On Sunday evening, January 28, the evening prayer will be broadcast live on “Facebook Live” and on the Taizé website, from 6.45pm onwards (Central European Time / Paris Time). It will conclude the yearly council of the community and include the gesture of “prostration” by which the brothers remember their commitment for life.

On social media

Daily news, links of importance, photos and testimonies of participants will be published through these social media:

• Facebook
• YouTube
• Twitter
• Instagram

If you put photos or feedback about the meeting online, please use the hashtag #Taize

Prayers streamed live

• The media team wants to set up a live stream of the evening prayers, and needs help to do so. If you are participating in the meeting and think you may be able to help, please make contact by email.
• Radio RCF (French Catholic Radio) will broadcast the evening prayers live. For the programme it will broadcast live on 31 December, from 9pm until after midnight, the RCF team is looking for young people ready to tell of their experience of the meeting, and of their hopes for the future. If you can help, please contact RCF (even in English) by email.

On the Taizé website

• the « Proposals for 2018 » written by Brother Alois
• the daily meditations of Brother Alois
• the messages received from Church leaders and international organisations
• the photos shared online during the meeting

Here is some of the content shared in recent months on Taizé’s various social networks:

Facebook

YouTube

Twitter

Great pic of yesterday's #rainbow at #Taizé! pic.twitter.com/rJY82HX2fB

— Taizé Community (@taize) September 10, 2017

Instagram

Une publication partagée par Taizé (@taize) le 9 Sept. 2017 à 7h47 PDT

On Tuesday evening, October 24, a special programme will be offered on “Facebook Live” and on this page from 8.15 pm to 10.15 pm. It will include the evening prayer and the weekly meditation by Brother Alois.

Taizé has been welcoming refugees from Sudan for the past two years, and the Prior of the community, brother Alois, has just spent a week in Juba and Rumbek, South Sudan, and a week in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, to better understand the situation of these two countries, to meet people active on the ground and to pray among people who are some of the most afflicted of our time.

He and another brother of the community visited the various churches, observed their work of teaching, of solidarity, of caring for the sick and the excluded, and they had many contacts with the deeply deprived population. Among other things, they visited a camp for displaced persons operating under the protection of the UN, including many children lost and never recovered by their parents in the course of violent events in the country.

Through this visit, Brother Alois also wished to express gratitude to so many people who are engaged on the ground: humanitarian workers, Church personnel and diplomats, serving local communities and the development of education, agriculture, infrastructure, and services, or the promotion of culture. Upon his return he said: “I was particularly impressed by the situation of women and children. Mothers, often very young, bear a large part of the suffering caused by the violence. Many have fled in an emergency. They remain resolved to serve life. Children from an early age must undertake an important part of everyday chores but they aspire to attend school. The courage and the hope of mothers and children is an exceptional testimony.”

The prior of Taizé will draw from this visit to Africa some concrete proposals that he will publish at the 40th European youth meeting hosted by Taizé in Basel from 28 December to 1 January next.

On the international day of refugees, the brothers of Taizé and the young people gathered in Taizé have been praying for the migrants who have died in recent days off Libya as they tried to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe. A new workshop was also held like every week of the summer with the title “Taking the risk to welcome. Migrants, asylum seekers, refugees... Who are you?”

In addition, the preparations for the week looking at the theme of migrations are progressing. Many speakers have confirmed their presence, such as Pascal Brice (France), the director of OFPRA, Catherine Wihtol de Wenden (France), director of research emeritus at the CNRS, the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu (Uganda / England), Father Michael Czerny (Canada / Italy) from the Section for migrants and refugees in the Vatican, Petra Feil (Germany / Switzerland) of the Lutheran World Federation and representatives of various movements involved in providing support for migrants, such as the Jesuit Refugee Service or Caritas Europe.

It would be important for young people who know Taizé to suggest to some refugees to come and live this week together with them. If you are interested in this meeting, or if you have a suggestion for a speaker, you can contact the team at solidarity taize.fr. Finally, a concrete initiative of solidarity will be proposed in early July for young participants who wish.

On the occasion of the World Refugee Day, an ecumenical statement has been published - here are two excerpts.

Refugees: a chance to grow together

The Christian Bible tells the story of two men, Peter and Cornelius, utterly divided by religious belief and culture, who in encountering each other discovered a truth about God’s common will for them that neither had previously grasped. They learnt that the Holy Spirit brings down walls and unites those who might think that they have nothing in common.

All around the world, women, men, and children are forced by violence, persecution, natural and human-caused disasters, famine, and other factors, to leave their homelands. Their desire to escape suffering is stronger than the barriers erected to block their way. The opposition by some countries to the migration of forcibly displaced people will not keep those who undergo unbearable suffering from leaving their homes. (….)

Signs of solidarity can be multiplied beyond the borders of religion and culture. Meeting believers of other persuasions encourages us to deepen our knowledge of our own faith, and in our encounter with our refugee brothers and sisters, God speaks to us and blesses us as He did Cornelius and Peter.

 [1]

 [2]

This broadcast (mainly in English) includes:
 young people speaking about Holy Week at Taizé
 commentaries and responses by Brother Alois
 short video clips
 musical breaks with the boys of Belvedere College, Dublin, Ireland, young people from the choir of Albaida, Valencia, Spain and a harp piece by Odile, France.

