Robert Andrew Willis, KStJ DL (17 May 1947 – 22 October 2024) was an English Anglican priest, theologian, chaplain and hymn writer.Hymnary.org person page
Willis served as Dean of Canterbury from 2001 to 2022 and previously as Dean of Hereford between 1992 and 2000. In the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, after public worship was suspended, Willis received media attention for his popular daily video broadcasts of Morning Prayer from the deanery garden at Canterbury Cathedral.The Guardian, "The Very Rev Robert Willis obituary", 7 November 2024. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
Early life and education Willis was born on 17 May 1947 to Thomas Willis, who worked for an aircraft company, and Vera Britton. His elder sister Pauline (1939–2020) was a journalist who wrote for The Guardian.Jeannette Page, "Pauline Willis obituary", The Guardian, 27 February 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
Willis was educated at Kingswood Grammar School, near Bristol, before going up to Warwick University where he graduated with a BA degree. He then studied for ordination at Ripon College Cuddesdon and completed a Diploma in Theology (DipTh) at Worcester College, Oxford.
Early ordained ministry Willis was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 1972 and a priest in 1973. He served as curate of St Chad's, Shrewsbury, from 1972 to 1975 and was a vicar choral of Salisbury Cathedral and chaplain of Salisbury Cathedral School from 1975 to 1978. From 1978 to 1987 he was team rector of Tisbury, Wiltshire, and served as chaplain of Cranborne Chase School and RAF Chilmark.
In 1987 Willis became vicar of Sherborne Abbey, a former cathedral and abbey in Dorset. In addition, he was chaplain to Sherborne School for Girls. He was appointed canon and prebendary of Salisbury Cathedral in 1988 and served as rural dean of Sherborne from 1991 to 1992.
In November 1992 Willis was instituted as Dean of Hereford,"Hereford Cathedral: a history", G. E. Aylmer and John Eric Tiller primus inter pares (first among equals) of the governing body of Hereford Cathedral. In addition, he was priest-in-charge of St John's Church, Hereford.
In 1995 he became a member of the General Synod of the Church of England, and in 1999 he was elected chairman of the Deans' and Provosts' Conference. He continued to chair its successor, the Deans' Conference, when it was created in 2002.
Dean of Canterbury In 2001 Willis was appointed Dean of Canterbury, the 39th holder of the office since the Reformation. His installation took place on 1 July 2001.Whitstable Choral Society – Honorary Patron (Accessed 5 January 2013)
During his tenure he oversaw the enthronement of two Archbishops of Canterbury (Rowan Williams in 2003 and Justin Welby in 2013) and arrangements for the 14th Lambeth Conference in 2008.
COVID-19 pandemic broadcasts During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Church of England suspended public worship. In response, Willis, filmed by his partner, Fletcher Banner, began to broadcast religious services from the deanery garden at Canterbury Cathedral. His video recordings of the daily service of Morning Prayer have been watched by thousands of people around the world who dubbed themselves the "Garden Congregation".Sarah Meyrick, "Dean of Canterbury retires at 75, but his garden ministry will go on", The Church Times, 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022. By the time the Dean retired in May 2022, he had produced well over 900 broadcasts and had cumulatively accrued millions of views on YouTube and other platforms worldwide, reaching many who needed a point of contact, spiritual or otherwise, in the dark days of the lockdowns. The broadcasts were also downloaded and shared between Christian communities in parts of the world where it is dangerous for them to gather together or worship openly. The broadcasts followed the traditional pattern of daily morning prayer in the Anglican Church, built around the daily reading of Scripture and saying the psalms. The interweaving of all aspects of human history and creativity in arts, music, philosophy, literature into these services which were filmed all over the house and gardens from the pigsty to the roof, gained global appeal. The broadcasts celebrated noteworthy days such as Thanksgiving, Jewish New Year and Chinese New Year, making them truly global and ecumenical, and the content drew heavily on the Dean's fifty years of ministry experience and keen concern for nature and the environment to draw attention to issues around the world. Sarah Meyrick, "Dean of Canterbury retires at 75, but his garden ministry will go on", The Church Times, 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
In May 2020 Willis received international media attention when his cat, Leo, walked between his legs and under his cassock. 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 him. A third incident occurred during Willis' broadcast on Shrove Tuesday 2021, when Tiger stole a pancake that was next to Willis.
