It is popular, across Christian traditions, to read non-biblical devotions as daily devotions. Historically this particularly drew upon the writings of the Church Fathers. (You can see this still in practice today in the Roman Liturgy of the Hours with its Office of Readings.) It was also a practice in some monastic orders to hear a chapter from the Rule of St. Benedict in the course of the daily liturgy. In that vein, I’ve crafted an extra-biblical, or Catechetical, lectionary rooted in the Anglican tradition.

I would like to publish most of this in the coming year or two, but some of it will take a while to prepare. A longer week-by-week summary is below, but here’s the basic rundown.

Christmas, Epiphany, and Lent begin with the Early Church Fathers, common to all Christianity. Christmastide is on topic with On the Incarnation by St. Athanasius. The Apostolic Fathers (or several of the earliest Ante-Nicene Fathers) occupy our reading during Epiphanytide, and spill over into the first few weeks of/after Pentecost and Trinity Sunday. For Lent I intend to republish a book of daily readings from the likes of Sts. John Chrysostom, Augustine of Hippo, and Cyril of Jerusalem, which is arranged in a largely topical fashion appropriate for that season.

The season of Easter is where the foray into Anglicanism begins. The first 39 days are given to reading the 39 Articles of Religion – one per day. The 40th day, Ascension Day, begins ten days of reading from the “Foundational Documents” and short essays in the Book of Common Prayer.

The majority of Trinitytide (July through November) takes us through the official catechism of the Anglican Church in North America: To Be A Christian. Its tiny Part One, which is a Gospel summary, is actually covered in the few days before Ash Wednesday to fill that space.

Finally, in Advent, with the major Early Church and Anglican material covered, we take time to slow down and meditate on a different form of written piety: the poetry of early Anglican divines such as John Donne and George Herbert. This piece is currently available in print for sale in my bookstore.

While most of this is on my wish-list to arrange nicely for publication in print, there will be some rights issues: the catechism is probably not licensed for commercial re-use, so I will have to find another way to commend that for use without actually reprinting it myself.

Weekly Summary of the Catechetical Lectionary

• Advent 1-4 Anglican metaphysical poetry…
• Christmas 1 Athanasius On the Incarnation 1-29
• Christmas 2 On the Incarnation 30-57
• Epiphany 1 1 Clement. 1-30
• Epiphany 2 1 Clement 31-65
• Epiphany 3 Epistles of Ignatius : Ephesians, Magnesians, Trallians
• Epiphany 4 Ignatius Romans, Philadelphians, Smyrneans, Polycarp
• Epiphany 5 Epistle of Polycarp, Martyrdom of Polycarp
• Epiphany 6 Didache, 2 Clement
• Epiphany 7 Mathetes ad Diognetus, Justin Martyr 1-4
• Epiphany 8 Justin Martyr’s First Apology 5-27

As in the Communion lectionary, the last week of Epiphany interrupts the numbered weeks.
Skipped weeks will be picked up after Pentecost.

• Epiphany Last Catechism Questions 1-17, Lent Fathers Daily Devotional
• Lent 1-6 Lent Fathers Daily Devotional
• Easter 1 Articles of Religion 1-7
• Easter 2 Articles 8-14
• Easter 3 Articles 15-21
• Easter 4 Articles 22-28
• Easter 5 Articles 29-35
• Easter 6 Articles 36-39
• Ascensiontide Foundational Documents of the 2019 BCP

Starting on the Day of Pentecost, the “Proper” weeks are to be used for this lectionary.

• Proper 1 Didache, 2 Clement
• Proper 2 Mathetes ad Diognetus, Justin Marty’r First Apology 1-4
• Proper 3 Justin M. 5-27
• Proper 4 Justin M. 28-50
• Proper 5 Justin M. 51-68
• Proper 6 Athenagorus 1-12
• Proper 7 Athenagorus 13-22
• Proper 8 Athenagorus 23-37
• Proper 9 of the Anglican Church in North America, “To Be A Christian” 18-39
• Proper 10 Catechism 40-55
• Proper 11 Catechism 56-75
• Proper 12 Catechism 76-94
• Proper 13 Catechism 95-113
• Proper 14 Catechism 114-133
• Proper 15 Catechism 134-153
• Proper 16 Catechism 154-169
• Proper 17 Catechism 170-187
• Proper 18 Catechism 188-204
• Proper 19 Catechism 205-220
• Proper 20 Catechism 221-236
• Proper 21 Catechism 237-251
• Proper 22 Catechism 252-265
• Proper 23 Catechism 266-279
• Proper 24 Catechism 280-295
• Proper 25 Catechism 296-310
• Proper 26 Catechism 311-324
• Proper 27 Catechism 325-341
• Proper 28 Catechism 342-356
• Proper 29 Catechism 357-prayers