On Facebook

On YouTube

A few days after Easter, the Taizé Community will welcome a very special visitor. For the first time, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople will visit for a few hours on Tuesday, 25 April. The pilgrimage to Taizé by the Ecumenical Patriarch will conclude his pastoral visit to Switzerland on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Orthodox centre of Chambésy.

During his visit, the Patriarch will take part in the community prayer at 12:00 in the Church of Reconciliation, in the presence of the brothers, representatives of different Christian communities and the young people gathered in Taizé. He will be welcomed by Brother Alois and will speak at the end of the prayer.

The prayer will be open to all. If anyone wants to come specifically to spend the day in Taizé, have lunch and participate in a workshop in the early afternoon, they should register as visitors through the Taizé website.

The groups and individuals present in Taizé the previous week, who planned to leave on Sunday 23rd, are invited to stay on longer – until Tuesday 25th in the afternoon (for adults over 30 years, this invitation applies within the limits of the available housing). If you wish to extend your stay in this way, please notify the meetings team by changing the departure date in your registration.

Radia Bakkouch, the current National President, participated in the special week for 18-35 year olds in September 2016. The community of Taizé and the Coexister association also took part together in the new initiative of the parish of Saint-Merry in Paris, the “sacred night”, which will take place again this year in the night 3 - 4 June.

Maud is a young French woman who stayed in Taizé with one of the “Coexister” groups who came in 2016. She shares her experience here:

We were ten young people from different religions: Christian, Jewish and Muslim people. I am Jewish and I have never been to Taizé before. It was really interesting for me to know the faith of Christian people better and to live with them for a week-end. I think I found peace in Taizé. I surprised myself just gazing at the landscape and thinking how extraordinary this experience is. We made strong bonds with lots of different people there and I am thinking of going again next year.

Concluding Prayer

We praise you, Christ Jesus, you are risen from the dead. You lead us in your steps to be witnesses to hope, peacemakers wherever we are, here in Taizé or in Senegal, Kenya, Korea, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cuba, and France .

These days you have renewed us in our vocation. We want to follow you, Jesus, gentle and humble of heart. Your Gospel invites us to develop a spirit of sharing, always seeking to simplify our way of life. So help us to focus on the essential, on the love and the continual presence of the Holy Spirit. Enable us to welcome this love, so that it touches our depths that are in need of conversion until our last breath. There lies the source of a joyous inner freedom.

When violence and the fear of the future seem to increase in the world, you enable us to stand firm in the hope that comes from your resurrection. For us it is like the anchor of our lives, sure and solid. Faith in you opens our eyes to see your presence in the world. And our prayer becomes more ardent: that the kingdom of God may be revealed and come for all human beings.

Risen Christ, your love impels us to seek the visible unity of Christians in order to be a ferment of peace in the world. It is when we go together to the wellspring that arises from your Passover that the dynamics of the Gospel unfold. Then we can welcome as a gift, with the necessary discernment, the great diversity between Christians. Enable us, the brothers, and all Christians, to consent to the sacrifices that reconciliation involves. Reawaken in our community the passion for unity; make us feel how urgent reconciliation is so that we do not stop creating trusting relationships between different traditions and so that an exchange of gifts may take place.

To prepare peace in the world, you encourage us to cause brotherhood to grow. We pray to you this evening for all those whom you entrust to us, through the welcome here in Taizé as well as in our fraternities, during the journeys and the stages of the pilgrimage of trust, for the refugees who live in our villages. Very often, through those whom we welcome, you open our hearts to your love, even without their knowing it. Keep us all in the spirit of the Beatitudes, joy, simplicity, and mercy.

And now, after the next song, those brothers who have made their life-commitment will lie on the ground to recall their offering to God.

Broadcast via "Facebook Live"

Welcome word from brother Alois

On this first day of the week of prayer for the unity of Christians, I welcome you to our Church of Reconciliation. With my brothers, I am happy to welcome you for this time of prayer. And I thank for their presence the representatives of the Catholic, Orthodox, United Protestant, Anglican, Evangelical, Mennonite Churches. May our unity grow in Christ Jesus, so that the dynamic and the truth of the Gospel may shine out in the world.

Prayer intentions read by church leaders

The Church leaders have read the following prayer intentions:

• Jesus Christ, you send your Church to prepare your way in the world. Inspire our deeds and our words, day after day, so that we may announce your Gospel around us.

• Jesus Christ, light of the world, you enlighten every human being: give us to discern your presence in each one and to welcome you in our neighbor.

• Jesus Christ, open our eyes to the sufferings of the most destitute of our time, the solitudes around us, so that we may live in solidarity with those entrusted to us.

• Jesus Christ, universal brother, you are at the side of exiles, refugees, migrants. We entrust to you all those who are welcomed in our region and we pray especially for Samir, from Sudan.

• Jesus Christ, grant us to learn to listen to you so that we can manifest together, more visibly in the eyes of all, your one Church - so the world can believe.

• Jesus Christ, praise be to you for the Christian communities of our region. For the synod of the diocese of Autun. For the Orthodox parish of Chalon. For the Protestant churches in this year of commemoration of the Reformation.

• Jesus Christ, like your disciples after the Resurrection, you make us brothers and sisters. Teach us to follow you and lead us on the path of life.

• Jesus Christ, we entrust to you the peoples of the Middle East, the victims of violence, all those who do not see a future in their country. Be the support of those who seek justice and peace.

