20th Sunday of the Year B

Fr Leo Dolan RIP
Please pray for the repose of the soul of Fr Leo Dolan who died last week.  Ordained as a Priest of the Clifton Diocese on the 8th of June 1963 he served at St Alphege as Assistant Priest from 1963 until 1969.  Most of this priestly ministry was spent as a member of the St James Society.  I was lucky enough to accompany Bishop Declan when he went to visit Fr Leo in Brazil and stay for a few days in his Parish in Sao Paulo Brazil where he was an obviously very popular and devoted Parish Priest.  Fr Leo’s Funeral took place on Friday in St Marys Church Aughnasheelin.   Mass will be offered in St Alphege for the repose of his Soul on Thursday the 22nd of August, the Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The New Lectionary
A few people have asked for more information about the New Lectionary which comes into use on the first Sunday of Advent this year. This is taken from the Bishops Conference website
 
Are there changes to the readings?
This is a new publication of the Lectionary using a different scripture translations — the content remains the same. So, for the reading for each Sunday will be the same.
 
What’s new?
There will be provision for Saints who have been added to the Universal Calendar since the last Lectionary published in 1981. There will also be the readings for the National Calendars. In addition, some of the revised liturgical rites, such as Marriage, have additional readings.
 
Will the text be mandatory?
It is normal practice in the Roman Rite that there is only a single edition of a liturgical text in use in a particular territory. So in the same way as only the third edition of the Roman Missal (2010) may be used in the celebration of Mass (in the Ordinary Form); the same will be true for the Lectionary.
 
What is the English Standard Version: Catholic Edition?
The English Standard version is the latest in a series of English translations which go back to the 16th Century. These translations have all been based on a ‘word for word’ principle. The ESV is directly based on the Revised Standard Version and it is suggested that c. 6% of the text has been revised. Changes were made to modernise the language and reflect the latest scholarship. The publisher Crossway emphasises ‘word-for-word’ accuracy, literary excellence, and depth of meaning. Work on the Catholic Edition was done by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India in collaboration with Crossway.
 
What is the Abbey Psalms and Canticles?
The Grail Psalms have been part of Liturgy in English since before the Second Vatican Council. They are used in both the Lectionary and the Divine Office.
In 2008 a revision of the text was undertaken by the monks of Conception Abbey, Missouri. It sought to bring the latest scholarly understanding of the text and to review the text where the English was essentially a paraphrase of the Hebrew. This text was approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in 2010. A further revision in the light of use was prepared and approved both by USCCB and CBCEW, and has received the confirmation of the Holy See.. This text will be used in the Lectionary and in subsequent liturgical books, such as the Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office), though there is not currently an estimated date for publication of this.
 
Will I need a new Sunday Missal?
Many people have a Sunday or Weekday Missal to either prepare the readings or to reflect on them. Some also use it to follow the text which is proclaimed in the liturgy. As the new Lectionary will use a different translation of the scriptures people will wish to get a new Sunday or Weekday Missal.
 
At the moment the only supplier I am aware of for new Sunday Missals is the CTS.  The details are on their website at the bottom on the New Lectionary page. To be clear the red “CTS New Sunday Missal 2025” at £9.95 only lasts for one year unlike the others they are offering!