Updated May 2025
Estimated Timeline for new Lectionary for Mass
- Earliest possible implementation date: 2029 liturgical year (Advent 2028)
- Please see below for more details and context
Background
Some parishes and music ministries are aware that a new edition of the English-language Lectionary for Mass is in development with the USCCB. What many may not know, is that the development and publication of a Liturgical Bible will precede the Lectionary. The Lectionary will then be based on the new translation of the Bible. It will be a joyful day indeed when the Catholic Church in the US can say that the Lectionary for Mass is in complete conformity with the primary US Catholic Bible (the New American Bible). Then the readings proclaimed at Sunday Mass will match exactly those same Scripture passages that the faithful read in their personal Bible (thus, a liturgical Bible).
Updates from USCCB
As you may know, the US bishops meet twice a year as a conference, in June and November. The November Newsletter published by the USCCB’s Committee on Divine Worship offered the following updates on the November meeting of both the conference and the committee:
USCCB Approves Three Liturgical Items at Plenary Meeting
“Finally, bringing to completion a process that began in June 2012 (and introduced in the May-June 2012 Newsletter), a final revision of the New American Bible was approved 216-4 with three abstentions to serve as the liturgical Bible for use in the United States. The preparation of a liturgical Bible is a requirement given in the 2001 Instruction Liturgiam authenticam (cf. no. 36). Upon confirmation, the Scriptural texts can be used to prepare a new edition of the Lectionary for Mass and incorporated into other rituals. The Liturgical Bible and two liturgical texts will be sent to the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments for the requisite confirmation” (Newsletter, November 2024, Committee on Divine Worship, USCCB).
November 2024 Meeting of the Committee on Divine Worship
“Much of the meeting was devoted to the future edition of the Lectionary for Mass. First, the Committee reviewed and approved the Psalm responses for volume I of the Lectionary, which were drawn from the Abbey Psalms and Canticles translation. Members and consultants then discussed a plan to phase out the current Responsorial Psalm texts after the Lectionary takes effect. In general, once the new Lectionary is confirmed, the USCCB will no longer license the use of the current translation to produce musical settings of the Responsorial Psalms, and existing compositions must either be updated to the new text or otherwise no longer be used or marketed as Responsorial Psalms. Further information will be provided to music publishers and others as appropriate in the future” (Newsletter, November 2024, Committee on Divine Worship, USCCB).
To receive updates, not only on the new Lectionary but all liturgical matters, directly from the Committee on Divine Worship, parishes and individuals are encouraged to subscribe to the Committee’s monthly Newsletter. Information on subscriptions can be found here: https://www.usccb.org/committees/divine-worship/newsletter
Timeline for new Lectionary for Mass (English-language)
The biggest question many have is: When will the new Lectionary be published and implemented? The USCCB has not promised or indicated any certain timeline, deadline or date, nor can they. The timing is impossible to accurately predict due to so many review-and-approval steps in the process, all of which have uncertain timelines.
First, the revised edition (liturgical) of the New American Bible must be approved by the USCCB, and then sent to the Holy See for review and approval. It is only after that approval that work can begin on the new Lectionary. The Lectionary would need the same review and approval, first by USCCB and then the Holy See. There is no fail-safe way of estimating how long all of that will take.
In social media and other informal online sources, some have speculated that the new Lectionary could be implemented as early as 2025 or 2026, causing alarm in some quarters. While the actual, final timing is uncertain, it is impossible now, as of May 2025, that the Lectionary could be implemented that soon. Considering the scope of the project and the review steps required, the earliest possible implementation date, based on information from trusted sources, will be closer to 2029, that is Advent of 2028 (November-December), for the 2029 liturgical year. Keep in mind also that when the implementation is announced, it is usually given well in advance and is often accompanied by a grace period, giving parishes (and publishers like OCP) time to make the transition.
Please be assured that OCP is monitoring these developments closely. We always pay close attention to updates and direction from the USCCB and the Committee on Divine Worship, and especially when new liturgical sourcebooks are involved. You can trust that OCP’s missals, hymnals and support materials will always reflect the readings, psalms, prayers, etc. required by the USCCB in participation aids for worship. Updates will be made to all the resources we provide as soon as possible, and well before implementation (required use) dates.
If you have further questions, please contact us at liturgy@ocp.org.
