History

The idea for this site arose during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Priests were streaming Masses online and many were having to do the readings themselves, which during the Easter Triduum was a great strain on the voice. I was asked by local parishioners to record the readings for Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil, and the recordings ended up being circulated in various dioceses.

One thing then led to another. A request for Sunday readings followed, as well as for daily readings. This website was the result. All the daily readings of the three-year cycle in the UK liturgical calendar were included, along with the optional saint memorials. I followed the calendar presented in Universalis. The 'Readings for Today' were based on London time (GMT).

I hoped the recordings would be useful to priests and to those leading services of Word and Communion who, for whatever reason, had no reader available, whether in church with a congregation or streaming Mass online. They were also intended to help those running courses on liturgical or biblical themes, or those who wanted a resource to hear them privately, as part of what has been called a 'home liturgy', especially if they had a visual impairment that prevented or limited a comfortable reading experience. The texts also helped if someone was unable to attend Mass, or had no Mass leaflet or Missal available. And they could of course be used as a teaching aid for readers who were learning English as a second language.
 
The search facility does more than find a reading for a particular day. It also allows a full search of all the readings, so that any reading that refers to a particular word or phrase - such as Barnabas, or bread of life - can be found. This was also a useful facility to find a favourite reading, if someonee couldn't remember the day but could recall some words - and it was also helpful when searching for an appropriate text for an occasion, such as a wedding or funeral.

THE 2024 CHANGE

As will be evident from the past tenses above, the decision by the bishops of England, Wales and Scotland to introduce a different translation of the lectionary from Advent 2024 means that this site is now of historical interest only in Britain. I propose to leave it live, for the time being, as it may still have some value for private use, and in English-speaking countries where the Jerusalem Bible is still recognised, but it is no longer relevant for public liturgical use in Britain, so it will no longer be updated. 

The recordings on this site are freely available, and no permission is needed to share them with others. I have sometimes been asked if the site receives donations, and the answer is no, but donations will always be welcome at the John Bradburne Memorial Society, to help support their work in the leprosy settlement of Mutemwa in Zimbabwe: John Bradburne Memorial Society.

The text of the readings is taken from the Jerusalem Bible, published and copyright 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton Longman and Todd Ltd and Doubleday & Co Inc, and used by permission of the publishers. Excerpts from the English translation and chants of The Roman Missal © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.