Prayer by brother Alois

Christ Jesus, we are gathered in your name. Help us to welcome the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation, who unites our voices in your presence. Towards the end of your life, you prayed, "Father, may they be one". Make of us witnesses of unity and bearers of reconciliation.

The Saint Irenaeus Joint Orthodox-Catholic Working Group gathered from 2 to 6 November 2016 at Taizé. The meeting was chaired by Archbishop Job (Getcha) of Telmessos.

Brother Alois welcomed the group at the opening session. Throughout the meeting, the members of the group attended the common prayers of the Community and shared a meal with the brothers.

The Divine Liturgy was celebrated on Friday and Sunday in the village church.

After the meeting, a press release was issued in English and in German.

A reception and orientation center for minors at Ameugny, organized by the Taizé Community

In the night from Wednesday to Thursday, November 3, a group of unaccompanied underage migrants arrived in Saône-et-Loire, after the closure of the Calais camp. The group includes fifteen teenagers, 13 to 17 years old, mostly from Sudan but also from Syria and Eritrea.

This welcome has been prepared by the Taizé Community, which provides the venue, offers volunteers and logistics, in collaboration with the association "Le Pont" ("The Bridge") in Mâcon, which is taking care of all the administrative procedures. Before the arrival of the young migrants, the mayor of Ameugny and the village council had previously informed the inhabitants.

These young unaccompanied minors were welcomed last night on their arrival by the mayor of Ameugny, some village residents, staff of "Le Pont", the Taizé team and several young refugees from Sudan, welcomed last year by the community. The prefect of Saone-et-Loire was represented by his Chief of Staff, Ms. Germain.

On November 3, the prefecture published the following statement:

"This offer of shelter is temporary and estimated to last three months. It allows accommodation in optimal conditions of safety and health before these young people can be directed either to the UK or be enabled to benefit from the provisions of the law. They will benefit, first of all, from the ongoing investigation by the British authorities of their request for family unification. It is guaranteed that their cases will be dealt with within 3 to 6 weeks."

The welcoming team

The Community joins an initiative from churches in Finland, who are ringing church bells across the country, symbolizing people’s sadness and solidarity with the people of Aleppo, Syria, who endure continued air strikes.

Each Sunday at 6:30pm brothers and those who wish to join them meet together in the Church of Reconciliation for half an hour of silence to pray for peace.
As a sign of solidarity, one of the five bells, ’Witnesses of Peace’, will toll for the inhabitants of Aleppo.

At #Taizé the bell for peace will ring every Sunday for #Aleppo, #Syria https://t.co/r5zLZS4AJo @Oikoumene @WCCprayers @kirkko_evl pic.twitter.com/MAq10od2Gf

— Taizé Community (@taize) October 16, 2016

On the way to Krakow for World Youth Day, Brother Alois learned of the hostage-taking in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray and murder of Father Jacques Hamel. He then sent to Bishop Dominique Lebrun, archbishop of Rouen, and the vicar general of the diocese a short message of friendship to express his dismay and communion, and to ensure those responsible for the Church in that area of the prayers of the Taizé brothers and the young people gathered around the community.

Brother Alois also wrote this prayer to be read at Taizé, in Krakow during the prayers led there by the Taizé brothers, and in St. Malo, where young French Protestants are meeting these days:

God of mercy, enable us to realize that even in misfortune and in trials you are very close to us. The ongoing violence disconcerts us and touches us deeply. We entrust to you the deceased priest at Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, his family and the local Church of Rouen in mourning. In the face of hatred, we want to resist fear and return again and again to the wellsprings of peace, creating friendship and brotherhood around us .

“As the holy month of Ramadan comes to an end, I want to tell you how much we are thinking of our Muslim brothers and sisters on this happy occasion.

This year, we have lived in a special way this time of fasting thanks to the presence in Taizé, for the last few months, of a Syrian family and eleven young Sudanese and Afghan refugees, all Muslims. My brothers and I were able to understand even better the spiritual dimension that accompanies the fasting from food. We were touched to see how the young people prayed intensely and tried to live a time of simplicity to be increasingly turned towards God.

Although, since last year, tragic events have regularly occurred that undermine life together, initiatives are flourishing which we are happy to take part in: the meeting organized by the interreligious secretariat of Saône-et-Loire in Mazille in early June, the “holy night” with representatives of different religious traditions in Paris a few weeks ago, and regular visits to Taizé by youth of the “Coexister” Association.

My brothers and I are praying for you and we assure you of our deep friendship.”

At the end of May 2016, a weekend of celebration for the two communities marked the anniversary. On Saturday, two sisters, one from Australia and one from Congo, made their perpetual profession at Ameugny, in the presence of some sixty sisters, some of whom live on the hill and some who came specially for the occasion from Europe or from Africa.

On Sunday, the sisters joined the Taizé brothers for the midday meal and for the afternoon, during which different meetings and a visit to the brothers’ workshops were on the program.

Then, a prayer in the Romanesque church in the village enabled the sisters and brothers to sing together to express their gratefulness for the half-century together. During that prayer, Sister Agnes, the superior general of the sisters, prayed:

Lord our God, source of all wisdom and goodness,

You wanted to give a beginning to our communities,

keep them, guide them.

