The word Liturgy literally means work of the people, within the Catholic Church it is used to describe all the public acts of worship that take place, as it draws the people into the work of God. Liturgy is in many ways the public face or shop front of the Church, it is through the liturgy that people engage with the faith and deepen their relationship with God.
‘Liturgy is not an event that depends on good ideas and great songs. No one makes up or invents a liturgy. It is something that grew over millennia of faith.’
Liturgy is the divine worship of the Church and includes the celebration of Mass, the celebration of the Sacraments, and the Divine Office or Daily Prayer of the Church. The celebration of the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith, and so all other liturgies flow from and to the celebration of Mass.
Liturgy is not just the words that are said, it is significantly more than that. Through the liturgy we encounter God, and are united with our brothers and sisters across the world as the Universal Church.