Alan Robert Gillion (born 7 September 1951) is a British

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 and former actor. From 2014 to 2018 he was the Bishop of Riverina in the

Anglican Church of Australia The Anglican Church of Australia, originally known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania, is a Christian church in Australia and an autonomous church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. In 2016, responding to a peer-reviewed study ...

; since 2020, he has been a parish priest in

Streatham Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surrey ...

, South

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Early life

Gillion was born in

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

to clergy parents and was educated at

Norwich School Norwich School (formally King Edward VI Grammar School, Norwich) is a private selective day school in the close of Norwich Cathedral, Norwich. Among the oldest schools in the United Kingdom, it has a traceable history to 1096 as an episcop ...

. He trained in acting at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

and then worked as an actor and theatre director for 12 years, participating in a variety of stage shows including cabaret, repertory and Shakespeare productions, prior to retraining for ministry at the age of 32.

Ordained ministry

Gillion trained for ministry at

Salisbury and Wells Theological College Sarum College is a centre of theological learning in Salisbury, England. The college was established in 1995 and sits within the cathedral close on the north side of Salisbury Cathedral. The Sarum College education programme ranges from shor ...

and was

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 ...

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

: made deacon at Petertide 1983 (26 June) and ordained priest the following Petertide (1 July 1984) — both times by

Maurice Wood Maurice Arthur Ponsonby Wood, (26 August 1916 – 24 June 2007) was an Anglican bishop in the Evangelical tradition. He was a Royal Navy commando chaplain in World War II and later the Bishop of Norwich. Early life and education Wood was born ...

Bishop of Norwich The Bishop of Norwich is the Ordinary (Catholic Church), ordinary of the Church of England Anglican Diocese of Norwich, Diocese of Norwich in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers most of the county of Norfolk and part of Suffolk. Th ...

, at

Norwich Cathedral Norwich Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Norwich, Norfolk, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Norwich and the mother church of the dioc ...

. His early ministry saw him serve in the

Diocese of Southwark The Diocese of Southwark ( ) is one of the 42 dioceses of the Church of England, part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The diocese forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. It was created on 1 May 1905 from part of the ancient ...

and then the

Diocese of Hong Kong and Macao The Diocese of Hong Kong and Macao was an extra-provincial diocese in the Anglican Communion serving Hong Kong and Macau. It existed from 1951 until 1998, when it was reorganized as an autonomous Anglican church, the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui. His ...

, where, as parish priest at

Discovery Bay Discovery Bay is a picturesque residential community located on Lantau Island. The 2021 census recorded a population of 19,336 residents in DB, with 55% of them being non-Chinese. DB is home to a significant community compared of expatriates ...

he voluntarily spent a week incarcerated at

Shek Pik Prison Shek Pik Prison () is a prison in Hong Kong, located at 47 Shek Pik Reservoir Road, Shek Pik, Lantau Island. It was built in 1984, and is managed by the Hong Kong Correctional Services. The prison is used to contain prisoners with medium to long ...

to better understand his ministry as chaplain to the prisoners, who nicknamed him Father Robbery. He was also the diocese's head of religious broadcasting. He returned to London in 1998, where he served first as the evangelism officer for the

Bishop of Kensington The Bishop of Kensington is an episcopal title used by an area bishop of the Church of England Diocese of London, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The Bishop of Kensington is responsible for a part of Greater London, including Kensington, ...

, then as rector of

Holy Trinity, Sloane Street The Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity with Saint Jude, Upper Chelsea, commonly called Holy Trinity Sloane Street or Holy Trinity Sloane Square, is a Church of England parish church in London, England. It was built in 1888–90 at the ...

, and St Saviour, Upper Chelsea. During his time in London, Gillion was a regular contributor to the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

's '' Pause for Thought'' program, and also served as chaplain at

Harrods Harrods is a Listed building, Grade II listed luxury department store on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England. It was designed by C. W. Stephens for Charles Digby Harrod, and opened in 1905; it replaced the first store on the ground ...

Episcopal ministry

In April 2014, Gillion was elected Bishop of Riverina in the

Province of New South Wales The Province of New South Wales is an ecclesiastical province of the Anglican Church of Australia, the boundaries of which are nearly all of the state New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. The province consists of seven diocese ...

in the

after a representative of the diocese saw him preach at

St Paul's Cathedral, London St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

(which was the only time he had ever preached there). He was consecrated and enthroned on 15 August 2014 at St Alban's Cathedral,

Griffith Griffith may refer to: People * Griffith (name) * Griffith (surname) * Griffith (given name) Places Antarctica * Mount Griffith, Ross Dependency * Griffith Peak (Antarctica), Marie Byrd Land * Griffith Glacier, Marie Byrd Land * Griffith Ridge, ...

. In working in Australia, Gillion followed in the footsteps of his grandfather who had worked as a priest in Broome and

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

during the 1920s. During his time as Bishop of Riverina, Gillion performed a one-man stage show about faith to raise funds for a youth theatre project in the diocese. He also called on denominational churches to combine in disadvantaged rural areas to improve ministry resources. Gillion served as bishop from 15 August 2014 until resigning effective 21 July 2018.

Return to England

After his resignation Gillion returned to the United Kingdom and in March 2019 he was appointed as an

honorary assistant bishop An assistant bishop in the Anglican Communion is a bishop appointed to assist a diocesan bishop. Church of England In the established Church of England, assistant bishops are usually retired (diocesan or suffragan) bishops – in which case they ...

in the

Diocese of Lincoln The Diocese of Lincoln forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the ceremonial county of Lincolnshire. History The diocese traces its roots in an unbroken line to the Pre-Reformation Diocese of Leice ...

and interim priest-in-charge of St John the Baptist Spalding, for an 18-month term. On 19 August 2020, Gillion was licensed as priest-in-charge of Christ Church Streatham and an honorary assistant bishop in the

; on 10 September he was commissioned as Associate Bishop for the Arts (in that diocese); and in 2021, the legal status of his parish post (but not the nature of the role) was changed to vicar.

Personal life

Gillion is married to Janine and has two sons, one of whom is the marketing manager for the

Australian Grand Prix The Australian Grand Prix is an annual Formula One motor racing event, taking place in Melbourne, Victoria. The event is contracted to be held at least until 2035. One of the oldest surviving motorsport competitions held in Australia, the Gran ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gillion, Rob People educated at Norwich School Alumni of the University of London 21st-century Anglican bishops in Australia Anglican bishops of Riverina Living people 1951 births 21st-century Church of England bishops