missa

Missa is the Latin term for Mass, the central liturgical service of the Roman Catholic Church and many other Christian denominations. In Latin, missa denotes the entire rite, and the phrase Ite, missa est, spoken at the end of the service, marks its dismissal.

In liturgical usage, missa refers to the Mass as celebrated within the church year, including the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Its sections typically include the fixed Ordinary (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei) and the variable Proper readings and prayers. The tradition is ancient, with roots in early Christian worship and formalized in medieval and post-Tridentine rites.

In music, a missa is a musical setting of the Mass. Settings range from Renaissance polyphony to large-scale Romantic works. Notable examples include Palestrina’s Missa Papae Marcelli, and works by Victoria and Lassus; Mozart’s Great Mass in C minor (K. 427) and Coronation Mass (K. 317); and Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis (1823). Such compositions may be designed as liturgical objects or concert works.

Today, missa is primarily encountered in scholarly, liturgical, or musical contexts. The Italian word for Mass is messa, while missa remains common in Latin titles and in certain ecclesiastical usages or scholarly references.