Downing Street has today announced that the Reverend Dr Jitesh Patel has been appointed the next Suffragan Bishop of Jarrow following approval by His Majesty the King.
Jitesh (pictured above) succeeds the Right Reverend Sarah Clark who moved to become Bishop of Ely earlier this year.
Currently Assistant Director and Lecturer in Theology at St Mellitus College East Midlands and Associate Vicar at Holy Trinity in Leicester, Jitesh was previously Director of Contextual Training for the Diocese of Leicester, overseeing training and formation across the diocese.
Ordained in 2010, he brings 16 years of parish ministry experience, alongside seven years of leadership and teaching within theological education.
Reacting to his appointment, Jitesh said: “Since first discerning this call to be the next Bishop of Jarrow, I have been praying daily for the people and places of the diocese, asking God to bring widespread renewal, for individual lives to be radically transformed by the saving love and power of Christ, and for vocations of all types to be raised in partnership with all that the Holy Spirit is already doing.
“I look forward to playing my part in the answer to such prayers in the years to come as I serve under Bishop Rick’s leadership.
“Part of my own story is of being a very unlikely would-be disciple of Jesus, yet encountering the pursuing love of Christ through the mission of the local church. Though there are challenges and opportunities facing the diocese, I believe this missional call is its most central, and I am looking forward to helping raise disciples of all types and backgrounds, especially unlikely ones, to meet this call. As I continue to pray for you all, please do pray for me and my wife Bridget and the whole family as we prepare to move and make the diocese our home.”
Welcoming the appointment, the Bishop of Durham, Rick Simpson said: “I am absolutely delighted to welcome Jitesh as the next Bishop of Jarrow. In the Diocese of Durham, we are called to become a church of missionary disciples, where the congregations in our parishes are made up of people grateful to God for the love, peace and joy we have received and are ready, together, to share this in word and action.
“The advisory panel and I were clear that we saw in Jitesh the gifts and experience in mission and ministry we are seeking in someone to help us develop the lay and ordained leaders we need to make this change, and to join me in supporting local churches and ministers across the diocese. Please be praying for Jitesh, his wife Bridget and their family in this time of transition, and for all that Jitesh will bring to us.”
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell said: “I am delighted that Jitesh Patel has been appointed Bishop of Jarrow. His theological insight, talents and experience will be a great gift not only to the Diocese of Durham but to the Province of York. I am looking forward to his consecration on 8th December, and to working with him in the service of the gospel.”
The Bishop of Leicester, Martyn Snow, said: “I am so pleased for Jitesh, his family and the Diocese of Durham. He has been a wonderful gift to the Diocese of Leicester, both to our ordinands in training at St Mellitus, the people of Holy Trinity Leicester where he has served as Associate Vicar, and to the wider diocese through his work on Bishop’s Council. We will be praying for him and his family as they move to Jarrow to begin an exciting new ministry.”
Durham’s Diocesan Secretary, James Morgan added: “I am looking forward to welcoming Jitesh to the diocese, to serve as the Bishop of Jarrow. As sponsoring bishop, he will bring energy, enthusiasm and experience to the task of training people for ministry which is what we have been praying for in our new suffragan bishop, and we look forward to working with him to grow God’s churches in the Diocese of Durham.”
From a Hindu Indian diaspora family, Jitesh became a Christian while studying Physics at Oxford University. He is married to Bridget, and they have two daughters. In his spare-time he enjoys running, board games, good food, and reading widely.
Jitesh will be consecrated at York Minster on 8 December.
Biography
Jitesh was educated at Jesus College, University of Oxford, and obtained his PhD through the Lambeth Research Degrees in Theology. He trained for ministry at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. He served his title at Christ Church, Abingdon, in the Diocese of Oxford and, in 2011, he was ordained Priest. In 2015, Jitesh was appointed Associate Vicar at St Jude’s Church, Southsea, in the Diocese of Portsmouth. From 2018, Jitesh served as Diocesan Director of Contextual Training, additionally serving as Associate Vicar (Training & Development) at Holy Trinity Church, in the Diocese of Leicester. In 2019, Jitesh was appointed as Assistant Director and Lecturer in Theology at St Mellitus College East Midlands, alongside his role as Associate Vicar at Holy Trinity Church. Additionally, Jitesh currently serves on Bishop’s Council, on a national patronage board, as a board member of the 30K Project, and is an author.