More than 800 well wishers along with young people and Bishops from Tanzania packed Suffolk’s cathedral for a service of welcome and enthronement for the 12th Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich.
The Rt Revd Dr Joanne Grenfell recently took up the position as the most senior member of the clergy in the Church of England in Suffolk, after meeting with His Majesty the King at Buckingham Palace in London.
The service of welcome and enthronement – which was an invitation only event because of the numbers the cathedral can hold - was held on Saturday January 24 at 2.00pm in St Edmundsbury Cathedral, Bury St Edmunds.
Bishop Joanne, who will also enter the House of Lords next month and is based in Ipswich, said: “When it was first announced that I would become Bishop, I visited Suffolk. I was immediately encouraged by the warmest of welcomes offered to me from parishioners in their communities.
“This service marks my beginning as Bishop and I had been looking forward to meeting so many people there. I now look forward to building on this welcome, strengthening our ties throughout Suffolk and supporting the Church to be the light of Jesus Christ in every community.”
When Bishop Joanne first visited Suffolk after her appointment was announced last year she met young children at St Michael’s Church, Framlingham, and was entertained by the Sing Praise group.
These children now also performed in the service and teenagers had also been invited to ask Bishop Joanne what her role entails doing the service, which had a strong element of young people being involved.
Bishop Joanne said: “I remember how important both school and church were to me as a child growing up in Teesside during the 1970s and 1980s. t is important to me, as I know it is to others across the county, that we cherish our young people and nurture them as they grow in this world.
They are our future. I was delighted when children from Framlingham asked to perform at my welcome service. I am thrilled they were part of our worship along with hundreds of people and were able to showcase their talents.”
Guests attended from across the county and also included Bishops from Tanzania in East Africa where the St Edmundsbury and Ipswich Diocese has enjoyed a reciprocal partnership link since 1994.
As Bishop, Joanne plays a crucial role in spiritual leadership, safeguarding, community engagement and administrative oversight for the Church of England in Suffolk, which is the largest charity in the county.
During December Bishop Joanne paid homage to King Charles III in a private ceremony in Buckingham Palace as part of her new appointment. She will enter the House of Lords next month as a member of the Lords Spiritual, championing the cause of Suffolk in a variety of topics.
The Church of England has more than 480 church buildings in Suffolk with recent figures showing that adult attendance has risen by 6%. The national rise is 1.8%. Church attendance in Suffolk for children has increased 10%. The national rise is 0.4%.
Bishop Joanne, 53 who is married with three children, was Bishop of Stepney, an area bishop in the Diocese of London, before moving to Suffolk. She is also the lead bishop for safeguarding and supports the vital work to reform the Church’s safeguarding structures, to bring greater independence around scrutiny, audit and complaints, as well as how operational safeguarding is delivered.
Prior to her role as Bishop of Stepney she served as Archdeacon 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. She trained for ordination at Westcott House in Cambridge.
Bishop Joanne, who was educated at a comprehensive school in the former County Cleveland went onto study at Oxford and Canada and later became a lecturer at Oriel College in Oxford before entering the ministry.
She succeeded the Rt Revd Martin Seeley who retired last year after a decade’s service to the county and who received the Suffolk Medal for his commitment to the area.
The Rt Revd Graeme Knowles was acting bishop during the interim period between Bishop Martin’s retirement and Bishop Joanne’s arrival.
The deputy role of the suffragan Bishop of Dunwich, formerly held by the Rt Revd Dr Mike Harrison, has been vacant since his departure to become the Bishop of Exeter and will also be filled in due course.
The sermon carried out during Bishop Joanne's enthronement is available to read below.