Combining a stimulating mix of history and biography, Saints on Earth gives detailed information about the people commemorated in the Common Worship calendar of Holy Days - a calendar greatly expanded from those contained in the Book of Common Prayer and the Alternative Service Book.

This wide-ranging selection of spiritually significant men and women features Celtic and Catholic saints, Reformers, Tractarians, bishops and missionaries together with poets, writers, martyrs, social reformers, kings and queens. Recent heroes and heroines of faith, both Anglican and from other Christian traditions, are celebrated alongside those who inspired the Early Church.

The accompanying free CD-ROM includes a module compatible with Visual Liturgy 4.0; this links each biography electronically to its allocated Holy Day, allowing users to access that day's information at the click of a button. The CD-ROM also contains searchable PDF files of the Saints on Earth material.

This versatile companion is a rich source of inspiration for preaching and leading prayers and worship throughout the year. It is also a valuable resource for teachers in Church schools.

John Darch is a Lecturer and Chaplain at St John's College, Nottingham, where he teaches history and liturgy.

Stuart Burns is an assistant curate working in the Diocese of Leicester and a specialist in aspects of Early Church history.

'The Communion of Saints is a part of Christian belief and experience that Anglicans have sometimes neglected and in so doing have missed out on something enriching and encouraging. The Common Worship calendar set out to commend the celebration of the diversity of Christian holiness and through the inclusion of many new names. But names in a calendar mean little without the story that lies behind each entry and many people will be grateful to John Darch and Stuart Burns for a book that brings the stories of these saints and heroes alive for us. However different the culture in which many of them walked the path of discipleship, their lives can still inspire, encourage and draw us more deeply into the prayer of the communion of saints.'
Rt Revd Michael Perham, Bishop of Gloucester