Community living at Taizé

Today is the penultimate day of my week at Taizé. Tomorrow will see thousands leave and another few thousand arrive at this small village in France for another week of prayer, singing and community living.

I’m certainly getting into the rhythm of daily life here, and feel more relaxed than I did when I first arrived.

Last night the evening service was really beautiful. Everyone was given a candle at the start, and halfway through they were gradually all lit. At the end hundreds queued up to kneel and pray at a cross laid at the front of the church. I think it was a celebration of the transfiguration of Christ, although I wasn’t entirely sure.

Yesterday I found the need to get out of the Taizé compound, so I went for a long walk to a nearby wood with Rose, the friend I came with. The countryside around here is really beautiful.

This morning we had the final talk by Brother Emile on a chapter in the book of John, which focused on community. Some of the realities of the kingdom of God, he said, only really come to life when we are together in community – things like love, peace, faith, joy, personal failure. We experience all these things when we are together; when we are in relationship with others.

Community life really can be a challenge and I can certainly handle it for a week, but beyond this I’m not sure. I think I would need a much greater capacity for forgiveness and love, but then maybe these are the things you slowly learn when you are in community.

Brother Roger of Taizé

It is also almost 70 years to the day that Brother Roger arrived in the French town of Taizé, in the middle of the Second World War, with the aim of establishing a Christian community here. He was just 25 at the time. It is also almost five years to the day (16 August) that he was tragically murdered during the evening prayer service by a woman with mental health problems.

I watched a video the other day here at Taizé about his life, it was really touching. He seemed like a really kind, gentle man who passionate about God, about helping others, and living in Christian community. It is amazing that what began with one man and a vision has led to this community here at Taizé, where people flock every year and encounter God through community, song and simplicity.

In the 1980s he set about establishing a ‘Pilgrimage of Trust’ on earth – drawing Christian pilgrims here from all parts of the world, and creating a network of peace, reconciliation, love and trust.

I wondered when I arrived if Taizé was perhaps an excuse for a big party for many young people here – for some it probably is, but the majority seem really devout, carrying their prayer stools and into church and many staying long after the service has actually ended. I hear people humming the Taizé songs here from the services – they really do start to stick in your head after a while.

Evening meditations

It’s day three of Taizé and I feel like I’m getting into the swing of it more now. After a while you feel as though you are settling down more into the daily rhythm of prayer, singing, eating together, chores and workshops.

What I like about the evening services here is that there is no hurry to get people out of the church once the service has ended at around 10pm. The music carries on, people lie stretched on the floor, some in prayer, others meditating (or possibly sleeping). And the brothers, dressed in their white monastic robes, don’t go off to bed but come among the crowd, so that people can go up to them and ask them things, or pray with them. I watched some young people confide in these brothers for what seemed like ages, while they listened attentively.

In our groups this afternoon, Sigrid, the Swedish Priest, talked about how at Taizé you imagine it will be easy to meet with God in such a place, away from everyday life, but it doesn’t always happen. There can be silence and disappointment when you don’t experience anything. The rest of us agreed with this – it can feel like everyone around you, who is kneeling and praying, is having a spiritual experience, except you. But then someone else made the point that although it can feel like nothing happening is when we expect it to, God isn’t missing these quiet, still moments of prayer. Maybe we’ll see the fruits of them somewhere down the line, if not right now.

In the afternoon, after the workshops, we queued for tea and cookies, and then joined in on a sing along with a crowd of young people who had gathered around on some benches, with their guitars, singing Beatles – their energy uncontainable. I never remember having that much energy as a teenager.

Silence and song

This morning I went to the church service (there are three everyday), which was packed out with people squeezing into every available space on the floor.

I am still trying to get into the swing of the music here – it is beautiful, although I’m finding it hard to focus and my mind keeps drifting. The songs are sung in all languages and are chants – lines such as ‘Sing to Lord with joyful hearts, Praise the Lord forever more‘, repeated over and over, as a way to meditate and pray.

The brothers who live here at Taizé are cloaked in white and sit down the central part of the chapel. Occasionally one of them will sing solo, or give a reading, and in every service we have around five minutes of silence. There are many candles at the front of the chapel and large, colourful banners, giving the church a warm, reverent feel.

Silence plays a big part here at Taizé, and before you go in for the service people are holding signs saying ‘Silence’. There is also a pretty garden nearby, with a lake and waterfall, where you walk – again there are ‘Silence’ signs around the place, and if you’re talking too much or too loudly, someone will remind you that this is a silent place for reflection.

Simple living at Taizé

Woke up to a tremendous downpour and half expected my entire tent to cave in. Breakfast today was French bread, chocolate pieces and tea, coffee and hot chocolate, all serviced in a big tent. The food seems quite basic, and tea is powdered! I’ll have to remember to bring tea bags next time.

We had a talk this morning by Brother Emile, one of the French brothers living here at Taizé, on a passage in the book of John. He had a lovely, gently way of talking, and was really insightful. There are so many European nationalities here – Croats, Russians, Poles, Germans etc. Each group had a translator so this helped things.

We were asked to break down into discussion groups by nationality, which we would remain in for the rest of the week. Initially I went in the direction of the English group, but then switched and went for the ‘under 40′ English speaking group, a slightly younger more international looking crowd.

I met a couple of Franciscan Sisters from Italy, a theology student from Naples also training to be a Priest, a Swedish Protestant Priest (a woman in her early 30s), a couple of German girls who had come by themselves, and two Italians from southern Italy who had come with their church.

Our group drew the short straw with the chores – we have to do the washing up for the rest of the week, which this evening took almost an hour! (It’s our first evening, so I expect we’ll get quicker).

It seems that in the ‘30 and over’ section of Taizé, it’s lights out by 11ish, while the rest of the camp – where the young people are staying – appear to be partying till all hours at the café area called Oyak.

Taizé – arrival

What a day. I’m now in Taizé in south east France, having recently pitched my tent and gone along to one of the evening services. It all feels a bit surreal, considering only this morning I was waiting on the platform at Clapham Junction Station to get a train to Gatwick, then a plane to Lyon, then a train and a bus before finally arriving at Taize at around 6.30 this evening.

When we first got here it was pretty chaotic, with people and their luggage everywhere, having either just arrived or departing. It was a bit like a refugee camp. I was also struggling to spot anyone under around the age of 12. This is a slight exaggeration but everyone seems terribly young – mostly teenagers of varying European nationalities – Poles, Croats, Italians, French, Russians etc.

Rose and I finally found the English arrival room for ‘adults’, as sadly we are now aged 30 and over, so fall into the adult category. From here it was all pretty well organized. A friendly Norwegian girl with a bright blond streak in her fringe sat down with and explained how Taizé works and the pattern of daily life here (three services a day, workshops, chores). A man from Croatia joined us – he was on a week’s silent retreat and had been many times before.

Apparently the week we are here (1 – 8 August) is the busiest time of the year for Taizé, with as many as 4,000 people here from all across Europe. The Archbishop of York, Bishop Sentamu is here too – so we’re in good company.

As we are in the 30 and over category we are both camping in the adult section, which is fine by me.  We were asked to make a recommended donation of 84 – 140 Euros for our week’s stay here, which includes all meals.

I managed to pop along to a service this evening. A bell tolls loudly in the courtyard calling everyone to prayer. The church is really atmospheric – with candles at the front of the church and the Brothers, dressed in white, sitting down the middle. The music was beautiful and I felt really moved by it all.