Father of all perfect gifts according to your will,

realize in us the prayer of your Son:

’Holy Father, keep in your name those you have given to me;

consecrate them in the truth, that they may be one in us

so that the world may believe that you sent me."

We ask you for this grace, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Brother Alois spoke this prayer in his turn:

O Christ, we praise you for the beautiful collaboration that has united us to the Sisters of St Andrew for fifty years. You want us to serve your Church and you call us to be together, in our complementarity, witnesses to joy, simplicity, and mercy, especially for the younger generations. We praise you for those who have opened the way for us—St. Ignatius, Mother Marie-Tarcisius, and Brother Roger. Send the Holy Spirit upon us, that he may keep alive in us the passion for communion, and that your peace may shine on earth.

For several months now, the Taizé Community has been in contact with the French authorities and the Association “Relief & Reconciliation for Syria” to bring a family originally from Syria. Wednesday April 27, the two parents and their four children finally arrived in Taizé.

They were welcomed by the brothers, by volunteers from the area and also by the two Arab-speaking families already at Taizé, one Iraqi-Egyptian, the other Iraqi. Eastern Christians welcoming a Muslim family: a beautiful sign of hope in the tragedy which the Middle East is undergoing today.

Bravo et merci à la Communauté et aux habitants de @taize_fr pour l'accueil de réfugiés et de demandeurs d'#asile en CAO venus de #Calais.

— Ofpra (@Ofpra) March 11, 2016

Well done and thank you to the Community and villagers of @taize for welcoming refugees and asylum seekers from Calais.

The visit as it happened

After a short tour of the Taizé, Pascal Brice and Marie Salord met with the young refugees who arrived from Calais during November.

The brothers had indicated to the local council that they could accept some refugees, and eleven young people from Sudan and Afghanistan are currently living in Taizé. These young men, all Muslims, live together in a house in the village, close to the Brothers’ house and other houses used to accommodate the young pilgrims who visit the community.

They had the opportunity to introduce themselves to the visitors and tell them about what had led them to leave their countries and their families, to recount the journey that had brought them to Taizé. Many of them have lost family in the fighting in Darfur, where some of their close ones are still staying in refugee camps.

The Sudanese spent several weeks in Libya, some of them even several months, before attempting to cross the Mediterranean. Their plan was not to come to Europe, but simply to find a safe place to live in peace. Arriving in Calais, they were offered the chance to go to the small village of Taizé. Mr. Brice thanked the young people for their trust in accepting this offer and also for trust they showed in allowing France to process their asylum applications.

After that meeting, the OFPRA delegation visited two Christian families, refugees from Iraq. One of the families, an Iraqi-Egyptian couple with a little girl of 7 years, has been in Taizé since 2010. The other family, a couple with two boys aged 3 and 6, arrived in France in June last year, coming directly from Erbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan, at the invitation of the community.

The local people have been enthusiastic to help welcome the refugees: volunteers come regularly to teach French and to help the children with their homework. Doctors have given free treatment to those who didn’t qualify for health cover and neighbours take them on outings and bike rides ... A meeting with some of volunteers was organised in order to share with the visitors from Paris the and joys and the issues raised through this contact with the refugees.

Many of the volunteers expressed their gratitude to the young people and talk about what they had personally received from their presence. But they also expressed their incomprehension at the weight of the red tape involved. The open and frank conversation allowed everyone to take measure of the complexity of certain situations and also of ongoing work research, driven by the government to improve the inevitable defects of the system. Attention to the person and respect for human dignity are the basis of a good welcome of refugees and assylum seekers.

The visit ended with a Sudanese meal lovingly prepared by the young refugees.

Some Useful Links

A photo reportage about the visit can be seen on the website of the local newspaper Journal de Saone-et-Loire.

Brother Alois has recently published an article on the issue of refugees in Europe. It was taken up by newpapers across the continent, including The Church Times.

Palm Sunday: A pilgrimage to the source

Holy Week began in Taizé with the now traditional rendez-vous, in the morning of Palm Sunday, at Saint Stephen’s spring.

#PalmSunday at #Taizé, pilgrimage at the source

Une photo publiée par Taizé (@taize.community) le 21 Mars 2016 à 3h10 PDT

Tuesday: In communion with today’s sufferings, in Brussels and elsewhere

The terrible news coming from Belgium about the deadly attacks at the heart of the European city, reached the hill at the start of Holy Week. Brother Alois prayed for the victims of all the acts of terrorist violence in the world:

God of compassion, you are at the side of all who undergo the cruelty of human violence. We entrust to you the victims of this morning’s attacks in Brussels, and their families. Faced with the incomprehensible sufferings of the innocent across the world, we believe that the words of Jesus, words of love and hope, will never pass away. So we implore: grant peace, may your kingdom come.

Holy Thursday: The memory of Christ’s Last Supper

One important moment in Holy Week is the feet-washing, a symbolic re-enactment of the gesture of Jesus from John 13. At the beginning of the Eucharist, the brothers, helped by some of the volunteers, washed the feet of all who wished. At the end of the celebration, Eucharistic Reserve was transferred to a chapel until Sunday morning. The Passion of Christ and waiting for the joy of Easter mark the two following days.

Part of the evening prayer can be heard through a podcast on line.

Good Friday: For our sakes Christ remained faithful even unto death

Today, a bell was rung at 3 pm, the time when the gospels say that Jesus died. A reflective silence fell all over the hill, from one end to the other. The welcome of the many young people arriving during the afternoon was also interrupted for a few minutes.

