and told me that they kept the front door of the church locked due to Covid, but that the side door should be open, and if it wasn’t, the sister at the convent would let me in.
 
He was surprised I wasn’t there with a guide and asked if I was aware of the mission’s history, handing me a small booklet written by local author, historian and guide, Nicki von der Heyde. The pandemic, he explained, had impacted on the guided group tours to the missions, and put a halt to the cammino-like hike-in-development that would see participants walk through the rich KZN countryside from mission station to mission station, overnighting just like the monks had before continuing the next day.