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Retirement feels strange and sad, says bishop

George King & Sarah Lilley
BBC News, Suffolk
Alex Dunlop/BBC A close-up image of The Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. He is sitting in a chair and wearing glasses, a clerical collar and a black top.Alex Dunlop/BBC
The Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, Martin Seeley, is retiring after serving Suffolk for a decade

The Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich said hanging up his clerical collar after dedicating nearly 50 years to the Church of England felt "really strange" and "quite sad".

The Right Reverend Martin Seeley, who was ordained and made a deacon back in 1978, is retiring after spending 10 years serving as the area's ordinary.

The 70-year-old was relieved of his duties during a ceremony at Bury St Edmunds Cathedral.

"Suffolk has been my life and love for 10 years and living in Suffolk and Ipswich has been a gift - I have absolutely loved it," he said, while speaking to BBC Suffolk.

"But, when we finish, we can't stay where we are and so I have to move out of Suffolk.

"So, I am conscious of the friendships, relationships, and wonderful things I have been involved in... and it's quite hard.

"I am currently in the midst of packing and so I am coming across all these things that bring it all back."

Jon Wright Danielle Hopkinson - a woman wearing a black jacket - presenting the Right Reverend Martin Seeley - a man wearing pink regalia - with a stained glass artwork. They are both standing in front of a red material backdrop Jon Wright
The Right Reverend Martin Seeley with Danielle Hopkinson, who presented him with a stained glass window showing scenes of Suffolk

During the decade Bishop Seeley spent in the county, Donald Trump was elected US president on two occasions and the world also experienced the coronavirus pandemic.

He was also at the helm for Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee, as well as her death, and also King Charles III's coronation in 2023.

"You forget how much has happened in those 10 years and it's been a very complex 10 years in many ways," he said.

"I started with Trump and I am ending with Trump."

He recently said that "radical change" was required within the Church of England following a report which documented a cover up of child abuse.

Bishop Seeley, who also sat in the House of Lords, officially said goodbye to the Church of England and the county at a special event held in Bury St Edmunds.

It concluded in symbolic fashion, with him removing his "clobber", handing back "the bishop's crook", and walking out of the cathedral, hand-in-hand with his family.

Jon Wright Vicar Tom Mumford, The Right Reverend Martin Seeley, and Ipswich mayor Elango K. Elavalakan, standing on the steps outside a building. They are all wearing various regalia and smiling at the camera.Jon Wright
The Right Reverend Martin Seeley (centre) performing duties, alongside Ipswich vicar Tom Mumford (left) and Ipswich mayor Elango K. Elavalakan

He said it proved to be an emotional and "overwhelming" occasion.

"We were all in tears and I just had this overwhelming sense that the people of Suffolk – that family I had been caring for 10 years - had just given me back to my family," he said.

"I knew it would be hard but I don't think I had got a sense of the extraordinary things people were going to say and how powerful letting go and handing over would be.

"I think I am still recovering from it."

Meetings to choose his successor will be held in March and April.

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