(ZENIT News / Rome – London, 07.07.2024).- Starting from the first Sunday of Advent in 2024, parishes in England, Wales, and Scotland will begin using a newly approved Lectionary, marking a significant update in the liturgical practices of these regions. This change follows the Vatican’s Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments’ approval of the new Lectionary, which was proposed by the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales in July of the previous year.
Published by the Catholic Truth Society (CTS), the new Lectionary introduces several important changes. It will feature the English Standard Version: Catholic Edition (ESV-CE) of the Bible and the Abbey Psalter, replacing the Jerusalem Bible and the Grail Psalms that have been in use for decades. This shift aims to provide a more accurate translation of the original scriptures and enhance the clarity and proclamation of the texts during Mass.
Additionally, the new Lectionary will include updated readings for recently canonized Saints added to the Universal Calendar since the last edition was published in 1981. It will also incorporate readings for the National Calendars and offer additional readings for revised liturgical rites, such as the sacrament of Marriage.
This update is part of an ongoing effort to revise liturgical translations, a process that began with the Roman Missal in 2011. CTS emphasizes that these changes are intended to reflect advancements in biblical scholarship and to produce texts that are more faithful to the original languages.
The Lectionary’s structure will comprise four volumes:
- Sundays, Solemnities, Feasts of the Lord.
- Weekdays: Advent, Christmas, Ordinary Time (weeks 1-9), Lent, Easter. Proper of Saints: December – May, Commons.
- Weekdays: Ordinary Time (6-34). Proper of Saints: June – November, Commons.
- Ritual Masses, Masses for Various Needs and Occasions, Votive Masses, Masses for the Dead.
Parishes must transition to the new Lectionary by December 1, 2024. To facilitate this shift, the new Lectionary will be available in three sizes: a full-size Ambo edition, a smaller chapel edition, and a study edition designed for liturgical preparation. Pre-orders for the new Lectionary will begin in the coming weeks, with the full set expected to cost several hundred pounds. CTS and other publishers will also release updated people’s Missals, including Sunday, Weekday, and Daily Missals, to accompany the new Lectionary.
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