Stephen Burns is Professor of Liturgical And Practical Theology, Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity, Melbourne, Australia. He is a priest in the orders of the Church of England, who studied theology at the universities of Durham (BA, MA, PhD) and Cambridge (MLitt), specializing in sacramental and liturgical theology. He lives in Melbourne, Australia.

"Stephen Burns does in this book what Anglican theologians do best. He draws together disparate themes and sets them in harmony, point and counterpoint, in such a way that the whole range of pastoral practice and care comes into focus. It has been said that the ideal Anglican clergyperson is liberal in the study, evangelical in the pulpit, and catholic behind the altar. Learning from Burns, we might be able to add that she is a whole person at the bedside."—The Rev. Jason Ingalls, President of the Board, The Scholar-Priest Initiative