The Episcopal Church of Sudan
“This was the man of God, Dr. Joseph Marona”The Episcopal Church of Sudan mourns the death of its third Archbishop and Primate at a grand funeral service in All Saints’ Cathedral, Juba
Friday 25th September 2009
On Friday 25th September 2009, Christians from all over the Episcopal Church of the Sudan (ECS) gathered in Juba’s All Saints’ Cathedral to celebrate the life and mourn the death of former Archbishop Dr. Joseph H. B. Marona, who headed the ECS as Primate, as well as being Bishop of the Diocese of Juba from 2000 to 2007.
The late Archbishop passed away at a relative’s house in Khartoum on Friday 18th September 2009. His body was embalmed and placed in a glass-windowed coffin to lie in state in All Saints’ Cathedral, Khartoum, on Wednesday 23rd September.
On the morning of Thursday 24th, the coffin was flown to Juba, where a large delegation led by current ECS Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul and Deputy Governor of Central Equatoria State, H.E. Manasseh Lomole, met the plane.
The coffin was mounted on a pick-up truck and prayers said by Archbishop Deng and Bishop Francis Loyo of Rokon, who was co-ordinating the funeral arrangements. After being driven across the airport tarmac followed by many well-wishers, the coffin was loaded onto a second light aircraft to be flown to Maridi for a final farewell service in Dr. Marona’s home town and former episcopal see.
Archbishop Deng accompanied the coffin for the service, returning to Juba at around 2.30pm. The afternoon welcoming party at the airport was larger still, this time lead by the First Vice-President of the Republic of Sudan and 
President of the Government of Southern Sudan, H.E. Gen. Salva Kiir Mayardit, and including many Equatorian bishops who had arrived for the funeral. The President commiserated with Bishop Ezekiel Kondo of Khartoum, Bishop Francis Loyo and Bishop Micah Leila soon to be of Terekeka in the VIP lounge before leading the group out onto the tarmac to greet Archbishop Deng and the coffin from the plane.
The coffin was again mounted on the pick up truck, where the President climbed up next to it, removed his iconic hat and prayed for the late Archbishop in front of the assembled crowds. From a practicing Catholic, President Kiir’s gesture was one of heartfelt personal remorse, respect from the government and ecumenical Christian solidarity.
The coffin was then driven in a motorcade numbering over thirty vehicles to All Saints’ Cathedral, Juba, where it was carried in to rest in the sanctuary for a final night. Bishop Bismark Monday of Mundri led a short reflection on coping with the deaths of senior Church leaders, and the bishops led a procession around the coffin, paying their last respects, before leaving the body to lie in state overnight, to be watched by relatives and the faithful drawn to the cathedral for mournful prayer.
On the morning of Friday 25th, the congregation again assembled for the funeral and burial service, which lasted from 9.30am until 2.30pm.
The sanctuary packed with bishops and the front rows filled with government dignitaries, relatives and senior former colleagues, various Bible readings, biographies and condolences were read by bishops, relatives, partners and other well-wishers.
Retired General John Maswa gave a detailed family biography of late Archbishop, followed by a moving biography of his work for the education and evangelism of the Sudanese people both before and during his career in the Episcopal Church which culminated in his election, after much prayer, as Archbishop in a General Synod-in-exile in Kenya in 2000.
Born in 1941, Marona was ordained deacon in 1981, priest in 1982 and consecrated as bishop in 1984. He first served as an assistant bishop in the Diocese of Yambio and later as the first bishop of the Diocese of Maridi. He served as chairman of New Sudan Council of Churches from 1997-1999.
In 1996, Marona was awarded a Certificate of Recognition of Services and in September 2001 he received an honorary doctorate from the College of Emmanuel and St. Chad, University of Saskatchewan, Canada. He holds bachelors and masters degrees in theology from Freelandia Bible College and Seminary in Broadway, Virginia, USA.
Retired Archbishop Marona returned to Maridi in his retirement, but paid frequent visits to Khartoum for health reasons, where he finally passed away.
Relatives Charles and Justin Marona – the latter Dr. Marona’s second son and MP for Maridi in the Government of National Unity Assembly in Khartoum – spoke for the family, highlighting special moments when the late Archbishop’s holiness truly shone through, repeating again and again after each example “this was the man of God, Dr. Joseph Marona”.
Canon Ian Woodward, Acting Chairman of the Salisbury-Sudan Diocesan Link, read messages from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, and from the Bishop of Salisbury, Dr. David Stancliffe. Old Sudan hand Rev. Andrew Wheeler brought greetings from the Church Mission Society (CMS) across the world, and Archbishop’s International Co-ordinator Nicholas Ramsden listed condolences that had been sent in from global partners as far a field as Chicago, Adelaide, Bradford and Pretoria.
Rev. Mark Akec spoke on behalf of the 
Sudan Council of Churches and government representatives from Western Equatoria, Central Equatoria, the GoSS Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly all spoke.
For Central Equatoria, Deputy Governor H.E. Manasseh Lomole praised Dr. Marona’s Christian leadership and involvement in the process that led to the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005.
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Hon. James Wani Igga gave a vision of the ECS and Roman Catholic Churches united behind their Juba-based leaders Archbishop Deng and Archbishop Lukudu leading the people in peace to elections and referendum as the best way to honour the memory of Dr. Marona.
After final prayers from bishops Paul Yugusuk, Michael Lugor and Ezekiel Diing and a closing plea for unity and peace by Archbishop Deng, the coffin was borne out of the cathedral by the bishops and processed around to the prepared grave alongside the resting places of the first and second Archbishops of the ECS, Elinana Ngalamu and Benjamina Yugusuk. The coffin was lowered into the ground, surrounded by bishops, government dignitaries and the congregation – the final commendation and committal being pronounced by Archbishop Deng:
“In sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, we commend to Almighty God our father Archbishop Joseph Marona, and we commit his body to the ground. Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust: the Lord bless him and keep him and be gracious to him, the Lord lift up his countenance upon him, and give him peace. Amen”
“Rest eternal grant unto him, O Lord,
And let light perpetual shine upon him.”