Hello from the Taizé Community in rural France! Father Brent, Madeleine, and I arrived after smooth travels and are settling into the rhythm of this unique community.

Sunday was a travel day from Paris and gave us the opportunity to participate in two beautiful and very different worship experiences. We started the day by going to mass at the Cathedral of Notre Dame. It was every bit as beautiful as you might expect with flawless liturgy and music in a gorgeous atmosphere. Even though worship was a Roman Catholic service conducted in a mixture of Latin and French we were able to follow along. The shape of the liturgy was not very different from Eucharist at Grace and Holy Trinity!

After leaving Notre Dame we made our way by train and then bus to the monastery and constantly changing community of Taizé. Here we joined hundreds of other pilgrims, mostly in their twenties, and several dozen monks for evening prayer. The large worship space is bare except for a little bit of stained glass, several large icons, and many candles. Nearly everyone sits on the floor for the entirety of the service, with the only motion being turning to face the gospel reading. The liturgy here is much sparer, combining simple repetitive singing with scripture readings, psalms, and extended periods of silence. The entire community gathers three times a day for morning, noon, and evening prayer, with singing being the primary building block of worship. Everyone receives little blue booklets of several hundred short songs in a large variety of languages. In a single service we sing songs and hear readings in a mixture of French, German, Latin, Spanish, and English.

As “older” adults we are the exception to the visitors here since this space is designed for people under the age of 35. They come from all over the world, year after year, to form small Bible Study groups, volunteer in the kitchen and do housekeeping, and go to daily prayer. It’s remarkable to see hundreds of young people, some barely out of high school, gathering in silence for simple communal worship. Here is a place where the distractions and pace of modern life simply disappear. The only sounds are soft voices in varying languages and birdsong. It has been a remarkable change to encounter this slowness and simplicity. My own spirit is sinking more deeply into prayer and reflection, nourished by the beautiful songs, friendly faces, and sunshine.

For the rest of the week we will be spending our time, other than daily prayer and meals, with small groups for Bible Study and conversation. My group consists of eight people and manages to represent not only the United States (Chicago) but also Austria, Russia, Germany, South Korea, and England. I am eager to get to know my fellow pilgrims better as we gather this evening for conversation about the first chapter of John’s Gospel. I’m thinking of you all at our own dear community of Grace and Holy Trinity and keeping you in prayer. I look forward to sharing more of this fascinating and faith-forming experience when we return.

Peace, 

Pastor Marissa