Madhu Smitha Prasadam (born 1964) is an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

bishop. Since 2023 she has served as

Bishop of Huddersfield A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

in the Diocese of Leeds. From 2018 to 2023, she served as

Chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...

of St. Alban's Church, Copenhagen.

Early life

Prasadam was born in

South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

in 1964. Her parents worked for the

Church Mission Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British Anglican mission society working with Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as ...

. They moved to

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

; and her mother became the first Indian woman

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

in the UK.

Ordained ministry

She trained for

ordained ministry Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform vari ...

at The Queen's Foundation. After a

curacy A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' () of souls of a parish. In this sense, ''curate'' means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy who are ass ...

at Blackheath in the West Midlands, she became

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English p ...

St Paul's Church, Hamstead St Paul's Church, Hamstead is a Grade II listed Church of England parish church in Birmingham, England. Location The church sits west of the A34 road, A34 Walsall Road, near its junction with Old Walsall Road, on a hilltop site overlooking ...

in 2007. In 2018 she moved to Denmark to be Anglican Chaplain in Copenhagen. She was also the

Bishop in Europe The Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe, commonly known as the Bishop in Europe, is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese in Europe in the Province of Canterbury. Overview The diocese provides the ministry of Anglican ch ...

's racial justice adviser, vocations adviser and chair of the House of Clergy. She is a member of the College Council of

St John's College, Durham St John's College is one of the Colleges of Durham University#Types of College, recognised colleges of Durham University. The college was established in 1909 as a Church of England theological college and became a full constituent college of th ...

. On 8 March 2023, Prasadam was announced as the next

, an

area bishop A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the Metropolitan ...

in the

Anglican Diocese of Leeds The Anglican Diocese of LeedsDioce ...

. On 22 June 2023, she was consecrated a bishop by Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York, during a service at York Minster.

Views

In November 2023, she was one of 44 Church of England bishops who signed an open letter supporting the use of the ''Prayers of Love and Faith'' (i.e. blessings for same-sex couples) and called for "Guidance being issued without delay that includes the removal of all restrictions on clergy entering same-sex civil marriages, and on bishops ordaining and licensing such clergy".

Personal life

Prasadam is married to Peter Prasadam: they have one daughter, Esther.

References

Living people 21st-century Anglican priests 1964 births Alumni of the Queen's Foundation Clergy from Birmingham, West Midlands Bishops of Huddersfield {{ChurchofEngland-bishop-stub