After an intensive summer, especially the days in mid-August when the entire community was together, brothers have been returning to the fraternities on the different continents. Some special points of note:
In Taizé, the start of October was marked by the welcome of 4000 Christians from the region for a festive gathering. Every five years since 1995, a similar gathering allows the local Church to spend an intense time in Taizé.
Ferenc, the father of a family who have lived in Taizé for several years to help welcome the young adults, went to meet refugees arriving by the tens of thousands in Hungary. Being himself Hungarian, he is preparing three young volunteers from Taizé to live a few weeks as a “small provisional community”. He writes: “I was immediately struck by the number of families with children, sometimes babies in strollers that were not really practical on the railway sleepers, pregnant women, grandmothers and men of a respectable age, aided by those who were younger. I spent a good half-hour without being able to say a word or move, swallowing my tears.”
A team of brothers, sisters and volunteers has been in Valencia (Spain) for three weeks now. The former convent of the Franciscans, in the very heart of the historic city-centre, has been transformed into a centre for the preparation. San Lorenzo has thus become the “base camp” from which the young volunteers set out every evening to visit the parishes within the welcoming zone, in the city of Valencia and the surrounding area. In all that means 400 parishes. Most are part of the Catholic diocese but the other Christian denominations are also being mobilized. Last weekend, several brothers and volunteers went to Ciudad Real to meet delegates from the youth pastoral service from all over Spain, in order to invite them to the meeting in Valencia.
Fiona, a young English adult, tells of a marvellous afternoon spent in the company of station children in Dhaka, Bangladesh, together with a brother from Taizé, animated by a clown : “Komlaphur station… a place where most trains in Bangladesh come to rest, a transit hub, a place of work and, for many, a home. On first impressions, it is chaotic, but as you choose to stop and stare there is a slow realisation that there are many who are cooking, sitting, nursing babies, enjoying a cup of tea and offering you some of their hard-earned bread…”
During the week 9-16 August, the culmination of this anniversary year, some 20 workshops were held each day. In order to give some account of them, a few texts written by young participants have been published online. Amélie, from France, was impressed by a meeting led by the Nest movement: “We listened to two women, who had previously been prostitutes and got out thanks to the help of the movement. Their testimonies were extremely intense: they carried both the weight of the lies and violence which they had suffered (both came to France because they were promised a job) and the hope of a new life.”
Since 2014, the small provisional communities have been a very enriching experience, both for the communities that welcome them — the parishes, the places of solidarity — and the young people who live this spiritual adventure. We are thus happy to continue this project in the immediate future. For this purpose, we invite all those who are interested to find out more during their next stay in Taizé.
From 30 August to 5 September, an international colloquium was held in Taizé for theology students or young people under 40 involved in a Church ministry, with the participation of researchers from different countries, Protestants, Orthodox and Catholic. Most of the presentations are now available online.
The commented Bible passage for October provides an echo of the gathering for a new solidarity, since it summarizes the meditation given by a brother one morning: “Christian joy is an Easter joy. It is not contrary to sorrow. Easter joy inhabits our pain and sorrow. It transforms them from within. “Your pain will turn into joy.” Pain and sorrow do not give way to joy, but they are turned into joy. Although they are not always turned into joy, but visited and lit up by a joy.”
God of all humans, your love encourages us to extend our friendship, to not only love those who are like us, but also foreigners, strangers. Just as you welcome us, we long to welcome others.