St Clement's Chapel at Vondeling is Officially Blessed

On Saturday 25th October, Vondeling had a very special day in its 310 year history since it was granted in 1704. The Bishop of Saldanha Bay, of the Anglican Church, came to Vondeling with his full retinue of clergy to consecrate the new St Clement’s chapel on the farm.

The Bishop’s Procession was made up of:

Lay Canon Clarence Martin (Diocesan Secretary)
Advocate Lloyd Fortuin (Registrar of the Diocese)
Judge Chantall Fortuin (Chancellor of the Diocese)
The Rev Anthea Brache (Rector Designate of Wellington)
The Rev Craig Abrahams (Rector of Malmesbury)
The Ven Charles Claasens (Arcdeacon of Paarl)
Cannon Chris Ahrends (Cannon Missioner in the Diocese)
The Ven James Van Staden (Senior Priest in the Diocese)
The Right Rev Raphael Bernard Viburt Hess (Bishop of the Diocese)
Fr David Mills (Bishop’s Chaplin)
The Rev Andre C Allies (Diocesan Liturgist)

The Chapel was packed to witness this wonderful ceremony and virtually no-one in attendance had ever experienced a consecration before. This involves the throwing/sprinkling of holy water by the Bishop on the four walls of the church as well as the congregation. Also, the burning of incense with Medieval pomp, the signing of the floor by the Bishop using his staff in ancient Greek.

The newly installed organ is a welcome addition to St Clement’s and everyone enjoyed singing along to the beautifully selected hymns chosen for the special occasion. Another highlight was the performance by the PSI/Pioneer Foods Cultural Choir, all of whom work for Bridget Johnsen under the Paardeberg Sustainability Initiative umbrella. Their African hymns and lullabies were really quite exceptional and very emotional. Richard Johnsen also sang a solo as the Bishops procession slowly made its way up the aisle.

The service was followed by a delicious lunch in the Vondeling Tasting room accompanied by some exquisite Vondeling wines to fit the occasion. Amongst the guests were Rick Stander, the Architect who designed the chapel and Richard Gower, a co-owner of Vondeling. Richard made the most wonderful speech and expressed great happiness that he and his partner, Anthony Ward had been instrumental in funding the building of the chapel.

St Clement’s Chapel is available for weddings and private functions and is a welcome addition to the community of the Paardeberg region.