SOUTH AFRICAN TRAPPIST MISSIONS: TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY
Nicki von der Heyde, writer, freelance journalist
Friday 23 January 3.00 pm COURSE FEES R115; Staff and students R58
There was an unprecedented explosion of missionary activity in Natal during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. It was sparked by the charisma and passion of Trappist Father Francis Pfanner, but would have gone nowhere without the untaught genius of Brother Nivard Streicher, who constructed not only churches but monasteries, irrigation schemes, mills, bridges and roads, as well as public buildings for the colonial government, despite not having any formal training in architecture, engineering or construction.
This lecture will examine the political situation of the time and why the Trappists – a silent order and incompatible with mission work – came to Natal. It focuses on Father Francis Pfanner, his controversial reforms and eventual suspension, and on Brother Nivard Streicher’s background, genius, friendship with Pfanner and early death. This fascinating story, based on the lives of two exceptional men, is a forgotten interlude in the history of Natal.
Recommended reading
Balling, A. 2003. Der Braune Abt von Mariannhill. Wurzburg: Missionsverlag Mariannhill.
Gamble, H. 1882. Mariannhill: A Century of Prayer and Work. Pinetown: Mariannhill Mission Press.
Von der Heyde, N. 2018. Triumph and Tragedy: Trappist Missions in South Africa. Pinetown: Mariannhill Mission Press.
TO BOOK: https://www.webtickets.co.za/performance.aspx?itemid=1575365429
After graduating with a BA from Cape Town University (UCT) I began my working career as a teacher of English and History at Livingstone High School in Cape Town. The lure of a lucrative sales career with Wynn's Car Care Products drew me in, and I worked in this industry for the next ten years.
My love of people and history motivated me to qualify as a battlefield tour guide. I spent many happy years guiding international tourists through the Anglo-Zulu and Anglo-Boer war battlefields of KwaZulu-Natal.
Relocation to a remote farm in the Drakensberg gave me the time I needed to write. I have two published works to my name and numerous magazine articles.
After graduating with a BA from Cape Town University (UCT) I began my working career as a teacher of English and History at Livingstone High School in Cape Town. The lure of a lucrative sales career with Wynn's Car Care Products drew me in, and I worked in this industry for the next ten years.
My love of people and history motivated me to qualify as a battlefield tour guide. I spent many happy years guiding international tourists through the Anglo-Zulu and Anglo-Boer war battlefields of KwaZulu-Natal.
Relocation to a remote farm in the Drakensberg gave me the time I needed to write. I have two published works to my name and numerous magazine articles.