Retirement and legacy On 16 February 2022, it was announced that Willis would retire as Dean of Canterbury on 16 May. This was the day before his 75th birthday, and the Church of England insisted on observing its rule of compulsory retirement at that age.Lydia Chantler-Hicks, "Dean of Canterbury Dr Robert Willis announces May retirement", Kent Online, 16 February 2022, accessed 5 October 2025 At the Cathedral's Evensong service on Sunday, 15 May 2022, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, publicly thanked Dean Willis for his many years of service.Canterbury Cathedral, Evensong, 15 May 2022. Available on YouTube. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
Welby described Willis as "one of the most exceptional deans of the post-war period – overseeing Canterbury Cathedral’s life of worship, prayer and witness with creativity and imagination". In particular, he praised him for his online ministry during the COVID-19 pandemic, which "brought the comfort and hope of Jesus Christ to many thousands of people around the world". In January 2023 Welby conferred the title of Dean Emeritus of Canterbury on Willis.Canterbury Cathedral, "Robert Willis is made Dean Emeritus of Canterbury" 27 January 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
The journalist Charles Moore, describing Willis as the last "great dean", wrote: "His voice was mellifluous, and he could preach in perfect sentences without need of notes, relating current events to a biblical text without strain, triviality or over-personalisation". He was acquainted with every corner of Canterbury Cathedral and its history, and enjoyed showing visitors around.The Daily Telegraph, "Was Robert Willis the last of the great deans? ", 28 October 2024. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
Willis travelled widely in retirement, preaching at cathedrals and churches around the world, especially in North America, including Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.,Washington National Cathedral, Sermons: "The Very Rev. Dr. Robert Willis: The Most Beautiful Rainbow", 11 June 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2024. the Cathedral of Saint Philip in Atlanta, Georgia,Cathedral of Saint Philip, Atlanta: The Very Rev. Robert Willis: A House of Prayer for All People, 25 February 2024. Retrieved 5 November 2024. Saint Thomas Church in New York City,Saint Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue, New York City: The Very Rev. Robert Willis, Dean of Canterbury. Retrieved 5 November 2024. Christ Church in Greenwich, Connecticut,Greenwich Sentinel, "On my watch: A Memorable Talk on Saints and Joy from Retired Canterbury Cathedral Dean Rev. Dr. Robert Willis", 20 November 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2024. and various places of worship in the Anglican Diocese of Toronto.The Anglican, "Distinguished priest to visit diocese"], 29 February 2024. Retrieved 5 November 2024. He also became a resident fellow at Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, in New Haven, Connecticut.The Daily Telegraph, "The Very Rev Robert Willis, urbane Dean of Canterbury who gained worldwide fame in Covid", 25 October 2024. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
Hymn writing Willis wrote a number of hymns, some of which have been published in the latest edition of Hymns Ancient and Modern and The Revised English Hymnal. His hymns include "Let Us Light a Candle", "Earth's Fragile Beauties We Possess" and "The Kingdom is Upon You". He also wrote the Christmas carol "Heaven Responds at Bethlehem", set to a tune by George Butterworth, which was sung for the first time by the Canterbury Cathedral girls' choir at the cathedral's carol services in 2016.Canterbury Cathedral, "Dean's carol to be sung in Carol Services", 15 December 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
An accomplished pianist and opera enthusiast, Willis served as an Honorary Patron of the Kent-based Caritas Chamber Choir.
Personal life and death Willis was in a civil partnership with Fletcher BannerFriends of the Anglican Pilgrimage Centre in Santiago, Fletcher Banner. Retrieved 28 February 2024. from the early 2000s.Friends of the Anglican Pilgrimage Centre in Santiago, The Very Rev. Dr. Robert Willis, KStJ, DL. Retrieved 28 February 2024.St. Thomas Church, New York, The Very Rev. Robert Willis. Retrieved 28 February 2004.
On 22 October 2024, at the age of 77, Willis died "suddenly and peacefully" as a result of heart failure while in New Haven, Connecticut.
His funeral was held at Christ Church in New Haven on 13 November 2024, and was attended by the Most Rev. Michael Curry, former Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of America, the Most Rev. Anne Germond, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, the Rt. Rev. Jeffrey Mello, Bishop of Connecticut, and the Very Rev. Randolph Hollerith, Dean of Washington National Cathedral.Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, "Berkeley mourns the death of Robert Willis, Dean Emeritus of Canterbury", 23 October 2024. Retrieved 4 November 2024.Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut, "The Requiem Mass of Dean Robert Willis this Wednesday", 11 November 2024. Retrieved 13 November 2024.Episcopal News Service, "RIP: Robert Willis, dean emeritus of Canterbury Cathedral", 29 October 2024. Retrieved 4 November 2024. This was followed by an Evensong service in Willis's memory on 2 February 2025 (Candlemas) at Salisbury Cathedral in England,Salisbury Cathedral, Choral Evensong for Candlemas in Memory of Robert Andrew Willis, 1947−2024, Dean Emeritus of Canterbury, 2 February 2025, 3 pm (service leaflet). Retrieved 3 February 2025. with a sermon preached by the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams.Salisbury Cathedral, Sermon preached by the Rt. Rev. and Rt. Hon. the Lord Williams of Oystermouth at the Choral Evensong for the Very Rev. Robert Willis, 2 February 2025. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
Honours
A Chaplain of the Order of St John since 1991, Willis was appointed a Commander of the Order of St John (CStJ) in 2001 and promoted to Knight (KStJ) in 2009. In 2011 he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for the county of Kent, and was awarded the Cross of St Augustine by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, in 2012.
Willis was awarded an honorary doctorate of Divinity (DD) by the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale University in 2009 and an honorary doctorate of Civil Law (DCL) by the University of Kent in 2011.
In 2021 Willis was elected a Fellow of the Royal School of Church Music (FRSCM).
References
External links Profile in Debrett's People of Today