Charles Henry Brent

Born in Newcastle, Ontario, on April 9, 1862, he studied at Trinity College in Toronto and was ordained in the Anglican tradition before beginning ministry in Canada and the United States. He later became widely known in the Episcopal Church for his intelligence, discipline, and deep personal faith.

In 1902 he was appointed the Episcopal Church’s first missionary bishop of the Philippine Islands. During his years there, he helped build the church’s work in a complex colonial setting and became especially noted for his opposition to the opium trade and for his concern for moral and social reform.

Brent also served as chaplain general of the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I, and afterward became bishop of Western New York. He is often remembered as an important early voice in the ecumenical movement, encouraging closer understanding among different Christian churches. He died in Lausanne, Switzerland, on March 27, 1929.