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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

    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Booklet of Eucharistic Hymns” (16 pages)
    I was asked to create a booklet for my parish to use during our CORPUS CHRISTI PROCESSION on 22 June 2025. Would you be willing to look over the DRAFT BOOKLET (16 pages) I came up with? I tried to include a variety of hymns: some have a refrain; some are in major, others in minor; some are metered, others are plainsong; some are in Spanish, some are in Latin, but most are in English. Normally, we’d use the Brébeuf Hymnal—but we can’t risk having our congregation carry those heavy books all over the city to various churches.
    —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

Taking into account the “barrenness of the times” and the fact that Father Francisco Guerrero is scarcely able to feed his choirboys, the chapter decides (by a close vote) to give him money to buy new robes, surplices, and caps for his six young charges.

— Resolution: 14 February 1562

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Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to exploring and embodying as our calling the relationship of religion, culture, and the arts. This non-profit organization employs the creative media in service of theology, the Church, and Christian culture for the enrichment and enjoyment of the public.

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