During the evening prayer, a number of very moving responses, the litany of the “Reproaches” and a song that had not been used for many years, « Memento Nostri Domine », were sung by all while Brother Alois and the younger brothers carried the cross in procession through the church.

Part of the evening prayer can be heard through a podcast on line.

Among the intentions of prayer, the peoples of Syria and China were mentioned,as well as the names of Christians persecuted for their faith. Finally, the prayer around the cross continued all night long, until dawn.

Holy Saturday: A time of waiting

Today, the brothers and the many people who had arrived in Taizé for the Easter week-end were, like so many Christians around the world, waiting for the joy of Easter. In Taizé, the evening prayer on the Saturday evening is not the Paschal Vigil. Still, a joyful foretaste of Easter was given by the entry into the Community of a young Frenchman.

After the evening prayer, brother Alois gave a meditation the text of which is published on line.

Part of the evening prayer can be heard through a podcast on line.

Easter Day: The joy of the resurrection

On Sunday morning, a great crowd came surging into the church. As on the two previous evenings, the brothers gathered around the altar, to begin the celebration with the sign of the light of Easter. Then, the first « Alleluia » and « Lumen Christi » were sung by everyone. Several readings followed, as well as the singing of the Exultet and a new song accompanied in a novel manner by a huge gong, filled the atmosphere with joy.

CHRIST IS RISEN! HAPPY #EASTER! A prayer by brother Alois in many languages is online at https://t.co/rM6POCXmmz pic.twitter.com/PLzr0pf2d4

— Taizé Community (@taize) March 27, 2016

Brother Alois pronounced the following prayer:

Christ Jesus, in your life hatred and death did not have the last word. You are risen. Even though invisible to our eyes, you are present for every human being. Your Holy Spirit brings to birth in us the courage of mercy for those who are nearby as well as for those who are far away. In a world where we are often disconcerted by violence, you enable us to hope against all hope.

This prayer is available in many languages through the following link:

Parts of the Eucharist can be heard through a podcast on line.

At the ed of the Eucharist, recalling the women who in the gospels were the first to announce the resurrection, the sisters living in Taizé and Ameugny spoke the paschal salutation in more than twenty languages. For the first time, the paschal salutation was also signed. Some young people have made a short film of the paschal salutation, available through the link below.

Matas, a young adult from Lithuania, wrote:

The Easter celebration can be heard as a podcast on the site of Domradio.

In recent years, the international meetings in Taizé and elsewhere have sought to deepen the search for new forms of solidarity in society today. Our attention to Creation is one aspect of this. As Brother Alois wrote to the young people in one of his recent proposals, “The earth belongs to God; human beings receive it as a gift. We are entrusted with an immense responsibility: to take care of the planet, not to waste its resources. The earth is limited, and human beings too need to consent to their limits.”

One fruit of this reflexion – very humble but concrete – has been the creation of a “garden of solidarity” in Taizé.

Young people, working with a brother, take turns, week after week, working in the garden. The vegetables which are harvested are given to local community associations, which distribute them in the towns and villages around Taizé.

In English

The “newsletter” of the Global Christian Forum, a place of dialogue between historical churches and various evangelical currents and Pentecostal churches, reported on the week of 9-16 August.

A number of interesting articles and blog posts have been published in English. The blog “Premier Christianity” published an article about the monastic experience at Taizé.

The leader of the “Sojourners” in the United States, Robert Wilson-Black, wrote about the week he spent in Taizé, during the summer.

The World Council of Churches published an article about the week of 9-16 August as well as a report on the international theological colloquium. Both articles can also be read in German.

Other websites also published interesting articles:

• “Christian Today”.
• Catholic Ireland
• The National Catholic Reporter in USA

More recently, Dave Bookless, from the international association “A Rocha” published an reflection upon three weeks of his summer, the last of which he spent in Taizé in mid-August.

The photographer Michael Debets compiled a report in photos about the week of 9-16 August. A gallery about the evening prayer on 15 August is still online on the site of Pacific Press with another about the day of 16 August by the Demotix agency. One of his photos was published on the online site of “The Guardian”.

On the eve of the European meeting of young adults in Valencia, Brother Alois arrived in Spain directly from Syria. He spent Christmas in Homs, close to those who are suffering from violence in a ruined town. Before that, he spent several days in Beirut, joining two brothers who have been living in Lebanon for two months, close to refugees.

On Monday evening in tent A, at the end of his first meditation to the young people taking part in the European meeting, brother Alois will talk about these visits in the Middle East.

In June, two parents with their two children, who in 2014 had to flee from the Mosul region to Iraqi Kurdistan, were welcomed in Taizé. Another family, Iraqi-Egyptian, who have been in Taizé for several years, has helped a lot as they settle. As the community had expressed its willingness to accept more refugees, seven young migrants from the “Calais jungle” arrived in Taizé, all from North Sudan and aged 19-26 years. Some of them have lost family members in the conflict in Darfur, where many of their relatives are still in refugee camps. They have been accommodated in a house in the village; the hospitality of the inhabitants has been very warm.

More recently, other young people from Sudan and Afghanistan have arrived in Taizé.

