Theodore Sumner Gibson
Encyclopedia
Theodore Sumner Gibson (1885–1953) was the 2nd Anglican Bishop of Kimberley and Kuruman
and subsequently the 5th Bishop of St John's
from (collectively) 1928 until 1951.
and Keble College, Oxford
. Ordained deacon
in 1909 and priest
a year later his first post was as curate
at All Saints, Wokingham.
and, after a brief return to Brixton
between 1916 and 1919, he returned to spend the bulk of his career there. After a Chaplain
cy to the De Beers
work force in Kimberley
he rose rapidly within the Diocese
. As Archdeacon
, then Bishop
of a challenging area his Times
obituary noted he
His episcopate in Kimberley and Kuruman was marked by poverty in the diocese. Prayer intentions for January 1935 included: “Distress in Kimberley and on the River Diggings…”
Similar dedication was shown when he was translated
to St John's.
While Cochrane, in his book, The Servants of Power, has written of the church of this era in South Africa as being typified by a “growing interest in apolitical spirituality,” it has been noted that Bishop Gibson tracked political matters closely: hardly a bill went before parliament without his having commented on it.
.
Bishop of Kimberley and Kuruman
The Bishop of Kimberley and Kuruman is the Bishop of the Diocese of Kimberley and Kuruman in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, which encompasses the area around Kimberley and Kuruman and overlaps the Northern Cape Province and North West Province of South Africa. The current bishop is the Rt...
and subsequently the 5th Bishop of St John's
Bishop of St John's
The Bishop of St John’s is the Bishop of the Diocese of St Johns in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, which encompassed the area around King Williams Town and East London and is located in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. In 1991 the Diocese split with a portion of it becoming the...
from (collectively) 1928 until 1951.
Early life
Born into a clerical family he was educated at MarlboroughMarlborough College
Marlborough College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils, located in Marlborough, Wiltshire.Founded in 1843 for the education of the sons of Church of England clergy, the school now accepts both boys and girls of all beliefs. Currently there are just over 800...
and Keble College, Oxford
Keble College, Oxford
Keble College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to the south by Museum Road, and to the west by Blackhall...
. Ordained deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
in 1909 and priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
a year later his first post was as curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
at All Saints, Wokingham.
South Africa
His next post was in South AfricaSouth 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...
and, after a brief return to Brixton
Brixton
Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
between 1916 and 1919, he returned to spend the bulk of his career there. After a Chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
cy to the De Beers
De Beers
De Beers is a family of companies that dominate the diamond, diamond mining, diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacturing sectors. De Beers is active in every category of industrial diamond mining: open-pit, underground, large-scale alluvial, coastal and deep sea...
work force in 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...
he rose rapidly within the Diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
. As Archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
, then Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of a challenging area his Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
obituary noted he
”...was a good pastor in a difficult and poor diocese which called for the best from a man who had chosen to follow Christ"
His episcopate in Kimberley and Kuruman was marked by poverty in the diocese. Prayer intentions for January 1935 included: “Distress in Kimberley and on the River Diggings…”
Similar dedication was shown when he was translated
Translation (ecclesiastical)
Translation is the technical term when a Bishop is transferred from one diocese to another.This can be* From Suffragan Bishop status to Diocesan Bishop*From Coadjutor bishop to Diocesan Bishop*From one country's Episcopate to another...
to St John's.
While Cochrane, in his book, The Servants of Power, has written of the church of this era in South Africa as being typified by a “growing interest in apolitical spirituality,” it has been noted that Bishop Gibson tracked political matters closely: hardly a bill went before parliament without his having commented on it.
Liturgical matters
Gibson engaged in important liturgical work, having served as secretary to the Liturgical Committee of the Church of the Province of South Africa from 1931 to 1950. The ’South African liturgy’ — the Prayer Books of 1924 and 1954 — were widely acknowledged as amongst the “most satisfactory” in the Anglican CommunionAnglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is an international association of national and regional Anglican churches in full communion with the Church of England and specifically with its principal primate, the Archbishop of Canterbury...
.