Bishop Joanne named as next Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich

It has been announced that the Rt Revd Dr Joanne Grenfell, Bishop of Stepney, is to be the next Diocesan Bishop of Edmundsbury and Ipswich. She will take up the role in the Autumn.

Bishop Joanne, who is also the lead bishop for safeguarding in the Church of England nationally, succeeds the Rt Revd Martin Seeley, who retired recently, as the new diocesan bishop for Suffolk.

Bishop Joanne has served as Bishop of Stepney since July 2019. She previously served as Archdeacon of Portsdown in the Diocese of Portsmouth, Residentiary Canon and Director of Ordinands in the Diocese of Sheffield, and as an inner-city parish priest in Sheffield and Liverpool.

In London, her diocesan responsibilities have included being Bishop Sarah’s lead bishop for safeguarding, and chairing the London Diocesan Board of Schools. In the Church of England, she is the national lead bishop for safeguarding. Joanne is married to the Revd Canon Dr James Grenfell, Chaplain to the University of East London, and they have three children.

There will be a chance to say a formal goodbye to Bishop Joanne at a service of thanksgiving in September.

Rev James Hughesdon, Vicar at St Mary Islington and Hope Church said: "All of us at St Mary's and Hope Church offer our congratulations to Bishop Joanne on her appointment as Diocesan Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. Bishop Joanne was such an encouragement to the work of God in our churches and community, particularly in the setting up of the St Mary's-Hope Church partnership. We will be holding Bishop Joanne and her family in our prayers as they make this move and praying for those discerning who the next Bishop of Stepney should be."