Taizé Prayer

An Evening of Prayer, Reflection & Music in the Style of Taizé -
Our Lenten Journey
Date: Thursday, March 7, 2024
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Church

Join us for a beautiful prayer experience that includes candles, simple chants, icons, scripture and periods of silence. 

What is Taizé Prayer?

Taizé is simply the name of a town in France. In 1940, a man known as Brother Roger founded a small community of Christians in Taizé. During this war torn era of France, Brother Roger sought to create a community of healing and refuge. The Taizé community, then, was born out of a vision to create a space for people to find God in the midst of brokenness. Hence, the name of the church in Taizé is the “Church of Reconciliation.”

After the war this community began to grow. Besides the 100 permanent members of the Taizé community, there are currently over 100,000 visitors to Taizé annually. During the peak summer months the small town of Taizé will receive up to 5,000 visitors who come for spiritual retreats. The majority of these ‘modern day pilgrims’ are young people in their 20′s. The Taizé community is also ecumenical in nature – meaning that it includes people from a variety of Christian denominations.

The Taizé community has had a major impact in the area of prayer and worship. They have developed a large repertoire of their own music, which is now sung around the world. Taizé music is very contemplative in nature. It usually involves a simple one or two line refrain that is repeated multiple times. As the refrain is repeated over and over, different instrumental and vocal harmonies are brought in. The purpose of this repetitive singing is to help us focus and contemplate on a single aspect of God for an extended period of time.

Purpose

“From the depths of the human condition a secret aspiration rises up. Caught in the anonymous rhythms of schedules and timetables, men and women of today are implicitly thirsting for an essential reality, for an inner life. Nothing is more conducive to a communion with the living God than a meditative common prayer with, as its high point, singing that never ends and that continues in the silence of one’s heart when one is alone again.” - Brother Roger

The Experience

The Taizé prayer experience is very powerful. It is is one of reflection, prayer and worship.