Bishop Charles Henry Brent 1862-1929
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 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 Commission at Shanghai (1909) and 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.
Plaque via Alan L. Brown's site Ontario Plaques. Full page here.