Church Publishing Incorporated is pleased to offer this new and expanded volume of optional commemorations of significant figures in the history of the Episcopal Church. It 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. GCW reflects the lively experience of holiness, especially on the level of the local community. GCW 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. The GCW binder 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. We chose this synthetic paper because it looks and feels like paper but stands up to water, weather, grease, chemicals and resists tearing in both directions. If changes are made to the calendar of commemorations in future years, CPI will publish a special extension pack, so that individual pages may be replaced. We believe this format will be flexible for many years.
