Here are the latest widely reported updates on the Liturgy of the Hours:
- A new edition of the Liturgy of the Hours has received final approvals from the Vatican, with publication expected by Easter 2027. This was announced by Bishop Steven J. Lopes, chair of the USCCB Committee on Divine Worship, noting that the decree of publication has moved the process to publishers. This marks a long-running revision project aimed at more accurate translations from the Latin texts.[1][2]
- The first volume anticipated for release is Volume Two (Lent and Easter), with the new edition slated to go into effect for Ash Wednesday in 2027. Publishers Ascension and Word on Fire Publishing were named to produce the new four-volume set.[2][1]
- The ongoing revision aims to better reflect the original Latin texts and to align translations with the Roman Missal, Third Edition. The process began in 2012 and has involved extensive consultation and testing across dioceses before Vatican approval.[6]
Context and background you may find useful:
- The Liturgy of the Hours, also called the Divine Office, is the daily prayer of the Church for clergy and, increasingly, lay faithful. The modern revisions have focused on translation accuracy and ecumenical clarity while preserving the structure of the Hours.[7]
- Historically, many Catholic communities have already used or adapted versions of the Liturgy of the Hours, and some religious congregations maintain their own localized versions in addition to the official texts.[8]
If you’d like, I can pull together a concise timeline of key milestones for this edition (from inception to anticipated publication) and provide direct citations. Would you like that?
Sources
So when might people be able to actually buy new breviaries? I’m estimating that 2024 is the best-case scenario for a published edition. The current plan has the bishops’ final vote on translations in June of 2023. So I am optimistic that if we get an approval in six months or less from Rome, that perhaps by Advent of 2024, that new breviaries might actually be available. But that, again, is our best-case scenario, and any number of factors could delay the completion.
divineoffice.orgThe faithful can expect a new edition of the Liturgy of the Hours by Easter 2027, according to Bishop Steven J. Lopes, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Divine Worship who made the announcement Nov. 11, during the bishops' fall meeting.
catholicreview.orgLiturgy of the Hours - Latest news
www.catholicnewsagency.com"We wanted a prayer book that would reflect who we are." Some congregations of women religious in the U.S. have their own versions of the Liturgy of the Hours — the daily prayer of the church.
www.globalsistersreport.orgBALTIMORE (OSV News) — The faithful can expect a new edition of the Liturgy of the Hours by Easter 2027, according to Bishop Steven J. Lopes, chairman of the U.S. Conference…
www.osvnews.comIn November 2012, the U.S. Bishops voted to revise the translation of the Liturgy of the Hours in light of the Roman Missal, Third Edition and the 2001 Vatic...
www.usccb.org