Full Guidelines (PDF)

Approved on June 15, 2025 by the Committee on Divine Worship,
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Enters into Force on November 29, 2026, First Sunday of Advent

Introduction

  1. "Regulation of the sacred liturgy depends solely on the authority of the Church, that is, on the Apostolic See and, as laws may determine, on the bishop. In virtue of power conceded by the law, the regulation of the liturgy within certain defined limits belongs also to various kinds of competent territorial bodies of bishops legitimately established" (SC, no. 22). Further, "it pertains to the Episcopal Conferences to faithfully prepare versions of the liturgical books in vernacular languages, suitably accommodated within defined limits, and to approve and publish the liturgical books for the regions for which they are responsible after the confirmation of the Apostolic See" (CIC, can. 838 §3; cf. MP). The USCCB assigns this responsibility to the Committee on Divine Worship.
     
  2. As a part of its responsibility, the Committee on Divine Worship, a standing committee of the USCCB, has authorized the following guidelines for the use and publication of liturgical materials. The Committee, assisted by its Secretariat, wishes to cooperate as fully as possible with all liturgists, theologians, canonists, publishers, editors, writers, and composers involved in the development, production and distribution of liturgical materials, from approved books to popular participation aids, in the hope of encouraging excellence in celebration. The Committee remains open to addressing issues that emerge as new liturgical books are developed and approved.
     
  3. The role of the episcopal conference and its episcopal liturgical commission is defined in SC, nos. 22, 36, 39-40, 44, and IO, nos. 44-45. The authority, exercised by the Apostolic See for Latin liturgical books and by episcopal conferences for vernacular liturgical books was further specified in the Decree Cum, nostra ætate (SCR, January 27, 1966; cf. Decree of the body of bishops of the United States concerning the examination and control of liturgical translations, April 2, 1964). LA further specifies the role of the episcopal conference:

    ► As regards the publication of liturgical books translated into the vernacular which are the property of a given Conference of Bishops, the right of publication is reserved to those editors to whom the Conference of Bishops shall have given this right by contract, with due regard for the requirements both of civil law and juridical custom prevailing in each country for the publication of books (no. 115).
     
  4. The Apostolic Letter motu proprio, Magnum principium, incorporates the role of the episcopal conference into Canon Law by modifying the CIC, canon 838 §3: "It pertains to the conferences of bishops to faithfully prepare versions of the liturgical books in vernacular languages, suitably accommodated within defined limits, and to approve and publish the liturgical books for the regions for which they are responsible after the confirmation of the Apostolic See."
     
  5. The CDWDS decree Postquam Summus Pontifex further specifies: "The copyright of books and liturgical texts in vernacular languages is held by the Bishops’ Conference. In the case of the adoption of the same texts by another Episcopal Conference, the rights will be established in writing between the Episcopal Conferences concerned" (no. 40). This precaution is "necessary to prevent or correct any improper use of the texts" (LA, no. 117). The purposes of the episcopal conference’s responsibility—and of the present guidelines—are not only to assert authoritative control but to encourage, and collaborate in, the production and publication of the most effective and worthy liturgical books and other materials. The guidelines have been prepared so that all who participate in any form of liturgical publishing may be assured of the willingness of the Committee to assist and cooperate.
     
  6. The Second Vatican Council directed episcopal conferences to establish Commissions to regulate liturgy in its territory (cf. SC, nos. 22, 2; 44; CIC, can. 838 §2-3). The Committee has the responsibility for matters relating to the Sacred Liturgy. This includes overseeing the preparation and approval of liturgical books and texts and granting the concordat cum originali for publications of approved liturgical texts in the United States and reviewing all publications in the United States which contain excerpts from approved liturgical books. The publication of books wholly comprising non-liturgical devotional materials does not fall within the scope of the Committee but is the authority of the local Ordinary.
     
  7. All ritual editions, other liturgical publications, participation aids, and devotional publications must obtain the canonical permission to publish (imprimatur) from the local Ordinary (CIC, can. 826 §2).
     
  8. The Chairman of the Committee provides the concordat cum originali following the Secretariat's review of ritual editions and liturgical documents. For the cases of liturgical publications that do not contain an entire rite and therefore do not require a concordat, as well as participation aids and devotional publications, the Secretariat reviews and authenticates that the texts presented correspond accurately to the approved ritual texts. This authentication is expressed as an approval and is required to obtain copyright permission from ICEL (for publication and use in the United States), USCCB, or CCD.
     
  9. In these guidelines the term "publisher" is applicable to any person or group, public or private, for-profit or not-for-profit, ecclesiastical, religious, or lay, engaged in the production of liturgical materials for distribution to others. "Publications" refer to materials that are intended for public distribution by whatever process they may be produced or reproduced, print or non-print (e.g., digital), whether for sale or for distribution without charge.
     
