New Lectionary for Mass in Australia

Back row: Anthony Doran (Aust); Neil Xavier O’Donoghue (Ireland); Bishop Stephen Lowe (NZ); Front: Trevor Murray (NZ); Bishop Francis Duffy (Ireland); Archbishop Patrick O’Regan (Aust); with project director, Martin Foster.

The Joint Lectionary Project, a collaborative initiative of the bishops’ conferences of Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, continues to make strong progress toward the development of a new edition of the Lectionary for Mass based on the Revised New Jerusalem Bible.

This shared project ensures theological, pastoral, and linguistic alignment across the three countries, while maintaining a strong link to the Jerusalem translation already familiar to communities throughout the region.

The Joint Lectionary Project Commission includes:

• Archbishop Patrick O’Regan (Adelaide),
• Bishop Stephen Lowe (President, NZCBC and Bishop of Auckland),
• Archbishop Francis Duffy (Tuam, Ireland),
• along with national liturgy secretaries Fr Anthony Doran (Australia), Msgr Trevor Murray (New Zealand), and Fr Neil Xavier O’Donoghue (Ireland).

They were joined by Dr Martin Foster, who was appointed Project Director in October 2024, and now leads the process with the assistance of a working group of Scripture and liturgy scholars—women and men from all three countries who meet monthly online to review and revise the texts.

The commission gathered most recently on 24–25 July 2025 at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth (Ireland), to review the complete draft of Volume I, which includes readings for Sundays and Solemnities. This first volume has been circulated in segments to the bishops of all three conferences throughout 2025 for consultation and feedback. The working group has carefully reviewed the responses and adjusted the texts accordingly.

Looking ahead:

• Volumes II and III, covering weekday Masses and celebrations of saints, are currently in preparation and scheduled for completion by May 2026.
• Volume IV, which includes Masses for the sacraments, votive Masses, funerals, and various needs, is expected to be finalised by the end of 2026.

Discussions have also commenced regarding publishers and design specifications for the printed volumes.

Once all four volumes are complete and the bishops’ conferences have each cast their canonical vote, the full text will be submitted to the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments for recognitio (approval). Only then can the work of publication and distribution begin.

While the printed Lectionary is still some years away, this collaborative process represents a significant and carefully considered step forward in renewing the liturgical proclamation of the Word of God across the English-speaking Church in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland.