Robin Ward

Robin Ward (born 22 January 1966) is a British academic and former Anglican priest. From 2006 to 2025 he was the principal of St Stephen's House, Oxford, an Anglo-Catholic theological college in England. In 2026, he announced that he had been received into the Catholic Church.

Early life and education Ward studied at Magdalen College, Oxford, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1987; as per tradition, his BA was promoted to a Master of Arts (MA Oxon) degree in 1991. Later he received a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree from King's College London, completed in 2003 with a doctoral thesis titled "The Schism at Antioch in the Fourth Century".

Ordained ministry Ward was ordained deacon in 1991 and priest in 1992. He served as assistant curate of St Andrew's Romford from 1991 to 1994 and of St Andrew's and St Francis of Assisi's Willesden Green from 1994 to 1996. He was the vicar of St John the Baptist's Sevenoaks from 1996 until 2006 and the chaplain of the Invicta Community Care NHS Trust from 1997 to 2006. He was made an honorary canon of Rochester Cathedral in 2004.

Ward represented the Diocese of Rochester in the General Synod of the Church of England. He was a member of the Revision Committee on Ordination Services and a representative of the Catholic Group. He was a member of the Society of the Holy Cross (SSC).

He was created a Companion of the Roll of Honour of the Memorial of Merit of King Charles the Martyr in 2019.

Reception into the Catholic Church On 14 February 2026, Ward announced on his social media that he had been received into the Catholic Church. He was received at Farnborough Abbey by the abbot, Dom Cuthbert Brogan.

Arms

Selected works Ward, R. On Christian Priesthood (London 2011), Ward, R. Building Disciplined Lives of Regular Prayer, Study and Worship Ward, R. Review of Herbert McCabe, The Good Life: Ethics and the pursuit of happiness Ward, R. 'God is Gone Up', Church Times Issue 7416 (29 April 2005)