Our next Taizé service is scheduled for Palm Sunday 2024.
What is Taizé??
The Taizé community and worship experience began in 1940 when, at the age of 25, Brother Roger moved from his childhood home in Switzerland to the small village of Taizé, France. As World War II began, Brother Roger felt compelled to offer assistance to people who were forced to flee their homes, just as his grandmother had done during World War I. The village of Taizé was close to the demarcation line that divided France, and therefore, was well-situated to be a place of welcome for refugees fleeing the war.
Thanks to a modest loan, Brother Roger was able to buy a home in Taizé with many outlying buildings. He asked his sister, Genevieve, to come help him offer hospitality. Because material resources were scarce, their food was simple and they had to get drinking water each day from the center of the village.
In 1942, a friend warned Brother Roger and his sister that hey had been found out and were at great risk. They had to make the difficult decision to leave at once. Thankfully they were able to return in 1944, and by this time, a few additional brothers joined them. It was at this time that they began a community life together, which continues to this day.
Today, the Taizé community is comprised of over 100 brothers who have committed themselves to celibacy, material and spiritual sharing and a very simple life. The brothers are Roman Catholics and Protestants from a variety of backgrounds and representing over 25 different nations. By its very existence, the Taizé community is a concrete sign of reconciliation between divided Christians and separated peoples.
Over the years, the number of visitors to Taizé has continued to increase. At the end of the 1950’s, young adults between 17 and 30 began to arrive in ever greater numbers. This tradition continues today as each summer the community welcomes more than 5000 young people from 75 different countries. They set out on a physical and inner pilgrimage that encourages them to build relationships of trust among human beings. They leave with a deepened sense of inner life and a readiness to embrace the responsibilities that will help make this world a better place to live.
Taizé is not organized as an international movement, but rather encourages those who visit and those who experience Taizé worship to live out, in their own lives, the deeper understanding of being in community, which they come to know through praying together.
Following the passing of Brother Roger in August 2005, the community continues on under the leadership of the new Prior, Brother Alois.
We hope you find this quiet, prayerful worship style helpful to your spiritual life.