The books on the altar and in the sacristy are not interchangeable with the ones in the pew or on a shelf at home. Each has an edition, an approval and a size that fits its use. This guide sorts them out for a parish that is equipping a chapel, replacing a worn missal, or stocking a gift shop.
The Roman Missal
The Roman Missal, Third Edition, is the book the priest uses at the altar. In the United States the English translation in use since 2011 is published by several houses under USCCB approval: Catholic Book Publishing, Liturgical Press, Liturgy Training Publications, Magnificat and the USCCB itself. The content is identical; the differences are binding, paper, ribbons and size.
The altar edition is large, about 9 by 12 inches, with heavy paper and five or six ribbons, and belongs on the altar and the missal stand. The chapel edition is smaller and lighter for a side chapel, a hospital or a priest who travels; it is a full missal, not an abridgement. A Spanish-language parish needs the Misal Romano, Tercera Edición, approved for the United States, alongside or instead of the English edition.
Daily Roman Missal and St. Joseph Sunday Missal are pew and hand missals for the people, with the readings and prayers for following Mass. They are not for use at the altar.
Lectionary and Book of the Gospels
The Lectionary for Mass holds the Scripture readings. The U.S. edition runs to four volumes: Volume I for Sundays, Volume II and III for weekdays in the two-year cycle, and Volume IV for ritual Masses, votive Masses and Masses for various needs. A parish needs at least Volumes I and II and III; a chapel that celebrates only Sunday Mass can manage with Volume I.
The Book of the Gospels contains only the Gospel readings for Sundays and feasts, in a large bound volume that is carried in procession and placed on the altar. It is optional but customary where there is a deacon. Lectionaries are sold in a pulpit edition for the ambo and a smaller chapel edition.
The rites
- Order of Baptism of Children (2020 translation): for infant baptisms.
- Order of Celebrating Matrimony (2016): for weddings; bilingual editions exist for Spanish-English parishes.
- Order of Christian Funerals, with the appendix for cremation: for vigils, funeral Masses and committals.
- Order of Penance (2023): for individual and communal confession.
- Book of Blessings: for blessings of people, places and objects through the year.
- Pastoral Care of the Sick: for anointing and Viaticum; the pocket edition is the one priests carry.
Each has been retranslated in recent years. When buying a replacement, check the edition date on the listing against the one currently approved; the older books are still sold second-hand and look alike.
Liturgy of the Hours
The Liturgy of the Hours in four volumes is the full Divine Office, one volume per season, used by clergy and religious and by lay people who pray the whole office. Christian Prayer is a one-volume abridgement with Morning and Evening Prayer for the year and is the usual choice for a parish group or an individual starting out. Shorter Christian Prayer is a pocket edition of the four-week psalter. A new translation is in preparation; the current editions remain approved until it is published.
Large-print editions exist for all three and are worth the extra size for anyone over fifty.
Bibles and prayer books for the gift shop
A Catholic Bible is a complete Bible with the deuterocanonical books, in a translation approved for Catholic use: the New American Bible Revised Edition used at Mass in the United States, the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition, or the Douay-Rheims. The Word on Fire Bible, the Great Adventure Catholic Bible and the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible add commentary, timelines and art around those texts and are the gift editions most often asked for.
For prayer books, the standards are the Manual of Prayers and Handbook of Prayers for daily devotions, the Pieta prayer book for traditional prayers, and the Magnificat companions for Adoration and the Rosary. Large-print versions sell well to older parishioners.
Registers and certificates
Canon law requires a parish to keep registers of baptisms, confirmations, marriages and deaths. Bound registers with numbered pages and printed columns are sold for each sacrament, or as a combined parish register for a small mission. Certificates for baptism, First Communion, Confirmation and marriage come in pads of 50 or 100 with a matching design; pick one design and reorder it so the parish's certificates match over the years.
Questions
Is the chapel edition of the Roman Missal complete?
Yes. It is the same text as the altar edition in a smaller, lighter binding. Only the page size, paper weight and number of ribbons differ.
Which Lectionary volumes does a parish need?
Volume I for Sundays and Volumes II and III for the two weekday cycles. Volume IV, for ritual and votive Masses, is used less often but is needed for weddings and funerals celebrated outside the Sunday readings.
What is the difference between Christian Prayer and the four-volume Liturgy of the Hours?
Christian Prayer is a one-volume selection with Morning and Evening Prayer for the whole year. The four-volume set contains every hour of the Office for every day, with the Office of Readings.
Which Bible translation is used at Mass in the United States?
The New American Bible Revised Edition. Other approved translations, such as the RSV Catholic Edition and the Douay-Rheims, are used for study and devotion.