Reporting from South Africa, Sr. Kay McMullen is on a short-term mission assisting Sisters there and in Zimbabwe. Previously she worked in the development office at the Province Center in Belmont, CA. Among her many duties, Sr. Kay was responsible for the mission presentations in parishes on behalf of our Sisters in Africa and Latin America.

Kroonstad School

In 1972, the building was sold to the Orange Free State Provincial Government to be used as a school. The local government did use it for a school for a short time, but turned it over to the national government who used it to train army engineers. In the early '90s, they abandoned it, leaving it in the hands of a local farmer. The farmer let his cattle wander in and make their home in the chapel.

When the building was offered back to the Sisters, they hesitated it take it back, knowing what restoration would cost. They finally had an architect go through it. He came out saying, "Take it. It is so solid, it will last for many, many more years."  The building - graffiti, holes in the walls, ceilings, roof, any usable piece of lovely woodwork, door or cast iron railing stolen - would have been destroyed if it weren't built of rock.

Lots of damage.