Justus Mauritius Marcus (1955–1 December 2003) was a South African

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

bishop. He was Regional Bishop of Saldanha Bay in the Diocese of Cape Town from 2002 to 2003, having served as Dean of Kimberley and

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of St Cyprian's Cathedral from 1992 to 2002. He died from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

, 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 Sarah Rowland Jones, a fellow priest who then fulfilled a research ministry in the

Anglican Church of Southern Africa The Anglican Church of Southern Africa, known until 2006 as the Church of the Province of Southern Africa, is the province (Anglican), province of the Anglican Communion in the southern part of Africa. The church has twenty-five dioceses, of whi ...

at the behest of two successive Archbishops of Cape Town before returning to Wales in late 2013.

Early years, Education and Holy Orders

Marcus was born in 1955 and grew up in Riversdale in the

Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. Marcus Graduated from the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...

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 may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

Positions held

Following his ordination, Fr Marcus served in the

Diocese of George The Diocese of George is a diocese in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa. History The seat of the diocese is the Cathedral of St Mark in George in South Africa. List of Bishops * Henry Bindley Sidwell 1911-1936 * Herbert Linford Gwyer 193 ...

for five years. He was Curate and then Rector at

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

. He subsequently was appointed as a tutor, lecturing in theology at St Paul’s Theological College, Grahamstown. He furthered his studies at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

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 Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

St Mary's Cathedral, Johannesburg Saint Mary's Cathedral, officially the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary the Virgin, is the cathedral of the Anglican Diocese of Johannesburg, South Africa. In late 2015 Xolani Dlwati was appointed as the dean until 27th of November 2022. Histo ...

with an appointment as Rector of the Parish Church of St Luke in

Bosmont Bosmont is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. Bosmont is located in Region 4. Bosmont is located in the West Rand of Johannesburg and nearly all of its residents are Coloured. History It was during the sixties that people of colour were ...

in the Archdeaconry of

Sophiatown Sophiatown , also known as Sof'town or Kofifi, is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. Sophiatown was a black cultural hub that was destroyed under apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "apart ...

Kimberley

Canon Marcus was appointed as the 10th Dean of Kimberley and Rector of the Cathedral Church of St Cyprian the Martyr in the

Diocese of Kimberley and Kuruman The Diocese of Kimberley and Kuruman is a diocese in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, and encompasses the area around Kimberley and Kuruman and overlaps the Northern Cape Province and North West Province of South Africa. It is presided ov ...

, where he was installed on 23 January 1992. He was the first

Coloured Coloureds ( af, Kleurlinge or , ) refers to members of multiracial ethnic communities in Southern Africa who may have ancestry from more than one of the various populations inhabiting the region, including African, European, and Asian. South ...

priest to hold the position of Dean of Kimberley. He served under Bishops

Njongonkulu Ndungane Njongonkulu Winston Hugh Ndungane (born 2 April 1941) is a retired South African Anglican bishop and a former prisoner on Robben Island. He was the Bishop of Kimberley and Kuruman and Archbishop of Cape Town. Early life Ndungane was born in ...

, afterwards the Archbishop of Cape Town, and

Itumeleng Baldwin Moseki Itumeleng Baldwin Moseki (born 1940) was the eleventh Bishop of Kimberley and Kuruman from 1995 until his retirement in 2006. He was also a campaigner for the poor. References 1940 births Living people South African Tswana peop ...

. 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 The term ''high church'' refers to beliefs and practices of Christian ecclesiology, liturgy, and theology that emphasize formality and resistance to modernisation. Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term originate ...

flavour of worship at the cathedral. Adding to the fabric of the cathedral,

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

by Estelle Valle was installed in the remaining clerestory windows in the sanctuary and nave, and the

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The station ...

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 (born 3 April 1934) is a former South African Anglican bishop and author. He was educated at Maritzburg College, the University of Natal and Rhodes University and ordained in 1965. His first post was as a curate at Grahamsto ...

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

Malmesbury Malmesbury () is a town and civil parish in north Wiltshire, England, which lies approximately west of Swindon, northeast of Bristol, and north of Chippenham. The older part of the town is on a hilltop which is almost surrounded by the up ...

. 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 (also referred to as The Cathedral Church of St George the Martyr) is the Anglican cathedral in Cape Town, South Africa, and the seat of the Archbishop of Cape Town. St. George's Cathedral is both the metropolitical chu ...

on 8 Dec 2003. Bishop

Tom Stanage Thomas Shaun Stanage (1932 – 18 March 2020) 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 ( BA 1956, MA 1960 ...

presided at a Requiem Mass at St Cyprian's Cathedral, Kimberley, 10 December 2003. A separate

Diocese of Saldanha Bay The 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 Sald ...

was established on 10 December 2005.

Ecumenical work

Bishop Marcus was a member of the Inter Anglican Standing Commission on Ecumenical Relations, through which he met his second wife, also a member.ACNS 3705 , COMMUNIQUÉ , 10 DECEMBER 2003 The Inter Anglican Standing Commission on Ecumenical Relations
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marcus, Justus Mauritius Anglican bishops of Saldanha Bay Deans of Kimberley 21st-century Anglican Church of Southern Africa bishops 2003 deaths 1955 births