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An air of anticipation has settled over The Church of England in Lancashire (Blackburn Diocese) as final preparations are made for the Consecration Service of the next Bishop of Burnley.

Rev. Dr Joe Kennedy will be consecrated by the Archbishop of York, The Most Rev. and Rt Hon. Stephen Cottrell, in a service steeped in ancient tradition at York Minster on Friday morning, July 19.

Bishops and other senior clergy from this Diocese and across the northern province of the CofE will be in attendance, including our own Diocesan Bishop, Rt Rev. Philip North, Bishop of Blackburn.

Bishop-Designate Joe’s responsibilities will extend far beyond the town of Burnley; where he will be based and will live with his family. He will work across the County and has a particular remit to lead the ‘Being Witnesses’ strand of our Diocesan Vision 2026 work.

Reflecting this wide remit, hundreds of people from County parishes are due to make the trip over the Pennines for the day to be present in the Minster; as well as many staff from the Diocesan Offices in Blackburn.

They will be joined by Joe’s family and friends, as well as parishioners from Oxton St Saviour in the Diocese of Chester, where Joe was most recently Vicar.

What promises to be a joyous service will begin at 11am and will be livestreamed on the York Minster YouTube channel and via their website here, while the full Order of Service to follow along with proceedings, can be found here.

You can also follow updates on social media during the day …

Meanwhile, the first post-service report to the media from the Diocese will appear mid-afternoon and more will follow in subsequent days; including a full round-up (with the official video of the service) for parishes in the popular ‘Parish Update’ ebulletin for the Diocese on Monday, July 22.

Bishop-Designate Joe said today: “My consecration service will be a time of joy and reflection but will also be a vivid reminder of the responsibilities I am about to take on. My hope is to offer to all in Lancashire a ministry which is confident in God, rooted in prayer and focused on pastoral care and on mission.

“I am looking forward to working with colleagues across the whole Diocese as we continue to implement Vision 2026 together and look to the future – supporting healthy churches, transforming communities.”

Bishop Philip added: “Everyone in the Diocese is looking forward with great anticipation to the Consecration Service at the Minster on Friday. We are praying for Joe, his family and his friends as he prepares to make this transition to episcopal ministry.

“He will bring to the Diocese a profound and life-changing trust in Jesus Christ; a sincere commitment to seeing the flourishing of all and huge gifts in preaching and teaching.”

  • Following the Consecration Service the next milestone will be the new Bishop's Installation Service here in Lancashire at our Cathedral in Blackburn. That will take place on September 8 at 4pm and details of how to book to attend will be available from the afternoon of July 19 on a special Installation Service page on this website under the 'News and Events' tab on the homepage. 

Captions for the above pictures:

Bishop-Designate of Burnley, Rev. Dr Joe Kennedy

York Minster, where the Consecration will take place (two views, internal and external)

Rev. Dr Joe Kennedy; biographical information

2011-2024. Vicar of Oxton St Saviour in the Diocese of Chester – a large parish of more than 16,000 people, encompassing suburban and estate housing. His ministry has focussed on: overseeing work to transform the church’s ministry to children, young people, and families; building diverse teams of ministers from a wide range of church traditions and with different passions and gifts, all focused on a common purpose: building a strategic focus on mission, and aligning limited resources to this work.

Also during this period:

2021 – now     Rural Dean of Birkenhead 10 parishes, with widely different church traditions, from SCP to Reform.

2020 – now     Assistant Diocesan Director of Ordinands, Diocese of Chester

Discernment work with prospective ordinands.

2015 – 2020:   Lecturer and Tutor, St Mellitus College NW

Taught missiology, apologetics, systematic theology to ordinands and independent students (including ministers from a range of denominations).

2008 – 2011    Principal, College of the Resurrection, Mirfield

Overall responsibility for the College’s spiritual life, for the formation of ordinands, and for the pastoral care of students. Line managed academic and senior administrative staff, and led strategic planning, budget planning, and external promotion. Taught theology and missiology.

2005 – 2008    Higher Education Chaplaincy

Dean of Chapel, Chaplain, and Fellow, Selwyn College, Cambridge, and Chaplain and Senior Member, Newnham College, Cambridge. Responsible for the worship and life of Selwyn College Chapel. Offered pastoral care to students, Fellows and staff in two constituent colleges of Cambridge University. Tutor in theology for Selwyn and Magdalene Colleges.

2002 – 2005     Assistant Curate, Diocese of Oxford

                          2002 – 2003, Mortimer; 2003 – 2005, Abingdon.
                          Ministerial experience in rural, suburban, and estate settings.

Ordained Deacon in Oxford Diocese: 2002

Ordained Priest in Oxford Diocese: 2003

Educated at Edinburgh and Oxford. Completed degrees in mathematics and in theology at Edinburgh University, and served for five years as an assistant warden in student Halls of Residence. Also gained qualified teacher status before going to Oxford where he trained for the ordained ministry and gained a master’s degree and doctorate in theology.

Met his wife Emily at Oxford University. Emily is a Chartered Accountant, who works as Head of External Financial Reporting for Oxfam. They have two children, David and Mary.