The twenty men and women portrayed in this book went rejoicing, or at least patiently, to the house of the Lord. With choirs of angels and saints, they now sing "the everlasting hymn." Before they left us to join the heavenly company, they were for me the music of life. I spent many years in the company of some of them, much less in the case of others. Hence the chapters of this book are longer or shorter. My hope is that readers will draw inspiration and courage from all their stories.
-- From the Preface

Gerald Glynn O'Collins SJ is an Australian Jesuit priest, author, academic and educator. For more than three decades, he was professor of systematic and fundamental theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University (Rome). In 2006, O'Collins was made a Companion of the General Division of the Order of Australia (AC).