Robert Wright (priest)

The Reverend Canon Robert Wright LVO
Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons
Church	Church of England
See	Royal Peculiar
In office	1998 to 2010
Predecessor	Donald Gray
Successor	Rose Hudson-Wilkin
Other posts	Canon of Westminster Abbey (1998–2010) Sub-Dean of Westminster Abbey (2005–2010) Archdeacon of Westminster (2009–2010)
Orders
Ordination	1973 (deacon) 1974 (priest)
Personal details
Birth name	Anthony Robert Wright
Born	1949 (age 66–67)
Alma mater	Lanchester Polytechnic St Stephen's House, Oxford

Anthony Robert Wright, LVO (born 1949) is a retired Church of England priest. He served as Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons from 1998 to 2010. From 2005 to 2010, he was also Sub-Dean and a canon of Westminster Abbey, and Archdeacon of Westminster. In 2010, he retired and was appointed canon emeritus. Upon retirement, he was awarded Lieutenant of the Victorian Order by the personal gift of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. ^[1][2]

Early life and education

Wright was born in 1949.^[3] He studied at Lanchester Polytechnic in Coventry, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1970.^[3] In 1970, he entered St Stephen's House, Oxford, an Anglo-Catholic theological college, to study theology and train for ordination.^[3]

Ordained ministry

Wright was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 1973 and as a priest in 1974.^[3]

From 1998 to 2010, Wright served as Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons and was a canon of Westminster Abbey. He was also Sub-Dean of Westminster Abbey from 2005 to 2010, and Archdeacon of Westminster from 2009 to 2010.^[3]

In September 2010, Wright retired from full-time ministry and was appointed canon emeritus.^[4] Since 2011, he has held Permission to Officiate in the Diocese of Oxford.^[3]

Honours

In the 2010 Queen's Birthday Honours, Wright was appointed a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO).^[5]

References

1. Wright, Rev. Canon (Anthony) Robert. Who's Who. 2014 (December 2013 online ed.). A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
2. Hough, Andrew; Savill, Richard (27 June 2010). "Row over appointment of female cleric as Commons chaplain". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
3. "A R Wright". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 29 November 2015. (subscription required)
4. "Canon Robert Wright to leave Abbey". Westminster Abbey. February 2010. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
5. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 59446. p. 3. 12 June 2010. Retrieved 20 August 2016.