The following information can assist parishes, schools, and other entities in obtaining copyright permission for typical uses of the liturgical texts in English and/or Spanish. Please note that this information applies only to the liturgical texts themselves, not to musical settings of those texts or to other musical compositions. In all cases, the excerpts must be verbatim from the official text, including capitalization and punctuation. The poetic structure of those texts provided in sense lines must generally be preserved. The appropriate acknowledgment must be printed either beneath the texts or with the other acknowledgments.
Livestreaming Liturgies on Sundays, Feast Days, or Weekdays (including Liturgy of the Hours)
No permission is required for the livestreaming of Masses and the Divine Office via social media. Relevant liturgical law should be observed regarding the choice and use of texts.
Projecting the Readings and Other Mass Texts
The current policy of the Committee on Divine Worship is that permission is not granted to project readings and liturgical texts on screens during the liturgy. The bishops have the perspective that since so many people spend much of their time looking at screens, the Sacred Liturgy ought to be a prayerful break from that experience. The bishops also believe that screens are a distraction from what is actually taking place in the liturgy.
However, because of current health restrictions that make it difficult to use hymnals and other worship aids in some parishes, a temporary permission will be granted to project the readings and liturgical texts on screens under the following conditions:
- the permission will extend only until such time as health restrictions are lifted on using hymnals and other participation aids; and
- a license and payment of a license fee will be required.
Parishes will need to consider carefully the question of whether it is worth the investment to begin projecting texts when this is only a temporary permission.
Posting Text, Audio, or Video Online (Apart from Digital Worship Aids or Livestreamed Liturgies)
Typically, permission is not granted to post the liturgical texts online. However, no permission or fee is needed to display the daily readings using the USCCB RSS feed, but only on a website which does not condition access by users on the users giving anything of value to the website operator. Permission is not granted to podcast or offer videos of the Sunday or daily readings.
Creation of Worship Aids for Special Occasions (Wedding, Funeral, Graduation Mass, Ordination, etc,)
No permission is required, provided that the publication is not produced by a publishing firm and is not sold.
Creation of Weekly Worship Aids (Digital or Print)
A written agreement is required to reproduce the readings in English or Spanish and the Mass texts in Spanish in worship leaflets, bulletins, etc. on a regular basis. The annual license fee varies based on the number of copies made each week.
Creation of a Seasonal or Permanent Pew Resource
A written agreement and prior review are required to reproduce the readings in English or Spanish and the Mass texts in Spanish in a seasonal or permanent pew resource. The license fee varies based on the number of copies made.
Creation of a Parish Preparation Booklet for Weddings and/or Funerals
A written agreement and prior review are required to create parish preparation books for weddings and funerals. Such publications must include all options provided in the liturgical books. The license fee varies based on the number of copies made.
Excerpted from the July–August 2021 Newsletter of the Committee on Divine Worship
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