The Catholic Apostolic Church is an intriguing yet little studied movement of nineteenth-century England. Despite its intense privacy, worship in the Catholic Apostolic Church, particularly its Eurcharistic service, was a major influence on late nineteenth-century liturgical renewals.

The book begins with a study of important early figures in the life of the Catholic Apostolic Church, including Edward Irving, Henry Drummond, and John Bate Cardale. Then, after detailing the important practices of the Catholic Apostolic Church and the sources of its Eucharistic service, it proceeds to evaluate historically and spiritually its crucial effect upon the German Reformed Church, the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church in North America, and the Church of Scotland. The final chapter, entitled "A Quest for Catholicity" includes discussion of the search for the roots of ecumenical worship and the centrality of the Eucharist to liturgy. Also included with the book is an appendix and a bibliography of sources that includes scholarly monographs, articles, and liturgies organized by subject.