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Exploring the Catholic Catechism of the Social Doctrine of the
Church  Last Updated: Friday - 09/24/2010  Week of October 17,
2005  What does 'church' mean?  Sr. Louise Zdunich  Your
Questions    What is the meaning of "church"? Where does the
word come from?   As we know it, "church" means both the
building in which we celebrate Mass and the community of the
followers of Jesus. Both of these meanings are valid as we can
see from the sources of the word.  In English, the word "church"
is derived via the Anglo-Saxon circe which comes from the Greek
kurios or lord. Like the German kirche or kirika, it comes from
the Greek kuriakos which means "thing belonging to the Lord." It
is shortened from kuriakon doma meaning the Lord's house, thus
the building we know as church.  Romance languages  The words
for church in the romance languages such as the Italian chiesa
and the French eglise come fr