Leslie Brown (bishop)

The Rt Rev Leslie Wilfrid Brown, CBE was Bishop then Archbishop [1] of Uganda [2]  before returning to England to be Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich [3].

Born on 10 June 1912[4] he was educated at Enfield Grammar School [5] before studying for ordination at the London College of Divinity . After a curacy at St James, Milton, Portsmouth[6] he went out to the diocese of Travancore and Cochin on the Malabar coast of India in January 1938, working there for the Church Missionary Society, and eventually becoming Principal of the Kerala United Theological Seminary [7]. In 1952 he accepted the post of Bishop of Uganda, despite having doubts because of his support for indigenisation [8]. He was to serve as a bishop in total for 25 years[9], first as Bishop of Uganda until 1963, bridging the period of Ugandan independence, then as the first Archbishop of the province of Uganda, until 1965, when he returned to England. There he became first an assistant bishop in the diocese of Oxford and in 1966 Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich.

His lasting contribution is reckoned to be in the field of liturgy, first as a member of the liturgy committee of the Church of South India, which in 1950 produced the influential CSI Liturgy, then working on A Liturgy for Africa, produced in 1964, and also corresponding with the Church of England's Liturgical Commission[10]. A noted author, his history The Indian Christians of St Thomas, was described at the time of his death as "a classic textbook"[11].[12]. He died on 27 December 1999 [13].

Notes

  1. ^ First Archbishop Of Uganda Dr. L. W. Brown Elected The Times Tuesday, Nov 08, 1960; pg. 10; Issue 54923; col E
  2. ^ National Church Institutions Database of Manuscripts and Archives
  3. ^ The Times, Thursday, Apr 07, 1966; pg. 14; Issue 56600; col B New Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich
  4. ^ Crockford's clerical directory 1975-76 Lambeth, Church House, 1976 ISBN 0108153674
  5. ^ Who's Who 1992 London, A & C Black, 1991 ISBN 0713635142
  6. ^ Church web-site
  7. ^ “Three worlds, one word: account of a mission” Brown,L:Michigan, Collings,1981 ISBN 0860036146
  8. ^ Church Times obituary 14 January 2000
  9. ^ National Archives
  10. ^ Church Times obituary 14 January 2000
  11. ^ Church Times obituary 14 January 2000
  12. ^ “The Indian Christians of St Thomas”, 195682; Among other books he wrote “God as Christians see Him”, 1961; and “The King and the Kingdom”, 1988 > British Library web-site accessed Thursday 7 May 2009 19:04 GMT
  13. ^ Independent obituary
Church of England titles
Preceded by
Cyril Edgar Stuart
Bishop of Uganda
1953 – 1960
Succeeded by
Diocese split
Preceded by
Inaugural appointment
Archbishop of Uganda
1961 – 1966
Succeeded by
Eric Sabiti
Preceded by
Arthur Harold Morris
Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich
1966 – 1978
Succeeded by
John Waine