Lesser Feasts and Fasts had not been updated since 2006. This updated edition, adopted at the 79th General Convention (resolution A065), fills that need. Biographies and collects associated with those included within the volume have been updated; a deliberate effort has been made to more closely balance the men and women represented within its pages.

A new and expanded volume of optional commemorations of significant figures in the history of the Episcopal Church. This volume replaces the popular Holy Women, Holy Men. By action of the 2015 General Convention, Great Cloud of Witnesses is being made available for devotional or catechetical use and for use in public worship throughout the Church. It reflects the lively experience of holiness, especially on the level of the local community. It is accordingly a useful tool for learning about the history of the church and identifying those who have inspired and challenged us from the time of the New Testament to the present. Each entry includes a biographical narrative of the person or people, highlighting the significance of their lives and witness. A devotional collect is provided in both Rite I and Rite II language and a set of indexing “tags” suggests how the entry fits into the broader scope of Christian history and delineates the Christian gifts and virtues that may have inspired the person’s ministries. This edition is printed on a special synthetic paper coated with a unique clay coating which combines the advantages of paper with the durability of plastic. This paper looks and feels like paper but stands up to water, weather, grease, chemicals and resists tearing in both directions.

The first edition of Lesser Feasts and Fasts was authorized more than 40 years ago to meet a liturgical and pastoral need for the commemoration of various saints and occasions not included as major Holy Days on the calendar of the Book of Common Prayer. Subsequent editions have been updated regularly to include biographical and liturgical material for new commemorations authorized for permanent or trial observance by the General Convention of the Episcopal Church. This edition contains material approved for trial use by the 2006 General Convention. Among the names presented are Oscar Romero, Roman Catholic Bishop of El Salvador and martyr; James Theodore Holly, first African-American bishop in the Episcopal Church; and Vida Scudder, educator and reformer.

This classic volume contains Thomas Burke’s 1910 work, “Catholic History of Liverpool”. A fascinating and detailed account of Catholicism and its influence on Liverpool’s history, this book will appeal to those with an interest in Liverpool’s religious background, and would make for a great addition to collections of allied literature. Thomas Burke (1886–1945) was a British author. Other notable works by this author include: “Night-Pieces” (1935), “The Beauty of England” (1933), and “The English Inn” (1930). Many classic books such as this are becoming increasingly rare and expensive. We are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially commissioned new biography of the author.