λειτουργία
Liturgy
LIT-ur-jee
The Church's public worship — above all the Mass, the sacraments and the Liturgy of the Hours — in which Christ himself acts.
a public work; a service done on behalf of the people
In ancient Greek a leitourgia was a public work undertaken for the good of the whole city. The Church took the word for its own public worship: the Mass, the other sacraments and the Liturgy of the Hours. The Catechism calls the liturgy “the participation of the People of God in the work of God,” and insists it is first of all Christ's action, continued through his Body the Church, rather than something we do on our own.
Councils
Where the Church settled or debated this. Follow a council to read our article on it, or the decrees themselves.
- 1962–1965Second Vatican Councilthe decrees
Sources checked 29 September 2026