  10. Publishers are requested to place the Secretariat of Divine Worship on their mailing lists so that copies of printed publications, releases, advertising and promotional material, etc., will be available to the Committee. Electronic materials may be sent via email.
     
  11. It is the responsibility of the publisher to obtain the necessary permission or contract from the copyright holder of any text, liturgical or otherwise, which is included in a publication. Such permission is to be sought as soon as the material has been chosen and always prior to its publication. Any conditions or requirements established by copyright holders are in addition to these guidelines, including the payment of royalties or other fees, and have their own legal force.
     
  12. These publication guidelines apply to all Roman Rite liturgical publications approved for or distributed in the dioceses of the United States, that is, within the territory of the USCCB. These guidelines apply to books in English, Spanish, and any other language approved for liturgical use in this country by the Apostolic See.

    Where texts are copyrighted by the USCCB, a license must be obtained prior to publication, this process is separate from the authentication of texts by the Secretariat, the concordat cum originali, or the permission for liturgical use for musical compositions that use certain ritual texts.

    Where the copyright of a text is held by a different entity, a license must be obtained from the copyright holder prior to publication.

    Portions of English texts used in this country are copyrighted by ICEL, who issues licenses for publications after receiving the authentication of the Secretariat.

    Portions of Spanish texts are copyrighted by various Spanish-speaking episcopal conferences and are able to be licensed through the USCCB.

    For liturgical rites in languages for which there is no approved translation for the United States, a translation approved for use in another episcopal conference with competence in that language may be used (LA, no. 18). Re-publication of texts in this case falls outside the scope of these guidelines and the original episcopal conference should be consulted.
     
  13. The appropriate copyright notice is to be made, as specified by the copyright holder.

    In the case of texts prepared by ICEL, the copyright notice reads:
    ► The English translation of Text © Year(s), International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.

    In the case of texts from the New American Bible or the LFM, the copyright notice reads:

    from the LFM:
    ► Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC (CCD). Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

    from the New American Bible:
    ► Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, DC and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All rights reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

    from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles:
    The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the monks of Conception Abbey © 2010, 2018 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright holder.
     
  14. Special attention is to be given to the high quality of "books from which the liturgical texts are recited in the vernacular with or on behalf of the people" so that they are "marked by such a dignity that the exterior appearance of the book itself … lead[s] the faithful to a greater reverence for the word of God and for sacred realities" (LA, no. 120; cf. IO, no. 40e.). They should be clear in their arrangement and typography, worthy in appearance and quality of paper and binding, supplemented by such catechetical and other comments as will encourage effective and dignified celebration, and be faithful to the goals of the liturgical reform. In principle, from ritual editions to the simplest participation aids, publications should provide the greatest possible diversity of options, as expected by the liturgical reform. Similarly, no explanation or arrangement of text or rites are to misrepresent or distort the approved ritual, as found in the vernacular typical editions approved by the USCCB and confirmed by the Apostolic See.
     
  15. The authorization to publish or the directions described below apply to both first and subsequent printings. In every case the Secretariat needs to be informed in writing of new printings so that necessary changes or corrections can be incorporated.

    ► The reprinting of the liturgical book shall incorporate any textual updates and variations that have previously received the due confirmatio or recognitio of the Apostolic See; such acts shall be mentioned at the beginning of the book (PSP, no. 39).

    Reprints of publications containing ritual texts must undergo a review process by the Secretariat before publication (cf. CIC, can. 838 §3). This process may be four weeks or less if the approved ritual text has not changed and does not need the correction of errata. Publishers should highlight all changes made in subsequent reprintings to facilitate reprint reviews. If any substantive changes (i.e., non-editorial changes) are made, then it constitutes a new edition requiring a new imprimatur from the local Ordinary (cf. CIC, can. 829).
     
  16. Books containing liturgical texts fall into four categories: A. Books for Liturgical Use: Ritual Editions, B. Other Liturgical Publications: Approved Liturgical Books for Use in Other Contexts, C. Participation Aids, and D. Devotional and Other Non-Liturgical Publications. Each of these types of publications are treated in their own section. Following are four Appendices. Appendix I addresses the concordat cum originali and applies to ritual editions and other liturgical publications. Appendix II addresses the layout of participation aids. Appendix III indicates exceptions from the guidance in Appendix II allowed for devotional materials. Appendix IV addresses approvals and copyright permissions for musical settings of liturgical texts.
     
  17. Any inquiries concerning these guidelines and all other communications should be addressed to the Committee through its Secretariat via email (USCCB.org/contact-us, select Divine Worship as the office) or mail (3211 Fourth Street, NE, Washington, DC 20017). Any doubts concerning the application of the guidelines need to be resolved in sufficient time before publication.

© 2025 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved.