Liturgy is the divine worship of the Church - all the public acts of worship that take place including the celebration of Mass, the celebration of the Sacraments, and the Divine Office or Daily Prayer of the Church.
It is, in many ways, the public face of the Church and it is through the liturgy that people engage with the faith and deepen their relationship with God.
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.
The Department for Christian Life and Worship advises the Bishops on subjects relating to the material and spiritual life of the Church.
A new edition of the Lectionary, the book which contains the readings which are proclaimed at Mass, will come into use in England and Wales on the First Sunday of Advent 2024. For information and resources on the new Lectionary, visit the dedicated section in our What’s On area.
The Liturgy Office for England and Wales has its own website with texts, resources and information.
Visit liturgyoffice.org.uk
In November 2018, the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales agreed that the Catholic Edition of the English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible should be the basis for the new edition of the Lectionary to be used in their territory.
The liturgy is the source and the summit of the Church’s life. Through the liturgy the Church offers a living sacrifice of praise to God and so receives the grace to be the light of the world and to glorify the Father in the eyes of all.
In Cycle A, last observed in Advent 2022, the focus falls on St Matthew. Our Gospel readings at Sunday Mass are predominantly taken from Matthew. You can listen to the whole of St Matthew's Gospel in audio.
The Liturgy Committee of the Department for Christian Life and Worship has prepared a document on the 'Place of Silence' in the liturgy.
