Reference style The Right Reverend Name Robert Gillies | Spoken style My Lord or Bishop | |
Robert Arthur "Bob" Gillies (born 21 October 1951) is a retired Scottish Anglican bishop. From 2007 to 2016, he served as the Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney in the Scottish Episcopal Church. He is also a published author.
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Early life and education
Gillies was born on 21 October 1951. From 1968 to 1972, he worked as a medical laboratory technician. He then trained for ordination and studied theology at the University of Edinburgh. He graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity (BD) degree in 1978.
Gillies later undertook postgraduate research at the University of St Andrews, and completed his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in 1991. His doctoral thesis was tiled "Person and experience: a study in the thought of Edgar Sheffield Brightman".
Ordained ministry
Gillies was ordained in the Scottish Episcopal Church as a deacon in 1977 and a priest in 1978. He served curacies at Christ Church, Falkirk and Christ Church, Morningside, Edinburgh. He was a Chaplain at the University of Dundee from 1984 to 1990. After this he was Rector of St Andrews Episcopal Church, St Andrews. From 2006 to 2007, he was also Dean of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane.
In April 2007, Gillies was elected bishop of the Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney. He was consecrated a bishop at St Andrew's Cathedral, Aberdeen on 23 September 2007. On 3 May 2016, it was announced that Gillies would retire from his position as diocesan bishop later in the year; he subsequently retired on 31 October 2016.
Views
In 2016, Gillies voted against changing the wording of the marriage clause to allow for same-sex marriage in the Scottish Episcopal Church; he was one of two bishops to vote against. The motion was approved by 97 votes to 33.
Personal life
In 1976, Gillies married Katherine Elizabeth Greening Tucker. Together they have four sons, one of whom pre-deceased his parents.