In addition to the community, the members of the Taizé village council and of the community of the villages around Cluny have been supporting their welcome, as well as other local associations and individuals. In Taizé, Orsi has been closely involved with them from the very start. She writes:

They arrived on a cold, foggy, dark evening to Taizé from Calais. They were tired, frightened, hungry and lost. They didn’t know us, they didn’t trust us when they arrived. They had no idea where they were brought. They are from Darfur, Sudan. They all went through horrible things and they are all asylum seekers. They are between 19 and 25. They are Muslims.

 

On Saturday morning, November 14, when they heard the news about what happened in Paris they felt horrible. Their first reaction was: “We are so sorry. Please, believe us, this is not Islam.” They repeated this constantly. Then they asked us if we wouldn’t mind if they prayed for the victims and their families. Of course we didn’t mind, so they did. And then we cried together. Sunday at 6:30 pm as usual, there is a half an hour silent prayer for peace in the church. They were happy to come with us.

 

I think that to all the horrible things happening around us, our answer should be even more welcome, more desire to share, more common reflection, more research of understanding. How to find ways to show that goodness is stronger than evil, joy is stronger than horror, hope is stronger than darkness, that life is stronger than death?

Ten days after the Paris attacks, the inter-religious secretariat of Saône-et-Loire organized a prayer in homage to the victims in the Protestant church in Chalon-sur-Saône. Two brothers from Taizé took part, together with the seven young people from Sudan.

In the United States

Miami

• Friday December 11 at 7.30pm in St Joseph Catholic Church (8670 Byron Avenue Miami Beach, Fl 33141 - USA).

In New-Zealand

Auckland

• Sunday December 6 at 5.30pm, St Peter’s Anglican Church (184 Onehunga Mall, Onehunga, Auckland)

In Canada

New-Brunswick

• Friday November 27, at 7.30pm, at the Mother House of "Filles de Marie-de-l’Assomption" (2 rue Arran Campbellton, New-Brunswick).

In Mexico

Mexico D.F.

• Thursday December 3, at 7pm, at the Church St Albertus Magnus, Copilco.
• Wednesday December 9, at 8pm, at the Church Sagrada Familia, calle Puebla, Colonia Romas.

In France

Poitiers (86)

• Friday November 27, at 8.30pm, in St Jean de Montierneuf (place Montierneuf).

Limoges (87)

• Tuesday December 1 from 6pm, in the Chapel of the chaplaincy of L. Limosin (place des Carmes). Sharing and exchanges about questions of ecology; prayer from 19h to 20h; picnic meal for those who wish.

Lille (59)

• Thursday December 3 at 8.30pm, in Saint Maurice Church (rue de Paris, 59800 Lille). More info online.

Chilly-Mazarin (91)

• Thursday December 3 at 8.30pm, in Notre Dame du Concile Church (49 rue Pierre Mendès-France)

Langon (33)

• Friday December 4 2015 at 7.30pm, Centre St Jean (8, boulevard François Mauriac, 33210 Langon)

Mérignac (33)

• Friday December 4 at 8.30pm, in the Temple de Mérignac

Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines (78)

• Saturday Decembre 5 at 8.30pm, Saint-Martin de Bréthencourt

In Germany

Dresden

• Wednesday November 25 at 8pm, in the Immanuelkirche Dresden-Cotta (Hühndorfer Straße 22)

Odenthal

• Friday December 4 at the Markuskapelle von Altenberg (51519 Odenthal)

Munich

• Wednesday December 9 at 7pm, St. Willibrord (Blumenstraße 36)

Bonn

• Friday December 11 at 9pm, in the Protestant church "Auferstehung" (Haager Weg)

In Spain

Valencia

• Saturday December 5, at San Lorenzo church, with the team preparing the upcoming European meeting

In Switzerland

Delémont, Jura

• Monday November 30 at 7pm, in the chapel of the Hôme de Delémont.

In Belgium

Veldegem

• Wednesday November 18 at 7pm, at Onze Lieve Vrouwkerk, 8210 Veldegem

In Czech Republic

Prague

• Monday December 7 at 7.30pm, in the church of Martin ve zdi (Martinská 8, Praha 1)

A few weeks ago, Brother Denis came back from the Nairobi fraternity in Kenya, so that he could be admitted to hospital in Lyons. It was discovered there that he was suffering from an irreversible brain tumour. He then returned to Taizé on November 10. In the night of Friday to Saturday November 28, on the eve of the beginning of Advent, during his sleep he entered into the life of eternity.

Just over half a century ago, Brother Denis, who was an architect, designed the Church of the Reconciliation in Taizé. Other buildings for which he drew the plans include the church of St Joseph the Worker in the shanty town of Kangemi, in Nairobi, visited by Pope Francis on Friday 27 November during his Apostolic Visit in Africa.

During 2015, Brother Denis created tree bark icons depicting a Way of the Gospel at St Stephen’s Source, shown on a page of the site, and a temporary exhibition of his artwork was shown in Taizé over the past few months.

At the beginning of the Eucharist celebrated in his memory on Tuesday 1 December, Brother Alois read the following prayer:

Christ Jesus, we entrust to you Denis, our brother whom you have welcomed in eternal life, close to you. With humble faith and a sincere heart he believed in you and responded to your call, placing the great creative gifts he had in your service. With the brothers, whether in Taizé or in fraternities, he bore witness to your love. He loved Africa, he loved those with whom he lived in Kenya and in Senegal. We praise you for his life among us and entrust him to your love. Holy Spirit, you fill us with hope, as you filled Denis, our brother, and even if our faith is very small we dare to say with our lives: “Christ has risen!”

