Church of Saint Joseph

A Roman Catholic Community of believers in Babylon,

on the south shore of Long Island, New York

Glossary of Liturgical Terms

Feasts, liturgical – days in the Church that commemorate significant events in the life of Christ, the saints, or the Christian people.  Sunday, the weekly commemoration of Christ’s Resurrection, is the original feast. 

icon – (Greek, ikona, “image”) a painted panel representing Christ, the Virgin Mary, or a saint which is used in the liturgy.  The theological view of such images is that they are windows into the eternal world of revelation and that they capture, albeit imperfectly, the realities of which the gospel speaks, including the New Testament affirmation that Christ is the icon (image) of God.

incense – the aromatic gums of resinous trees that are burned upon coals in a brazier or thurible.  Incense is used during processions and to honor sacred objects such as the altar, the Gospel book, the eucharistic bread and wine, the bodies of Christians both living and dead.  At the Liturgy of the Hours, incense is burned as a sign of prayer, the sacrifice of praise. 

Liturgical year – the annual cycle of seasons and feasts that celebrates the Paschal Mystery (Christ’s life, death, Resurrection and Ascension).  The unfolding of the entire Christian story makes its power available once again in each retelling.  The smallest unit of the liturgical year is the liturgical day, made holy through the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours.  Liturgical days are divided into four degrees of celebration: solemnities, feasts, obligatory memorials, and optional memorials.  The source and center of the liturgical year is the Paschal Mystery, which the Church celebrates every day but most especially on the first day of the week known as the Lord’s Day or Sunday, the first of all holy days.

Liturgy of the Hours – the public prayer of the Church for praising God and sanctifying the day.  It is also known as the Divine Office.  Since Vatican II it consists of an Office of Reading, Morning and Evening Prayer, Daytime Prayer, and Night Prayer.  The Liturgies of the Hours may be officially observed by any gathering of Christians, whether or not a priest or deacon is present.  Pastors are to see that at least some form of the Hours is observed in their parishes. 

Solemnity – a principal day with the highest rank in the liturgical calendar.

Vespers – or Evening Prayer, the liturgy of the Church celebrated in the early evening as daylight ends. 

Vigil – a prayerful watch on the eve of a solemnity.