Brent, Charles Henry

(1862–1929)

   Bishop and Ecumenist.

   Brent was born in Ontario, and was educated at Trinity College in Toronto. After ordination in the Protestant Episcopal Church, he served in the United States; in 1901 he became Bishop of the Philippines and in 1918 he was consecrated Bishop of Western New York. Brent is remembered as an important figure in the early days of the ecumenical movement. As a result of his efforts, the American Episcopal Church was persuaded to convene the first World Conference on Faith and Order. This met in 1927 in Lausanne under his chairmanship. The main objective of the subsequent Faith and Order movement has been to bring about the reunion of the Christian Churches. In 1948 it merged with the Life and Work movement to form the World Council of Churches.

   D.P. Gaines, The World Council of Churches: A Study of its Background and History (1966);

   F.W. Kates, Charles Henry Brent (1948).