Biography

If you have sung “O Little Town of Bethlehem” you have experienced part of the legacy of Phillip Brooks. Brooks was born shortly before Christmas in 1835. He graduated from Harvard University and Virginia Theological Seminary. He was a pastor in the American Episcopal Church. He was also a Rector and a Bishop. Besides writing song lyrics, Brooks also published several volumes of his sermons. Helen Keller’s Christian faith was in part due to the evangelical work of Brooks. Brooks died at the age of 57 in Boston, Massachusetts. A building on the campus of Harvard bears his name and encourages others to emulate Brook’s example of hospitality, charity, and a life of piety. If you visit Virginia Theological Seminary, you will see a statue of Brooks near their Library. An elementary school in California and one in Massachusetts are named after Phillip Brooks.

Wailand Groenendyk
CCEL Staff Writer