There can be nothing more resolutely Catholic than the Church’s teaching on the Communion of Saints. It is a phrase on our lips during the recitation of the Creed every Sunday – but do we actually know what it means? This is what Stephen Walford has set out to explore in his book, Communion of Saints (Angelico Press), sub-titled, The Unity of Divine Love in the Mystical Body of Christ.

As the author explains it in detail, with reference to Scripture, the Magisterium, Tradition and the writings of the saints, it is a doctrine of immense consolation to us on earth, known as “the Church Militant”. Along with the Church Suffering (the Holy Souls) and the Church Triumphant, the countless millions of saints already in heaven, we are actually party of a vast supernatural family, beyond what we can possible conceive in our human imagination.