Rumours are abroad that a draft of a new lectionary using the English Standard Version (ESV) will shortly be circulated. It has long been agreed that there is dire need for a new lectionary for the Catholic Church in England and Wales, if for no other reason than that the present lectionaries are falling to pieces.

The present translations approved for liturgical use are the Revised Standard Version (Catholic Edition) and – the one adopted by most parishes – The Jerusalem Bible. Both were completed in 1966 and both now show their age.