Bishop Martin Seeley Reflects on Decade of Service in Suffolk Diocese

Bishop Martin Seeley is retiring soon. His last ceremony occurred on February 2. He left his crozier as a symbol, then walked out with his wife and son. His ten years as bishop ended, during which the clergy and churches grew stronger, boosting the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich.

He felt the ending was very powerful and emotionally overwhelming. People said extraordinary things about him, and he barely recognized himself in those words. This rural diocese has many small parishes, mostly market towns. Only Lowestoft is outside of it within Suffolk; Essex has a parish in the diocese too.

The diocese includes 481 churches and 87 church schools. He will leave his house in Ipswich. Born in Portsmouth, he’ll live with his vicar wife, Jutta. They are buying a retirement home in Diss.

He is now 70 years old and loves Suffolk and rural life. He moved there for his Church of England job. Custom says he can’t stay in Suffolk after retiring. Diss is his compromise; near the Suffolk border.

Bishop Graham Knowles will fill in until a new bishop is chosen in the next few months. Martin leaves a great accomplishment: churches saw attendance drops during the pandemic, but Suffolk church numbers are now rising again.

They increased after the pandemic, although numbers from the last year are pending. Between 2022 and 2023, it jumped up 0.6%. Adult attendance went up by 5.3%, child attendance went up 11.1%, and overall attendance rose by 5.8%.

Also, Suffolk clergy numbers went up. Bishop Martin started a recruitment drive, and other dioceses now use his ideas. He said they didn’t cut clergy jobs, which he felt was a very important point.

Cutting posts spreads clergy too thin, and he said the clergy is spread thin already. He ordained 70 people through his program. The program trains older people to serve in their own communities.

The increase in people matters and was an important thing in ten years. Saying they won’t cut posts is a boost, giving encouragement and improving morale. More people are becoming clergy there, while nationally the number is decreasing.

Last year, he led the Suffolk Show, chosen by the Suffolk Agricultural Association. He cares about rural poverty and farming communities a lot. He opposed taxing farms after the budget, feeling it would badly hurt family farms.

His core job is spiritual well-being; he helps everyone in Suffolk, he says. He met with council leaders eight years ago. They talked about young people’s improvement.

The University of Suffolk did the research, asking teens about change. From that, a group of people met, joining up the work done by the council to support young people.

He is known for his hard work. He joined peers in the House of Lords three years ago. He got two topics: military and rural areas. This duty occurred because of retirements; he is the senior bishop now.

He goes weekly when the House meets, and next week will be his last time. He said he could try to make a difference and wanted to help, advocating for Suffolk people. He addresses farming issues a lot. He also talks about the environment, as well as military personnel and welfare.

He visited RAF Honington and other bases, talking about poor living conditions, especially for lower ranks. Some used food banks, he said. He talked to military people and families, who reported that maintenance was inadequate and housing quality differed greatly.

He supported housing for junior personnel. A strong military needs good morale. How we take care of them is crucial. His father was in the Navy, so this made sense.

He worries about environmental concerns. Lacking insulation bothers him a lot. Solar panels on farmland don’t make sense. He thinks panels could go on warehouses.

He said we could do better on construction, and it could be much more eco-friendly and energy-friendly.