Robert Willis (priest)
Robert Willis DL | |
---|---|
Dean of Canterbury | |
Church | Church of England |
Province | Province of Canterbury |
Diocese | Diocese of Canterbury |
In office | 1 July 2001 ��� present |
Predecessor | John Simpson |
Other post(s) | Dean of Hereford (1992–2000) |
Orders | |
Ordination | 1972 (deacon) 1973 (priest) |
Personal details | |
Birth name | Robert Andrew Willis |
Born | 17 May 1947 |
Denomination | Anglicanism |
Education | Kingswood Grammar School |
Alma mater | University of Warwick Worcester College, Oxford |
Robert Andrew Willis, DL (born 17 May 1947) is an Anglican priest, theologian, chaplain and hymn writer. [1] He has been Dean of Canterbury since 2001. He was previously a chaplain and vicar before serving as the Dean of Hereford between 1992 and 2000.
Early life[]
Willis was born on 17 May 1947. He was educated at Kingswood Grammar School in Kingswood, near Bristol. He studied at Warwick University, graduating Bachelor of Arts (BA).[2] He then studied for ordination at Cuddesdon,[3] and completed a Diploma in Theology (DipTh) at Worcester College, Oxford.[2]
Ordained ministry[]
Willis was ordained into the Church of England as deacon in 1972 and as priest in 1973. He served his curacy at St Chad's Church, Shrewsbury from 1972 to 1975.[2] From 1975 to 1978 he was a vicar choral of Salisbury Cathedral and chaplain of Salisbury Cathedral School.[4] From 1978 to 1987 he was Team Rector of Tisbury, Wiltshire, and served as chaplain of Cranborne Chase School and RAF Chilmark.[2]
In 1987, he became Vicar of Sherborne Abbey, a former cathedral and abbey in Dorset.[4] In addition, he was chaplain to Sherborne School for Girls. He was appointed canon and prebendary of Salisbury Cathedral in 1988. He served as rural dean of Sherborne between 1991 and 1992.[2]
In November 1992, he was instituted Dean of Hereford,[5] primes inter pares (first among equals) of the governing body of Hereford Cathedral.[2] In addition, he was Priest-in-Charge of St John's Church, Hereford.[6] In 2001, he was appointed the Dean of Canterbury.[6] He was installed on 1 July 2001,[7] thereby becoming the 39th Dean of Canterbury since the Reformation.[8]
In 1995, he became a member of the General Synod of the Church of England.[8] In 1999, he was elected Chairman of the Deans' and Provosts' Conference.[9][6] He continued as chairman of its successor, the Deans' Conference, when it was created in 2002.[2][10]
Music[]
Willis is an accomplished pianist and opera enthusiast as well as the writer of several hymns. These include "The Kingdom is upon you" and "Let us light a candle".[6]
COVID-19 broadcasts[]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Church of England suspended public worship.[11] In response to this, Willis broadcast religious services from the garden of the Canterbury Deanery. In May 2020, he received international media attention when his cat Leo walked between his legs and into his cassock.[12][13] A similar incident occurred in July 2020, when another one of his cats, Tiger, began to drink from a jug of milk that had been positioned next to Willis.[14] A third incident occurred during Willis' broadcast on Shrove Tuesday 2021, when Tiger stole a pancake that was next to Willis.[15][16]
Honours[]
In 2001, Willis was appointed a Commander of the Venerable Order of Saint John (CStJ).[17] In 2009, he was promoted to Knight of the Venerable Order of Saint John (KStJ); the order does not grant the use of the prefix "Sir".[18] In 2011, he was appointed a deputy lieutenant of the County of Kent.[3] He was awarded the Cross of St Augustine by the Archbishop of Canterbury in 2012.[2]
He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity (DD) degree by the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale University in 2009.[2][8] He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Civil Law (DCL) degree by the University of Kent in November 2011.[4]
References[]
- ^ Hymnary.org person page
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i "Robert Andrew WILLIS". People of Today. Debrett's. Archived from the original on 17 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Robert Willis". About Us. Association of English Cathedrals. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "The Very Reverend Dr Robert Willis". University of Kent. 31 January 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
- ^ "Hereford Cathedral: a history", G. E. Aylmer and John Eric Tiller
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Duke, Alan (26 February 2001). "Hereford Dean comes to Canterbury". Anglican Communion News Service. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
- ^ Whitstable Choral Society – Honorary Patron (Accessed 5 January 2013)
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "The Dean". Chapter members. Canterbury Cathedral. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
- ^ "WILLIS, Robert Andrew". Who's Who 2012. A & C Black.
- ^ "Deans' Conference". About Us. Association of English Cathedrals. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
- ^ Harriet Sherwood (17 March 2020). "Church of England suspends all services over coronavirus". The Guardian.
- ^ "Watch: Canterbury Cathedral cat disappears under Dean's robes during sermon". Daily Telegraph. 27 May 2020.
- ^ Rob Picheta (27 May 2020). "Cat disappears into priest's robes during online sermon". CNN. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ Luke O'Reilly (6 July 2020). "The Canterbury Tail: Cat steals vicar's milk during cathedral's online prayer service". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ "Cat steals Dean of Canterbury's pancakes". The Independent. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ "Watch: Mischievous cat steals Dean of Canterbury's pancake during morning prayer". The Telegraph. 16 February 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ "Order of St John". The London Gazette (56212). 22 May 2001. Retrieved 15 December 2014. In 2004 he was made an honorary fellow of Canterbury Christ Church University
- ^ "Order of St John". The London Gazette (59254). 27 November 2009. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
External links[]
- 1947 births
- Living people
- Alumni of the University of Warwick
- Alumni of Ripon College Cuddesdon
- Alumni of Worcester College, Oxford
- English Anglican theologians
- Church of England deans
- Deans of Canterbury
- Deans of Hereford
- Deputy Lieutenants of Kent
- Fellows of Canterbury Christ Church University
- Knights of the Order of St John
- Recipients of the Cross of St Augustine
- People educated at King's Oak Academy
- Members of the General Synod of the Church of England