Hidden by plants in the garden on the grounds of St. George's Anglican Church, Mill Street South
Commemoration
An outstanding humanitarian and churchman, Brent was born near Newcastle and ordained in Toronto in 1887. Following parochial service in Buffalo and Boston, he was elected first Episcopal Bishop of the Philippine Islands in 1901. Confronted by the devastating moral and physical effects of opium drug addiction, Brent became an uncompromising advocate of drug control. He urged international co-operation in eradicating drug abuse and served as president of the Opium Conference at The Hague (1911-12). Elected Bishop of Western New York in 1917, Brent vigorously promoted Christian unity and, in 1927, presided over the World Conference on Faith and Order. This ecumenical gathering at Lausanne, Switzerland, helped to lay the foundation of the World Council of Churches.
Background
Brent was the son of an Anglican minister. He was educated in Port Hope and Toronto. He was ordained in the Anglican Church in Toronto in 1886. Due to a lack of positions for priests in Ontario, he moved to Buffalo in 1887.
The Episcopal Church is the American branch of the Anglican Church.
The International Opium Conference at the Hague produced the first international drug control treaty.
During the First World War, Brent was Chaplin General of the American Expeditionary Force. He was an effective communicator between the American forces and their British allies.
He passed away in Lausanne in 1927.