Over the course of the spring of 2023, the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments confirmed three texts for liturgical use in the dioceses of the United States of America: the ritual book Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharistic Mystery outside Mass, an expanded Mass formulary for the Memorial of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, and proper texts in honor of Pope St. Paul VI and Our Lady of Loreto. Here are the specifics about the ritual text Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharistic Mystery outside Mass.

By a decree issued March 7, 2023, and received by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) the following month, the Dicastery confirmed the new English translation of Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharistic Mystery outside Mass. After completing its customary editorial review, the Secretariat of Divine Worship will recommend a timeline for implementation to Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, USCCB President, who will later issue a promulgation decree.

The Dicastery approved several U.S. adaptations to the ritual edition, with most of them found in the Order of Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction in chapter III. The goal of the adaptations is to harmonize the book with existing customs for Eucharistic adoration in this country. For example, in no. 92, a rubric was added to officially permit the priest or deacon to wear a white cope for Exposition. For Exposition and Benediction, the lyrics of the traditional hymns O salutaris Hostia and Tantum ergo Sacramentum were added to nos. 93 and 97, both in Latin and a new official English translation, matching the version found in the hymns of the Liturgy of the Hours, Second Edition. (The provision for other Eucharistic hymns being permitted remains in force.)

In no. 96, new instructions have been provided for praying the Divine Office during Adoration; for example, if Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer are said but concluded a while before Benediction, the conclusion “May the Lord bless us…” will now be used, even by a priest or deacon.

From the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Divine Worship Newsletter, May-June 2023

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