Justus Mauritius Marcus
Encyclopedia
The Rt Revd Justus Mauritius Marcus was Regional Bishop of Saldanha Bay in the Diocese of Cape Town
, 2002 to 2003, having served as Dean of Kimberley
and Rector
of St Cyprian's Cathedral
from 1992 to 2002. He died from cancer
, aged 48, on 1 December 2003. Marcus was predeceased by his first wife, Milly (who died in Kimberley in 2000). His second wife and widow is the Revd Canon Sarah Rowland Jones, who fulfills a research ministry in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa at the behest of two successive Archbishops of Cape Town.
in the Western Cape
, South Africa
. Marcus Graduated from the University of Cape Town
with a BA degree and gained his A.F.T.S. from St Peter’s Theological (Federal) Seminary. He was ordained as a deacon in 1978 and as a priest in 1979 at St Mark’s Cathedral, George
.
for five years. He was Curate and then Rector at Heidelberg
.
He subsequently was appointed as a tutor, lecturing in theology at St Paul's Theological College, afterwards known as the College of the Transfiguration
, in Grahamstown
. He furthered his studies at the University of London
in 1986, where he lived with his family for three years.
The Marcus family returned to South Africa in 1990 when Fr Marcus served as a Canon of St Mary’s Cathedral in Johannesburg
with an appointment as Rector of the Parish Church of St Luke in Bosmont in the Archdeaconry of Sophiatown.
in the Diocese of Kimberley and Kuruman, where he was installed on 23 January 1992.
He was the first ‘Coloured’ priest to hold the position of Dean of Kimberley. He served under Bishops Njongonkulu Ndungane
, afterwards the Archbishop of Cape Town
, and Itumeleng Baldwin Moseki
.
Marcus supported the ordination of women and he helped prepare the first two women to be ordained deacon (and subsequently as priests) in the Diocese (by Bishop Ndungane) in 1995.
Projects initiated by Marcus in Kimberley included the establishment of a ‘Tamar House’ place of safety for abused women and Rape Crisis Centre and an Ecubread feeding scheme for the homeless. Liturgically, he introduced An Anglican Prayer Book 1989, sustaining the High Church
flavour of worship at the cathedral. Adding to the fabric of the cathedral, stained glass
by Estelle Valle was installed in the remaining celerestory windows in the sanctuary and nave, and the Stations of the Cross
carved in wood by Bill Davis were introduced to the outer walls of the north and south aisles.
Marcus was renowned for his insightful weekly commentaries in the cathedral pew leaflet, sometimes also published in the local press.
Bishop Michael Nuttall
recalls how Dean Justus Marcus insisted, tongue in cheek, on referring to “K & K” (the usual affectionate rendition of the Diocese of Kimberley and Kuruman) as “Kimberley and Kuruperson”.
.
He was diagnosed with cancer soon after his consecration and died on 1 December 2003. He was buried from St. George's Cathedral, Cape Town
on 8 Dec 2003. Bishop Tom Stanage
presided at a Requiem Mass at St Cyprian's Cathedral, Kimberley, 10 December 2003.
A separate Diocese of Saldanha Bay
was established on 10 December 2005.
Anglican Diocese of Cape Town
The Anglican Diocese of Cape Town, South Africa, came into being in 1847 with the consecration of the first bishop, Robert Gray, and later expanded to become the Church of the Province of Southern Africa, now called the Anglican Church of Southern Africa....
, 2002 to 2003, having served as Dean of Kimberley
Kimberley, Northern Cape
Kimberley is a city in South Africa, and the capital of the Northern Cape. It is located near the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers. The town has considerable historical significance due its diamond mining past and siege during the Second Boer War...
and Rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of St Cyprian's Cathedral
St Cyprian's Cathedral, Kimberley
The Cathedral Church of St Cyprian the Martyr, Kimberley, is the seat of the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Kimberley and Kuruman, Anglican Church of Southern Africa. It became a Cathedral when the Synod of Bishops gave a mandate for the formation of the new Diocese of Kimberley and Kuruman in...
from 1992 to 2002. He died from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, aged 48, on 1 December 2003. Marcus was predeceased by his first wife, Milly (who died in Kimberley in 2000). His second wife and widow is the Revd Canon Sarah Rowland Jones, who fulfills a research ministry in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa at the behest of two successive Archbishops of Cape Town.
Early years, Education and Holy Orders
Marcus was born in 1955 and grew up in RiversdaleRiversdale, Western Cape
Riversdale is a town located on the N2 highway between Cape Town and George on the Agulhas Coastal Plain of the southern Western Cape province of South Africa. It is an agricultural service orientated town, being a hub for shopping and other services for surrounding farming communities, smaller...
in the Western Cape
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. Marcus Graduated from the University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
with a BA degree and gained his A.F.T.S. from St Peter’s Theological (Federal) Seminary. He was ordained as a deacon in 1978 and as a priest in 1979 at St Mark’s Cathedral, George
George, Western Cape
George is a city with 203,253 inhabitants in South Africa's Western Cape province. The city is a popular holiday and conference centre and the administrative and commercial hub of the Garden Route.- Location :...
.
Positions held
Following his ordination, Fr Marcus served in the Diocese of GeorgeAnglican Diocese of George
-History:The seat of the diocese is Cathedral of St Mark in George in South Africa.-List of Bishops:* Henry Bindley Sidwell 1911-1936* Herbert Linford Gwyer 1937-1951* John Hunter 1951-1966* Patrick Harold Falkiner Barron 1966-1978...
for five years. He was Curate and then Rector at Heidelberg
Heidelberg, Western Cape
Heidelberg is a town in Western Cape, South Africa. It is located near South Africa's south coast, on the N2 highway, 274 km east of Cape Town...
