The King has approved the nomination of The Right Reverend Dr Joanne Woolway Grenfell, Area Bishop of Stepney, in the Diocese of London, for election as Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, in succession to The Right Reverend Martin Alan Seeley, following his retirement.

Background

Joanne Grenfell was educated at Oriel College, Oxford and the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. She trained for ministry at Westcott House, Cambridge.  She has a DPhil from Oxford and was Lecturer in English at Oriel College before ordination. 

She served her title in the Kirkby Team Ministry in the Diocese of Liverpool and was ordained Priest in 2001.  In 2003, Joanne was appointed joint Priest-in-Charge of Manor Parish in the Diocese of Sheffield with responsibility for Ripon College Cuddesdon’s urban theology placement programme. In 2006, Joanne became Diocesan Director of Ordinands and Residentiary Canon of Sheffield Cathedral, and in 2008 she took on the additional role of Dean of Women’s Ministry. 

From 2013, Dr Grenfell served as Archdeacon of Portsdown in the Diocese of Portsmouth.  In 2019, she took up her current role as Area Bishop of Stepney, in the Diocese of London.  She has been the lead Bishop for safeguarding since May 2023.