Second Edition ribbons: five, seven or eight?
From February 2027 there are three correct answers to how many ribbons a breviary has. Here is which one is yours, and how to survive owning both editions at once.
Five if you have the current first edition. Seven if you buy the Word on Fire Second Edition. Eight if you buy the Ascension Second Edition. From February 2027 there is no single correct answer to “how many ribbons does a breviary have,” and the honest answer is a question: whose edition is it?
The Liturgy of the Hours, Second Edition is the first full revision of the English breviary in the United States since 1975. It was confirmed by the Dicastery for Divine Worship on 18 October 2025 and promulgated by Archbishop Broglio on 10 November 2025. Volumes begin shipping in January 2027.
For anyone who uses ribbons, the practical headline is that the ribbon count changes, and it changes differently depending on the publisher.
Ribbon counts by edition
| Edition | Ribbons | What the publisher says |
|---|---|---|
| First edition Catholic Book Publishing, current | 5 | One fixed bookmark at the Ordinary plus five moving ribbons, by long convention rather than by any printed instruction. |
| Second Edition Word on Fire | 7 | “Each volume features seven unique ribbons, two more than the previous edition, to mark all the prayers needed.” |
| Second Edition Ascension | 8 | “8 ribbons, each in a liturgical color.” |
What we know and what we do not. Both publishers state the ribbon count plainly. Neither has published which section each ribbon is intended to mark. The seven- and eight-ribbon layouts in the daily guide give the Ordinary and the Complementary Psalmody their own ribbons, which is the natural reading of “two more than the previous edition,” and the eight-ribbon layout leaves one spare. We will check both against the printed volumes when they ship in January and correct the guide if the books say otherwise.
The publication schedule
The volumes arrive out of order, because Volume II is the one needed on the first day of permitted use.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 18 Oct 2025 | The Dicastery for Divine Worship confirms the English translation by decree. |
| 10 Nov 2025 | Archbishop Broglio signs the decree of promulgation, setting the dates below. |
| 1 Jul 2026 | Pre-orders open, Volume II first. |
| Jan 2027 | Volume II (Lent and Easter) ships. Word on Fire 1 January, Ascension 10 January. |
| 10 Feb 2027 | Ash Wednesday. First permitted use of the Second Edition. |
| Apr 2027 | Volume III (Ordinary Time, weeks 1 to 17). |
| Jul 2027 | Volume IV (Ordinary Time, weeks 18 to 34). |
| Oct 2027 | Volume I (Advent and Christmas), the last to arrive. |
| 3 Dec 2028 | First Sunday of Advent. The Second Edition becomes mandatory. |
Running a mixed set through 2027 and 2028
This is the part nobody has written down, and it is the part that will actually confuse people. Between February 2027 and December 2028 most people will own some Second Edition volumes and some first edition volumes at the same time, and will move between them four times a year as the seasons turn.
Three rules keep it simple.
- The season picks the book, and the book picks the layout. Do not try to keep one ribbon scheme across both editions. When you pick up Volume II in Lent 2027 it is a Second Edition book with seven or eight ribbons; when you pick up Volume III a few weeks earlier it is still a first edition book with five. Switch the layout in the guide when you switch the book.
- The section names do not change. Ordinary, Proper of Seasons, Psalter, Complementary Psalmody, Night Prayer, Proper of Saints, Commons. Because both editions use the same structure, a guide that names sections rather than page numbers is valid for both. Page numbers are not, which is why the printed annual guides will need two editions of themselves.
- Expect the psalms to read differently. The Second Edition uses the Abbey Psalms and Canticles and restores a large body of hymns. This does not affect where the ribbons go, but it will feel unfamiliar for a few weeks. That is the translation, not your ribbons.
If you are buying now. The volume you will open first is Volume II, in February 2027. If you only buy one Second Edition volume to begin with, that is the one. Everything else can wait for its season, and your first edition volumes remain perfectly lawful until Advent 2028.
Seminarians and new sets
Word on Fire has announced that it will gift a complete four-volume Second Edition set to every Catholic seminarian in the United States, roughly four thousand people, with distribution beginning in January 2027. If you are among them, you will be opening a seven-ribbon book with no prior habits to unlearn, which is arguably the easiest way to start.
See today’s ribbon placements Free, no account, works offline once you have opened itCommon questions
How many ribbons does the Second Edition have?
It depends on who printed your copy. Word on Fire prints seven ribbons per volume. Ascension prints eight, each in a liturgical color. The current first edition has five moving ribbons plus a fixed bookmark at the Ordinary. All three layouts are supported by the daily guide.
When can I start using the Second Edition?
Ash Wednesday, 10 February 2027, is the first day it may lawfully be used. It becomes mandatory on the First Sunday of Advent, 3 December 2028.
Can I keep using my first edition breviary?
Yes, until the First Sunday of Advent 2028. There is a deliberately long transition period precisely because the volumes are being published one at a time across 2027.
What do I do while I own some new volumes and some old ones?
Run each volume on its own layout. The season tells you which book you are in, and the book tells you how many ribbons you have. Since the sections themselves have not been renamed, the guide’s section names work for both editions; only the number of ribbons changes.
Why are the volumes shipping out of order?
Volume II covers Lent and Easter, and Ash Wednesday 2027 is the first permitted day of use, so Volume II has to arrive first. The others follow as their seasons come around: Volume III in April 2027, Volume IV in July 2027, and Volume I last, in October 2027.
Will the digital apps have the Second Edition?
Not immediately. DivineOffice.org has said publicly that it does not yet hold the rights to publish the new text and hopes to secure them before the 2028 deadline. For a while, the physical book is the only way to pray the new edition, which is exactly when knowing your way around it matters most.
Do the section names change?
The overall structure is the same: Ordinary, Proper of Seasons, Psalter, Complementary Psalmody, Night Prayer, Proper of Saints, Commons. The Second Edition adds nearly three hundred restored hymns, updates the saints' calendar, and revises the psalm translation to the Abbey Psalms and Canticles. What moves is where things sit on the page, not what the sections are called, which is why a guide that names sections rather than page numbers still works.
Related
Sources
- Word on Fire, Liturgy of the Hours Second Edition, for the seven-ribbon count and the 1 January 2027 ship date.
- Ascension, Liturgy of the Hours, for the eight-ribbon count and the 10 January 2027 ship date.
- Archdiocese of Cincinnati, for the decree dates and the volume publication schedule.
- USCCB, Liturgy of the Hours Second Edition.
- DivineOffice.org, on publication rights for the new text.