After hearing of the terrible events in Paris during the night of 13 to 14 November, which have come soon after those in Beirut, brother Alois prayed these words during the midday prayer at Taizé:

The victims of the attacks in Paris and Beirut will also be prayed for during the intercessions of the evening prayer.

Brother Alois has also written a message to several Muslim friends in various cities in France.

Saturday 14 November: the “People’s Pilgrimage” visits Taizé

Under the name of "People’s Pilgrimage", inter-religious walks are being held across all five continents to demand with a single voice a future protected from the disasters which climate change could bring.

In May 2015, after leaving his post as ambassador responsible for negotiations on climate change for the Philippines, Yeb Sano began a pilgrimage of several months, heading for Paris and COP21.

After a visit to Rome, the pilgrims walked for more than 700 kilometers in Italy and then crossed the Alps to Geneva before arriving in France on 6 November.

After a meeting at Cluny on Friday 13 November and a night spent with local people in their homes, the delegation will walk along the cycle path in the valley and arrive in Taizé late morning Saturday. A meeting open to all will be held on Saturday 14 November at 3:15pm in Room 15.

Friday 27 November: “People’s Pilgrimage” welcomed in Paris

During the climate negotiations of COP21 in December, faith communities from around the world are organizing a whole range of events in Paris: vigils, meetings, festivals, prayers, pilgrimages … A complete list can be found on-line, including a special programme in the parish of Saint Merry to welcome the pilgrims arriving in Paris along four different routes.

Thursday, 3 December: Ecumenical prayer in Notre Dame de Paris

At the invitation of Cardinal Vingt-Trois and the Council of Christian Churches of France, leaders of various churches, including Patriarch Bartholomew, will pray together in Notre-Dame de Paris on Thursday, 3 December. Brother Alois will be present.

Saturday 5 December: Prayer with Taizé songs at Saint-Ignace

In cooperation with the Council of Christian Churches of France and the diocese of Paris, a prayer with the songs of Taizé, attended by Brother Alois and other brothers, will be held on Saturday 5 December, at 8:30pm, in the church Saint-Ignace, 33 rue de Sèvres, Paris 6. Young people who can help with the preparation of this prayer are invited to write to this address info2015 taize.fr, in particular the delegations coming from different countries.

On 5 December many events will be held. These include a youth programme in Montreuil and a bi-lingual conference led by A Rocha International in St. Michael’s Anglican Church in Paris.

The program: a shared meal at the lake, discovering the "dream cabins" filled with musical instruments, wooden toys and hidden treasures, then a circus performance with horses and the trapeze artist of the Equinoctis company.

At the end, a snack was offered to everybody, livened up with games of soccer, skittles, stilts and music. To make it possible for low-income families to take part, everything was free, financed by gifts and the support of Taizé’s solidarity fund, Operation Hope.

What a beautiful atmosphere! Backgrounds and languages were mixed: a gypsy family originally from Serbia tried to talk to some of the eight Ukrainian children on holiday in Taizé for three weeks. Christians and Muslims speaking Arabic discovered one another. Armenians spoke in Russian with the Ukrainians; children of families from the area discovered the diversity of languages.

The lake was calm, the atmosphere serene, laughter and music rose towards a cloudless sky. Every person has within them a desire for peace – that afternoon without walls was an undeniable proof of this.

Photos : Christian Hanser & Taizé

Over Easter more than 6 000 young people spent a week or few days on the hill. Many visitors from the region around Taizé also came to join the brothers and the young people for the Easter celebrations. This year, before the Eucharist of the Resurrection, a great fire was lit outside the Church of Reconciliation. The pascal candle was then lit from the fire and everyone followed it into the church, singing. There was yet another innovation at the end of the Eucharist: as it was the women who, having found the tomb empty, went to announce the resurrection to the disciples, it was the sisters of the different communities present in Taizé who announced the traditional pascal greeting "Christ is risen" in more than 20 languages.

Spring has arrived on the hill and many young people continue to come, especially from Germany and France. An orthodox group from Moscow is also here, as every year at this time, a few weeks after hosting the pilgrim brothers and young people in their parish for Easter.

During the prayers that he offers aloud each day during the midday prayer in Taizé, Brother Alois has recently mentioned many situations of suffering: the war in the east of Ukraine, refugees drowning in the Mediterranean sea, the earthquake victims in Nepal. This attention to the world prepares the young people to return home. As a young French man, Timothy, wrote - he is indeed living the week in Taizé "with a view to going back to our lives, which are less smily and bright than they are in Taizé, so that we can share that flame that we received at home, and make it shine in the daily gloom."

Domenico (Italy)

On Sunday morning, under a cloudy sky, pilgrims of all ages and nationalities gathered at The Source. The brothers came carrying branches to celebrate the traditional prayer of Palm Sunday. Despite the weather there was a joyful atmosphere as we prayed and sang under the trees with the blossom just beginning to peep through.

 

Then together everyone processed from the Source to the Church, over a thousand people. Once in the Church the Eucharist continued with its typical polyphony of languages. In the afternoon groups of young people from Germany, Portugal and many other countries all over the world arrived in Taizé. They will spend a week of prayer and joy in the spirit of solidarity. This is the most important week of the year for all of us and we will celebrate it in communion and simplicity, waiting for the Resurrection of Christ.

