Anglican Chaplaincy
of Midi Pyrénées & Aude
News
New Chaplain appointed!
The Reverend Paul Willis will be licensed as the new Chaplain of The Anglican Chaplaincy of Midi-Pyrénées & Aude at the Chaplaincy Holy Communion Service on Sunday, February 22, 2026 at 11.00 am Église St Eugène, 81600 Brens celebrated by Bishop Robert, with Archdeacon Peter.
he Revd Paul Willis grew up in the North East of England in a Salvation Army family and left school at the age of sixteen. A few years later, he joined the Royal Air Force as a musician. During many years of service in Germany, he trained as a Methodist Local Preacher, assisting Service Chaplains and, on his return to the UK, ministering on the Methodist Circuit. In due course, Paul began worshipping in the Church of England and was baptised and confirmed. Sensing a call to ordained ministry, he explored ordination and was accepted for training on the St Albans and Oxford Ministry Course.
He was ordained deacon in 2006 and priest in 2007. Paul served his curacy and title post in High Wycombe. As a curate, he was involved in establishing the Wycombe Homeless Connection, and later, as parish priest in an Urban Priority Area with significant levels of deprivation, he played a leading role in a community regeneration project. In 2015, he moved to Reading, where he became Rector of a group of four churches, a post from which he retired in 2020.
He now lives in south-west France with his wife, Gill. They have three grown-up daughters living in the UK with their families and are blessed with two granddaughters. Since his arrival in south-west France, Paul has offered regular ministry in this region, supporting Anglican life and worship. On 21 September 2024, he was commissioned as Area Dean for South West France. We are greatly blessed and privileged to be welcoming Paul as our new Chaplain, and we are encouraged to offer Paul and Gill our prayerful support, together with all the help and assistance they may need as Paul undertakes this new ministry among us.
Bishop Robert comments: ‘I am delighted that we are able to appoint a priest of Paul’s maturity and experience to the Chaplaincy of Midi-Pyrenees and Aude. I shall look forward very much to licensing Paul in Brens in a few weeks’ time.’
Bishop in Europe to visit our Chaplaincy
Bishop Robert, accompanied by Archdeacon Peter Hooper, is to visit the Southwest region of France between the 19th and 22nd February 2026.
The Bishop will licence our new Chaplain and lead a Communion Service at L’Eglise St. Eugène, Côté de l'Eglise, 81600 Brens at 11 am on Sunday 22nd February and everyone is invited to attend that service. Lunch, at own cost, will be at a local restaurant. Further details from your local church contact.
Chaplaincy Joint Service
On Sunday, September 28th, 2025, our Chaplaincy family gathered for a very special occasion — Chaplaincy Day, marked by the licensing of our Lay Readers and a joyful celebration of worship, music, and fellowship. It was a day that reflected the heart of our life together: faith shared across distance, unity in diversity, and gratitude for God’s continuing work among us.
Our Chaplaincy stretches far and wide — from Vayrac near Brive in the north to Floure near Carcassonne in the south — so considerable distances were travelled by many to gather at the beautiful Église St. Eugène in the village of Brens in the Tarn. Yet every kilometre was worth it: to meet together as one family in Christ, to greet new friends, and to renew the bonds of fellowship that unite our scattered congregations. We were honoured to welcome Archdeacon Peter, who journeyed all the way from Leicester to be with us. He led us in a joyful celebration of the Eucharist and re-licensed our Lay Readers — Kate du Toit, Peter Gibbs, and Malcolm Rigley — assisted by Paul Willis, our Area Dean.
The service was filled with a deep sense of thanksgiving, commitment, and hope for the ministry ahead. The music, too, lifted our hearts heavenward. A choir composed of singers and musicians from across the Chaplaincy came together, their voices and instruments blending beautifully in hymns of praise and thanksgiving. Their offering of music added grace and splendour to a service already rich in meaning.
After worship, we continued in fellowship with a vin d’honneur, generously provided by members of the Brens congregation. Conversation and laughter f lowed easily beneath the warm autumn sun. This was followed by a bring and-share lunch, where each congregation contributed a different course — a delightful feast symbolising the diversity and unity of our Chaplaincy life. Days like these remind us that the Church is not defined by buildings or boundaries, but by the people who come together in love and service. We give thanks for all who made this day possible — for those who travelled far, who prayed, sang, served, and shared — and for the grace that binds us together as one Chaplaincy in Christ.
