Dunn had served as New Zealand's representative on the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL), which had produced a translation of the Roman Missal in 1998 after 17 years of effort.

Dunn wrote that it was "too often unclear and sometimes verging on the unintelligible", "an accurate English translation of the Latin, but not a clear and beautiful vernacular text".

He proposed a new translation be undertaken and has suggested that all the English-speaking bishops' conferences agree to pursue this in concert.

Dunn said the idea was to avoid rules that "impose Latin syntax on contemporary English".

He recommended the work of Jesuit James Martin as a guide, advocating its inclusive language and sensitivity.

[7] In 2018, Dunn was the secretary of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference and the episcopal deputy for Holy Cross Seminary and Good Shepherd College.