If you’ve been following the news around the upcoming Liturgy of the Hours, Second Edition, your feed has likely been dominated by the full 4-volume set. Ascension Press and Word on Fire received exclusive licenses for those comprehensive 4-volume editions, which are slated to ship early 2027.

However, for millions of Catholics—including permanent deacons, some religious communities, and laity—the 4-volume breviary isn’t the primary daily prayer book. Most pray Lauds (Morning Prayer) and Vespers (Evening Prayer), with many praying Compline (Night Prayer) as well. The market will be looking for a single, portable volume akin to the classic Christian Prayer.

That is where the Major Extracts come in.

While details are still emerging – okay, we don’t know much! Here is what we know so far about the single-volume landscape.

Who Is Publishing the Major Extracts?

While Ascension and Word on Fire hold rights to the 4-volume set, the USCCB selected four traditional liturgical publishers for licenses to produce the Major Extracts:

Catholic Book Publishing (CBP)

The legacy publisher of the standard 1-volume Christian Prayer used for decades. The community is eager to see if CBP will modernize their classic typography and binding or stick to their legacy template.

Liturgical Press (LP)

LP is known for Benedictine Daily Prayer and other high-quality liturgical volumes from Saint John’s Abbey. Liturgical Press is located on the campus of Saint John’s University. They are right between the Graduate School of Theology and Seminary, where I personally attend school, and one of the most beautiful Benedictine Abbey’s you’ll ever see. You can walk between these; the beautiful benedictine spirituality certainly has an impact on Liturgical Press.

Magnificat

Famous for their widely used monthly prayer booklets (though this segment of the market is getting crowded now). Magnificat is so well known for their monthly pray bookleys, but they also print regular books with clean visual hierarchies and modern typography.

Midwest Theological Forum (MTF)

MTF is known for the Daily Roman Missal, among other things, which is well produced missal with a traditional tone to it. They are known for traditional red-and-black aesthetic, above average leather offerings, and compact typesetting.

What Exactly Is a “Major Extract”?

A “Major Extract” is an abbreviated edition designed to fit the core hours of the day into a single volume. They generally contain:

• Lauds (Morning Prayer)
• Vespers (Evening Prayer)
• Compline (Night Prayer)
• Daytime Hours (Terce, Sext, None) – either in full or abbreviated
• You’ll notice that the Office of Readings is either not included, or a selection from it is.

Text Changes Affecting the 1-Volume Layouts

Breviary watchers have noted several core translation updates in the Second Edition that directly impact how these single volumes will be designed:

• Goodbye Psalm Prayers: The post-psalm prayers added in the 1970s English edition are officially removed. (If you love praying those, hold onto your current Christian Prayer!)
• 3-Year Gospel Antiphons: The Second Edition includes proper Benedictus and Magnificat antiphons for all three liturgical years (A, B, and C). Fitting three cycles of antiphons into a single book’s Proper of Seasons is a major typesetting challenge.
• ~300 New Hymns: Nearly 300 Latin hymns have been newly translated into English meter. A key question is whether publishers will include full music notation or stick to text-only stanzas to conserve page space.

The Big MTF Twist: A Two-Volume Split?

While most publishers will focus on a standard 1-volume “Diurnal”, Midwest Theological Forum (MTF) revealed a unique proposal that triggered a massive debate in the breviary community.

MTF is preparing their Major Extracts as a two-volume set:

1. The Diurnal: Containing Lauds, Daytime Hours, Vespers, and Compline.
2. The Office of Readings (Matins): A standalone companion volume.

The Reddit Breakdown:

• The Obligation Question: A major topic of debate is whether MTF’s set can legally fulfill a priest’s or solemn religious’s canonical obligation. MTF notes on their site that the set “cannot contain all the text of the complete four-volume Liturgy of the Hours.” Some argue this makes it strictly for deacons and laity, while others note MTF is actively marketing it to clergy as a travel option.
• What Got Cut? Because MTF acknowledges it isn’t 100% complete, users speculate MTF trimmed redundant seasonal hymn variants, secondary scriptural/patristic readings in Matins, or optional memorial propers, rather than core psalmody.
• The “Desk vs. Pocket” Strategy: Many users love this concept for travel. The emerging consensus strategy: Keep the heavy Office of Readings volume at home on your desk for night/early morning prayer, and carry the slim Diurnal in your bag for Midday, Evening, and Night prayer.

The Office of Readings Addition

There has even been some suggestion that some of the major extract publishers, such as MTF, will offer a second book that will include the full Office of Readings.

Regulations vs. Customization

A central discussion among breviary enthusiasts is how much design freedom the USCCB will grant:

• The “Missal” Model: Will the USCCB treat Major Extracts like the Roman Missal, mandating strict content flow, pagination, and structural layouts across all four publishers? If so, CBP, LitPress, Magnificat, and MTF will offer identical interior texts, leaving binding, paper weight, and ribbon count as the main differentiators.
• The “Publisher Freedom” Model: Or will publishers be allowed to tailor layouts to their audiences—letting MTF offer traditional black/red Latin-style formatting while Magnificat or LitPress design for modern parish use?

Timeline & Rollout

Here is the general release sequence established by the USCCB:

• 2027: The 4-volume sets will publish progressively throughout the year, beginning around Ash Wednesday 2027.
• 2028: Major Extracts (1-Volume editions), minor extracts (Shorter Christian Prayer), and digital editions are scheduled for release.
• December 3, 2028 (First Sunday of Advent): Mandatory Use Date for the Second Edition across the United States.

Final Thoughts

If you don’t need a 4-volume set and prefer a portable book for Morning and Evening Prayer, 2028 is your target year.

Which publisher are you leaning toward? And what have you heard about these?

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