Bishop Terence Brain was born in Coventry on 19th December 1938.

His father was a master carpenter and joiner. He was educated at King Henry VIII Grammar School and Cotton College before training for the priesthood at Oscott College, Sutton Coldfield. He was ordained priest by Archbishop Grimshaw in St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham on 22nd February 1964.

Father Brain was appointed first as an assistant priest in Longton, Staffordshire (1964 to 1965) but a year later returned to Cotton College where he remained on the staff for four years (1965 to 1969). For two years he worked as chaplain at Dudley Road Hospital, Birmingham (1969 to 1971) and from 1971 to 1982 served as secretary to Archbishop Dwyer until his retirement, and then for a short time to Archbishop Couve de Murville.

Monsignor Brain served as parish priest at St Maria Goretti's, Bucknall, near Stoke-on-Trent, from 1982 to 1988. From 1988 to 1991 he served as parish priest at St Austin's, Stafford. He was also a Schools Commissioner and Director of the Birmingham Lourdes Pilgrimage.

Monsignor Brain was ordained as Auxiliary Bishop of Birmingham on 25th April 1991. He took as his own the family motto, Porthair arguwydd y brain, meaning “God feeds the crows”.

Bishop Brain was appointed tenth Bishop of Salford on 2nd September 1997 and installed on 7th October 1997. He began a diocesan programme “Faith in the Future” aiming to serve and equip the diocese for future needs. He has reorganised structures in the diocese by forming Departments for Administration, Evangelisation, Formation, Social Responsibility and Vocation – each headed by an Episcopal Vicar. All diocesan work now falls within the jurisdiction of the Curia and these five departments. They have now been brought together in the new Cathedral Centre adjoining St John's Cathedral.

In 1995 Bishop Brain was appointed Liaison Bishop between the Catholic hierarchy and HM Prison Service.