 

It is the first time that I’ve seen the hill in its winter clothes. Everything looks pretty different, but you can always feel the unique magic of this place. The rain is often with us, accompanied by a light wind. The trees are bare and I feel that they can’t wait to wear their summer clothes, while some white flowers are already beginning to welcome the pilgrims.

 

Around the church my eyes meet a lot of well-known faces. Holy Week seems to me the time at which people whose life was deeply influenced by Taize come back here to re-tune their souls and hearts to the chords of God’s words. You can notice it during the prayer: everybody is singing from the front to the back, and they keep singing for hours and hours. You really can understand that all these people share something; they share their faith and the joy of a moment of fruitful dialogue and reflection.

After the usual mid-winter slowdown the big meetings have begun again. Over the past two weeks, more than 3,000 young people have passed through Taizé, most of them young French and Portuguese students. The largest groups were from Toulouse, Saint Denis, north of Paris, and Lyon in France, Viseu and Santarem in Portugal. The bishops of Angers, Rodez and Saint-Denis also came along to accompany the young people. Other countries were also well represented, including the Czech Republic, Korea and the USA, with a group of thirty teenagers from New York.

On the first day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, January 18, a prayer was held in Taizé, in the Church of Reconciliation, in the presence of the Bishop of Autun and the reformed pastor of Chalon-sur-Saône. As this year the theme for the week was prepared by Christians from Brazil, two brothers who have spent time living there led a meeting on the life of the fraternity in Alagoinhas.

Two weeks later, at the end of the annual Community Council, the brothers spent a beautiful afternoon in Chalon-sur-Saône, with a prayer in one of the parishes of the town and a visit to the Muslim community. This meeting was particularly important after the tragic events of the beginning of the year in Paris - to experience the warm welcome of the Imam and other members of the community gathered there on that Saturday afternoon.

Pastor Laurent Schlumberger, President of the United Protestant Church of France, was recently in Taizé for a short personal visit. He led a meeting with some of the young people about the consequences of the recent tragic events in Paris. Robin, a young person from France gives his reaction to the workshop:

The tragic events in Paris affect us as people, believers and Christians. Our discussion reflected and raised several questions. As people we are shocked by such violence and fear. As believers, we stand in complete solidarity with all Muslims who do not recognize themselves in these acts and who seek, through the witness of their lives, to show that God is love. Finally, as Christians, we have a special sensitivity to questions of profanity and caricature. Jesus himself caricatured society through his parables, and was tried and sentenced to death for blasphemy because "he claimed to be the Son of God" (John 19:7).

 

Following the large gatherings of January 11, we can see beyond the defence of our freedoms of expression, to a desire for unity and dialogue. In a society in need of signposts and distraught by the violence, don’t Christians have a role to play? Do we dare to talk not only to those close to us, but also with members of Muslim communities around us?

In his speech, Pope Francis spoke about the search for full communion between the Churches and cited three "voices" calling particularly for unity: the poor, victims of conflict and young people. Speaking about the latter, he added:

It is precisely the young who today implore us to make progress towards full communion. I think for example of the many Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant youth who come together at meetings organized by the Taizé community. They do not do this because they are not aware of the differences which still separate us, but because they are able to see beyond them; they are able to embrace what is really important and what already unites us.

The complete text is available in several languages.

The next international gathering led by Taizé will take place at the end of this year, with the participation of young Christians from throughout Europe, in Prague (Czech Republic), from December 29 to January 2, 2015.

Brother Alois was in Canterbury on 21st March for the enthronement of the new Archbishop, Justin Welby. The next day he had the opportunity to greet him personally.

Archbishop Justin Welby and brother Alois, 22 March 2013
©Picture Partnership/Lambeth Palace

During his sermon the Archbishop said that the church continues to have the power to transform society. Preaching to 2,000 people inside the cathedral and millions more watching and listening around the world, he spoke about how fear imprisons us and stops us from being fully human. Drawing on the story of Christ beckoning the disciples to walk on stormy waters, he recalled Jesus’ words: "Take heart, it is I, do not be afraid."

Archbishop Justin said that "our response to these words sets the pattern of our lives, for the church, for the whole of society."

Brother Alois, Prior of Taizé, writes

In Rome, in St. Peter’s Square, in the middle of the huge crowd of Romans and pilgrims from many countries, I was very happy about the first words of Pope Francis. We were expecting something new from this election and it happened. The origin of this first pope, come "from the ends of the earth," expresses the universal dimension of the Church. The name he chose evokes the joy and love of the poor that inspired Francis of Assisi and which, until now, have been at the heart of his life in Argentina.

 

He draws from the faith of Latin American Christians his vision of the relationship between the people and their bishop. "Let us set out on this road: the bishop and his people," "a path of brotherhood, love, and trust between us," he said, emphasizing his mission as Bishop of Rome. Those who were present in the square were visibly impressed that the new pope, before blessing them, asked for their prayers, bowing down and maintaining a long silence.

 

By asking to pray for his predecessor, Benedict XVI, he brought together continuity and the promise of something new. With the whole crowd present to greet and welcome him, I was touched that he widened our attention to a worldwide dimension by saying: "Let us pray for the whole world so that a great brotherhood may arise."

With Pope Francis