Liturgy is the public, communal worship of God through the celebration of the sacraments, the Liturgy of the Hours and other non-sacramental rites, and especially the sacrifice of the Mass. In the liturgy we are drawn into Christ’s great work of saving and healing.

This is what gives life and meaning to the Church. As Christians come together in prayer and praise, we recognise human experience and the world in which we live as the place where we meet God. Through the sacramental life of the Church we become the presence and action of the healing Christ in the world.

In good celebrations of the liturgy, we experience most intensely God’s loving presence and revelation of Himself to us. Celebrations of the liturgy lead us beyond ourselves as individuals and gather us into a community of faith and worship. We call this the Body of Christ: those with whom we gather, the whole Church, those who have gone before us, those in every kind of need, and all those who seek God with a sincere heart. Our celebrations of liturgy must be distinguished by genuine participation, reverence, attentive listening to the Word of God, music which is an integral part of the celebration, effective use of symbols and an appropriate setting and environment. Liturgy has power to move us – in it we can experience the full range of human emotions. All those who participate are made welcome and feel truly involved in what is taking place. Liturgy is something we do together, an action of Christ in which we all take part.