New lectionary will be ready by Advent in England and Wales

Many are familiar with how the translation of the Roman Missal swept across the English-speaking world in 2011. That translation was in response to new guidelines that were written in 2001 from the Congregation for Divine Worship.

Now the English-speaking world will begin to experience a similar, but not as noticeable, change in a new translation of the Lectionary.

The Lectionary is the book used for the biblical readings during Mass. This includes the First and Second Readings, the Responsorial Psalm and the Gospel.

However, each conference of bishops is responsible for selecting a Bible translation that they will use.

The Bishops' Conference of England and Wales has chosen to use the English Standard Version: Catholic Edition (ESV-CE).

According to the Catholic Truth Society, "The changes are intended to make the biblical translations more faithful to the original languages, biblical scholarship, and to provide a text for use in liturgical setting that is more proclaimable and, where appropriate, more inclusive."

The Vatican approved the new Lectionary in 2023, allowing the local bishops to publish it in 2024.

While the Lectionary in England and Wales (and Scotland) will be implemented in 2024, the Lectionary in the United States is not ready.

A new translation of the New American Bible was initiated in 2012, and has yet to be approved by the USCCB.

Last year The Pillar interviewed Fr. Dustin Dought about the project and he stated, "Our hope is that [the NAB] would be completed next fall, and that the whole body of bishops would vote on that text for liturgical text in November 2024."

It would then be sent to the Vatican for final approval, which could take another year.

Many estimate that the United States Lectionary will not be available until 2025 or 2026 at the earliest. Some say that it may be pushed out until 2028.