Michael Saward

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Michael Saward, born in Blackheath in South East London, UK on 14th May 1932, grew up in Petts Wood, was educated at Eltham College, and became a practising Christian in 1946. For his National Service, he served as a subaltern in the Royal West African Frontier Force in Accra, Ghana. He read Theology at Bristol University, and played on the University's cricket team for four years. He was ordained priest at Canterbury Cathedral. He served as curate in Croydon and Edgware - two London suburbs. He was Secretary of Liverpool Council of Churches (1964-1967). He then became Radio and Television Officer to Archbishop Michael Ramsey until 1972. He was then Vicar of St Matthew’s, Fulham until 1978 and Ealing until 1991. He also became President of the House of Clergy of the Willesden Area Synod.

He has served on many councils and committees, among which were the General Synod (1975-1995, the Church Commissioners (1978-1993) and the Church of England Evangelical Council (1976-1993). He also served as Chairman of the Billy Graham London Mission 1989 Media Task Group and a judge of the Times 'Preacher of the Year' competition in 2000 and was chairman of Jubilate Group from 1999 to 2001.

He retired at the end of 2000, from his job as Canon Treasurer of St Paul's Cathedral in London, not before having become a Freeman of the City of London and a member of the Athenaeum.

Other work includes: author, prize-winning journalist, regular broadcaster, religious adviser to the film ‘Cromwell,’ and holder of a Winston Churchill Travelling Fellowship. Notably, he has written nearly a hundred hymns (of which Christ triumphant is his best known, usually sung to the tune Guiting Power, by John Barnard). He has been Words Editor of three hymnbooks. He is the father of Formula 1 journalist Joe Saward.