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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

The Lectionary for Mass

Fr. David Friel · November 29, 2011

Along with the Roman Missal, the other book necessary for the proper celebration of Holy Mass is the Lectionary. The recent translation changes that began with Advent this year affect only the Missal, not the Lectionary. But the Lectionary, also, can cause its share of confusion when some of its fundamentals aren’t understood.

For starters, the readings are in two major cycles. The first cycle consists of readings for Sunday Mass, broken into Years A, B, & C. The second cycle is for weekday readings, and they are classified as Years I & II. In addition to these two major cycles, there is a section of Common readings provided for various celebrations and feast days (e.g., dedication of a church, feasts of martyrs, etc.), as well as a volume of readings for ritual Masses (e.g., weddings, funerals, confirmation, etc.).

So, which readings get read when? It might be helpful first to understand the structure of the different types of liturgical celebrations:

1. Solemnities: all Sundays & celebrations of major mysteries of faith and occasions of highest local importance (e.g., Christ the King, Immaculate Conception, feast of parish patron, etc.)
2. Feasts: celebrations of Our Lord, Our Lady, or the saints that are of particular importance, but not such importance as solemnities (e.g., Transfiguration, Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Lawrence, etc.)
3. Memorials: celebrations of the saints that do not rise to the significance of feasts or solemnities (e.g., St. Isaac Jogues, St. Rose of Lima, St. John Neumann); the celebration of some memorials is obligatory, while for others it is optional
4. Ferial Days: celebrations in which no specific mystery, title, or saint is celebrated (e.g., Thursday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time, Tuesday of the 3rd Week of Advent)

By and large, the readings for Sunday Masses and other solemnities are “proper” and not to be replaced by other readings. Exceptions to this are very rare. Readings for feasts, similarly, are often proper. On the contrary, very few memorials have proper readings (e.g., the Gospel of Martha & Mary on the memorial of St. Martha, the Gospel of the crucifixion on the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows, etc.). It is permissible to use readings from the Common of Martyrs/Pastors/Doctors/Virgins/Holy Men on memorials, but most priests will not choose to do so.

Instead, most priests will use the readings from the daily cycle (either year I or II, appropriately) for memorials and ferial days. The primary reason for this is that the daily cycle contains continuous readings of books of the Bible. The fewer interruptions to this continuous reading, most liturgists would say, the better and more cohesive the liturgy becomes.

So, with weekday readings, there is a greater degree of latitude. A priest could choose to use special readings for a votive Mass, or the readings of the day, or readings from the Common appropriate to a particular saint. At all times, these choices are to be made not simply out of deference to the convenience or devotion of the priest, but in favor of the good of the people of God.

If you find the Lectionary & and the choice of readings for Mass confusing, you are not alone. But we can be confident in our mother, the Church, for she always provides us with an abundance of rich nourishment through the Word of God.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    “Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (10 August 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon
    This coming Sunday—10 August 2025—is the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). The COMMUNION ANTIPHON is really gorgeous, and two of its features are worth mentioning. First of all, the Gospel reading assigned is from Saint Luke, whereas the the antiphon—although it matches the account—comes from Saint Matthew. (If anyone can point to a similar example, please notify me.) Furthermore, if you look at the authentic Gregorian Chant version posted on the feasts website, you’ll notice that it’s MODE III but ends on the ‘wrong’ note. A comparable instance of such a ‘transposed’ chant would be KYRIE IV.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly
    Using “Ye” vs. “You” is rather tricky, because it depends upon which era one is trying to recreate—if that makes any sense. In other words, the rules haven’t always been the same for these two. Nevertheless, Father Philip George Caraman (the legendary Jesuit scholar) gives us a masterclass using Saint Luke’s Gospel. Father Caraman was close friends with Monsignor Ronald Knox, Evelyn Waugh, and Sir Alec Guinness.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

When Christ gave the bread, he did not say, “This is the symbol of my body,” but, “This is my body.” In the same way, when he gave the cup of his blood he did not say, “This is the symbol of my blood,” but, “This is my blood.”

— Theodore, Bishop of Mopsuestia, writing in the 5th Century

Recent Posts

  • Is this what the new “Youth Mass” looks like?
  • “Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon
  • Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly
  • Installment #3 • “Serious Problems with the Lectionary Translation”

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