The collects and Bible readings for Holy Communion in the 1549, 1552, and 1559 Books of Common Prayer are, with some small exceptions, all identical among those three editions, and so are all given here together. The major difference is that only the 1549 Book has the Introit (or Psalm) appointed for each Sunday and Holy Day; this is omitted in the other books. Also, only the 1549 book has readings appointed for Matins (Morning Prayer) and Evensong (Evening Prayer) for certain Sundays and Holy Days; these are given in the Kalendar for the other books.

The translation used is that of the Great Bible (a portion of which is pictured below), the first authorized English translation. This translation, compiled by Miles Coverdale, was closely based on the very first printed English translation, that of Tyndale. While the Epistles and Gospels were replaced by the "Authorized", or King James version for the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, the Psalms given here, as translated by Coverdale, continued to be used in all editions of the Book of Common Prayer through the U. S. 1928 edition.