.
He subsequently was appointed as a tutor, lecturing in theology at St Paul's Theological College, afterwards known as the College of the Transfiguration
College of the Transfiguration
College of the Transfiguration in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape is the only provincial residential college of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, offering a contextual approach to theology studies....
, in Grahamstown
Grahamstown
Grahamstown is a city in the Eastern Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa and is the seat of the Makana municipality. The population of greater Grahamstown, as of 2003, was 124,758. The population of the surrounding areas, including the actual city was 41,799 of which 77.4% were black,...
. He furthered his studies at the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
in 1986, where he lived with his family for three years.
The Marcus family returned to South Africa in 1990 when Fr Marcus served as a Canon of St Mary’s Cathedral in Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
with an appointment as Rector of the Parish Church of St Luke in Bosmont in the Archdeaconry of Sophiatown.
Kimberley
Canon Marcus was appointed as the 10th Dean of Kimberley and Rector of the Cathedral Church of St Cyprian the MartyrSt Cyprian's Cathedral, Kimberley
The Cathedral Church of St Cyprian the Martyr, Kimberley, is the seat of the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Kimberley and Kuruman, Anglican Church of Southern Africa. It became a Cathedral when the Synod of Bishops gave a mandate for the formation of the new Diocese of Kimberley and Kuruman in...
in the Diocese of Kimberley and Kuruman, where he was installed on 23 January 1992.
He was the first ‘Coloured’ priest to hold the position of Dean of Kimberley. He served under Bishops Njongonkulu Ndungane
Njongonkulu Ndungane
Njongonkulu Winston Hugh Ndungane FKC was the Archbishop of Cape Town and Primate of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa ....
, afterwards the Archbishop of Cape Town
Archbishop of Cape Town
The Archbishop of Cape Town is the Primate / Metropolitan of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa.The current Archbishop is the Most Reverend Thabo MakgobaRobert Gray was the first Anglican Bishop of Cape Town.-List of Bishops and Archbishops:...
, and Itumeleng Baldwin Moseki
Itumeleng Baldwin Moseki
Itumeleng Baldwin Moseki was the eleventh Bishop of Kimberley and Kuruman from 1995 until his retirement in 2006. He was also a campaigner for the poor.-References:...
.
Marcus supported the ordination of women and he helped prepare the first two women to be ordained deacon (and subsequently as priests) in the Diocese (by Bishop Ndungane) in 1995.
Projects initiated by Marcus in Kimberley included the establishment of a ‘Tamar House’ place of safety for abused women and Rape Crisis Centre and an Ecubread feeding scheme for the homeless. Liturgically, he introduced An Anglican Prayer Book 1989, sustaining the High Church
High church
The term "High Church" refers to beliefs and practices of ecclesiology, liturgy and theology, generally with an emphasis on formality, and resistance to "modernization." Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term has traditionally been principally associated with the...
flavour of worship at the cathedral. Adding to the fabric of the cathedral, stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
by Estelle Valle was installed in the remaining celerestory windows in the sanctuary and nave, and the Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross refers to the depiction of the final hours of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the Passion. The tradition as chapel devotion began with St...
carved in wood by Bill Davis were introduced to the outer walls of the north and south aisles.
Marcus was renowned for his insightful weekly commentaries in the cathedral pew leaflet, sometimes also published in the local press.
Bishop Michael Nuttall
Michael Nuttall
The Rt Rev Michael Nuttall, was an eminent Anglican Bishop and author in the last third of the 20th century. Born on 3 April 1934, he was educated at Maritzburg College, the University of Natal and Rhodes University and ordained in 1965. His first post was as an Assistant Priest at St. Michael...
recalls how Dean Justus Marcus insisted, tongue in cheek, on referring to “K & K” (the usual affectionate rendition of the Diocese of Kimberley and Kuruman) as “Kimberley and Kuruperson”.
Elevation to the Episcopacy
Fr Marcus was elected Regional Bishop of Saldanha in the Diocese of Cape Town in 2002 and consecrated on 29 June 2002. He and his family took up residence at Bishopshaven in MalmesburyMalmesbury, Western Cape
Malmesbury is a town with 37,529 inhabitants in the Western Cape province of South Africa, about 65 km north of Cape Town.The town is the largest in the Swartland due to the dark "Renosterbos" , an indigenous plant that turns black in the warm, dry summers...
.
He was diagnosed with cancer soon after his consecration and died on 1 December 2003. He was buried from St. George's Cathedral, Cape Town
St. George's Cathedral, Cape Town
St George's Cathedral is the Anglican cathedral in Cape Town, South Africa. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cape Town....
on 8 Dec 2003. Bishop Tom Stanage
Thomas Stanage
Thomas Shaun Stanage was Bishop of Bloemfontein in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa from 1982 to 1997.-Biography:Stanage was born in Ireland in 1932 and was educated at Pembroke College, Oxford and Cuddesdon College .He was ordained deacon in 1958, priest in 1959 and bishop in 1978 and went...
presided at a Requiem Mass at St Cyprian's Cathedral, Kimberley, 10 December 2003.
A separate Diocese of Saldanha Bay
Anglican Diocese of Saldanha Bay
The Anglican Diocese of Saldanha Bay is a diocese in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa.The diocese was founded on 10 December 2005 and is based in the territory of the Diocese of Cape Town. Previously the area was served by a Regional Bishop of Saldanha within the Diocese of Cape Town, one of...
was established on 10 December 2005.