For Catholics, the Easter Season is always a time of great joy, celebration, and renewal. For Catholic parishes, it’s also an ideal time to reflect, evaluate the past year, and make strategic decisions that set the stage for even greater renewal in the coming fiscal year.

This particular Easter Season is especially symbolic: The Church universal, while mourning the loss of its chief shepherd, is preparing for a papal conclave—Veni Sancte Spiritus! It is a privileged time, and one filled with hope and eager anticipation. 

The US Church also eagerly awaits the arrival of new editions of the Liturgy of the Hours and the Lectionary for Mass, following the impetus of Liturgiam Authenticam in 2001 and the publication of the Roman Missal, Third Edition, in 2011, and with 10 other newly translated liturgical books released since then. As a Church, we are still reaping the fruits of seeds of authentic liturgical renewal sown nearly a quarter century ago, as parishes across the country continue to take up the Church’s call to celebrate the liturgy beautifully and authentically. 

With significant liturgical changes on the horizon, now is the ideal time to take a thoughtful look at your parish’s liturgy and music resources and to prepare for authentic liturgical renewal in the 2026 liturgical year and beyond.

An Update on the New US Lectionary

Liturgiam Authenticam specifies that a single translation of scripture should be used across all liturgical books in a particular region wherever possible. In response, the US Bishops undertook the compilation of a Liturgical Bible to be used both in the new Lectionary as well as in the revised Liturgy of the Hours. This Liturgical Bible was completed and approved by the US Bishops in November, 2024, and it presently awaits the confirmatio of the Holy See.

Meanwhile, the new edition of the US Lectionary for Mass is being assembled and will be presented to the USCCB for a vote in June or November, following the anticipated approval of the Liturgical Bible. After USCCB approval of the Lectionary, the text will also be sent to Rome for confirmation, and it will then be published for use in the Dioceses of the United States.

The working projection of the USCCB Secretariat for Divine Worship for the publication of the revised Lectionary for Mass as recently as three years ago (as we reported then), was “as soon as 2025.” Following an official update in February, the revised projection now anticipates publication and first use of the new Lectionary as early as the First Sunday of Advent in 2028.

In light of this update, certain factors should be kept in mind when considering liturgical resources for 2026 and prior to the release of the new Lectionary. 

The Hidden Costs of Hardcover Pew Resources

Hardcover missals and hymnals have long appealed to parishes looking for durable, beautiful, and cost-effective solutions over the life of the pew resource. But these benefits come with a significant caveat: timing.

A hardcover book can pay for itself in four years when compared to annual missals, but if the new Lectionary translation is implemented prior to year four, your books become obsolete before their value is fully realized. That’s a risky proposition for any parish, let alone any publisher.

In contrast, annual missals offer the flexibility to incorporate liturgical changes as they happen. With the Source & Summit Missal, you can be confident that your parish will always have up-to-date texts as you navigate the uncertainties of shifting liturgical translation timelines.

Source & Summit (operating under our former brand) published the hardcover Lumen Christi Missal and Lumen Christi Hymnal from 2011 to 2021, and then first released the Source & Summit Missal, a softcover annual resource, for the 2022 liturgical year. Hundreds of thousands of missals have since been used by parishes far and wide, some preferring annual missals and others awaiting the release of the new Lectionary.

We understand deeply the desire for permanent resources—and we intend to publish them again. But not until the new Lectionary is fully implemented. That’s good stewardship—for your parish, and for the liturgy.

A Flexible Alternative: The Source & Summit Digital Platform

For parishes seeking even greater adaptability, the Source & Summit Digital Platform provides an even more powerful and flexible solution. One of its most valuable features is Resource Creation—enabling parishes to produce beautiful, print-ready, one-time-use congregational booklets and worship aids quickly and easily, containing Lectionary readings and music from Source & Summit or from any other source.

This solution is ideal for communities navigating the uncertainty of liturgical transitions, or for those waiting to make a long-term investment until the new Lectionary translation is finalized. But the Digital Platform isn’t just a stand-alone solution—it comes with any Source & Summit Missal subscription, and is used regularly by the vast majority of our annual missal subscribers as an advanced liturgy preparation tool, for music library management, music packet creation, and for sharing practice resources with choir members and accompanists.

Even better? Digital Platform pricing was significantly reduced earlier this year—making it more accessible than ever to begin elevating the liturgy in your parish, no matter what resources you have.

Choosing the Right Solution for Your Parish

Here are four resource scenarios to help you choose the solution that is right for the needs of your parish:

Scenario 1: Annual Missal Switch. If your parish is already accustomed to having an annual missal, and if you prefer to have readings, hymns, mass settings, and chants all in one place, the Source & Summit Missal, Standard Edition is the right choice.

Scenario 2: Hardcover Hymnal + “missalette”. If your parish already has a permanent hymnal in the pews and ordinarily orders annual or quarterly “missalettes” for readings and daily propers, the Source & Summit Missal, Companion Edition, is the better choice. In addition to containing everything you need in a subscription missal, it offers sung Antiphon settings and chant-based Responsorial Psalms and Alleluias that can help enrich your musical repertoire and help your parish begin singing the Mass even more.

Scenario 3: Hardcover Books After Lectionary Release. If your parish prefers hardcover resources and is ready for an upgrade, rather than running the risk of having obsolete hymnals before the new Lectionary is released (or old hymnals that fall apart in the meantime), a Source & Summit Missal, Standard Edition subscription for a few transitional years can help fill the gap. Once the new translation is in place, you can then switch to a permanent resource from Source & Summit with minimal disruption. Your Digital Platform account that your musicians rely upon weekly can continue to support your hardcover resources just as it did for your annual missals.

Scenario 4: Weekly Worship Aids. If your parish is in any of the above scenarios and would like the height of flexibility while discovering all kinds of previously unimaginable benefits, the Source & Summit Digital Platform is your go-to solution. If your parish needs a gradual transition with musical repertoire, you can upload your entire current music library and insert selections into booklets and music packets effortlessly, while gradually introducing new music and implementing the antiphons and other parts of the sung liturgy. Or if you already produce weekly custom congregational booklets, the Digital Platform can save you literal hours every week that you could otherwise spend practicing, leading rehearsals, arranging instrumental parts, reading church documents, or anything else that you would rather be doing than manually formatting a document for hours week after week. 

Why Now? The Opportunity Before July 1st

For many parishes, May and June mark the end of the fiscal year and the finalization of next year’s budgets. That’s why now is the ideal moment to prepare to take action—before July 1st, when Source & Summit Missal prices will increase.

Beginning next week, we will offer your parish the opportunity to:

- Lock in 2025 pricing for a 2026 Source & Summit Missal subscription

- Get the Source & Summit Digital Platform, Standard Plan (Complete Digital Add-On) for free for your first year and begin using it immediately

- Make the switch to Source & Summit and discover how beautiful, faithful resources and paradigm shifting digital tools can make elevating the liturgy in your parish possible

This is not a sales pitch—it’s an invitation to wise stewardship while opening the door to even greater authentic liturgical renewal in your parish.

Serving Parishes in a Season of Change

In this Easter Season as we prepare for the election of a new Supreme Pontiff, as we prepare for the new liturgical year, and as we prepare for the forthcoming reception of a new Lectionary, Source & Summit remains a committed partner for your parish. We’re here to serve—today, tomorrow, and in the liturgical years to come.