The Rev. Canon Robert J. Brooks D.D., Episcopal priest for 46 years, died February 29, 2020, leaving behind a significant legacy in the areas of public policy and liturgics.
Canon Brooks was born and raised in Austin, and was the son of R. Max Brooks, noted architect of the LBJ Library, The Johnson Space Center, NASA in Houston, and the Labor Building in Washington, DC. Robert spent many years visiting President and Mrs. Johnson at the LBJ Ranch. He was a leader of young Democrats in the State of Texas and President of the Youth for Kennedy-Johnson in 1960. Robert was a member Austin High School’s Class of 1965 and graduated from St. Edward’s University in 1970 where he served as President of St. Edward's University Students' Association, Inc. and as a member of the Board of Trustees.
Answering a call to be a priest in the Episcopal Church he graduated from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP) in Berkeley, California in 1973. He was named vicar of All Saints, Baytown, Texas, by Bishop Milton Richardson in 1973. He was ordained a priest in the Diocese of Texas in 1974 serving All Saints for 10 during which he introduced the catechumenate, a rite to prepare candidates for baptism. During his time at All Saints, he earned a Master of Arts Degree in Theology/Theological Studies with an emphasis on liturgics from the University of Notre Dame. He also was a commissary to the Diocese of Namibia in southern Africa.
