News from Taizé
Taizé: The last large youth meetings in 2014
During these two weeks, thousands of French youth have arrived in three waves. The most numerous have come from Lille, Nantes, Grenoble, Rennes, and Pontoise but all regions of the country were represented. Nearly a dozen bishops have accompanied the young people from their dioceses.
Previously, a particularly striking visit in September was that of three bishops from Kenya, who had wanted to spend a day at Taizé during a visit to France. Also in September, the Minister General of the Franciscans, Brother Michael, with his council and a hundred young Franciscan friars from various countries, spent several days of prayer and sharing in Taizé.
Caribbean: Several stages in the pilgrimage of trust
During the month of October, Brother Alois and four other brothers visited four Latin American countries in the Caribbean for several weeks. Many young people attended prayers in Puerto Rico, Haiti and Cuba. The trip ended with a young adult meeting in the Dominican Republic.
In Cuba, prayers were held in Havana and Matanzas. On his return to Taizé, Brother Alois said one evening to the young people gathered in the Church of Reconciliation: “In Cuba, we were surprised that our visit was looked forward to so much. One of our brothers went there in the 1970s, but otherwise it was the first time we visited that country. Cubans, especially the young, are eager to escape isolation; they need to feel close to young people in other countries, and so they asked us to greet you all.”
Prague: Preparations for the next European meeting go forward
Since September, an international team has been hard at work in Prague. It is composed of Taizé brothers, sisters of the two congregations who live in Taizé and fifteen young volunteers. One of the brothers wrote: “It is striking to see how many people here remember the European meeting 24 years ago. In the parishes of different Churches, in the middle of a meal with a family or during an informal conversation with someone known or unknown, we hear stories of what happened in 1990 at the first meeting in Prague.”
Riga: Young people go to the Baltics as “pilgrims of peace and trust”
From 26 to 28 September 2014 a meeting organized by the community was held in Riga, the capital of Latvia, five years after the meeting in Vilnius, in neighbouring Lithuania. Several years earlier, the Lutheran and Catholic archbishops had launched the invitation. It was during the meeting in Strasbourg that the news was confirmed by Brother Alois.
Elizabete from Latvia said: “It was fantastic to see how many young people came to our city of Riga. As a volunteer, I was happy to make my contribution to these three beautiful days, lived in great trust by the young pilgrims. Being together in common prayer, meeting new people and seeing friends from Taizé made me realize that God is at work everywhere we go and live. I think, after these days, that we have more hope than ever for Latvia and Eastern Europe.”
Ukraine: Faces of hope
After joining the “small provisional community” in Kiev, a brother continued his stay in Ukraine by visits to several cities. Times of prayer, meetings with young people, visits to two universities and a seminar, interviews with bishops: the program was varied, especially in order to better understand the situation of the country and to encourage young people who participated in the meetings at Taizé, in Strasbourg or will soon meet in Prague.
What was particularly important was visiting Christians of all denominations. This concern for dialogue with all is an important characteristic of the visits the community makes in Ukraine. Here are some portraits of people encountered during these-visits. One striking feature: they are all children.
The Road to 2015: New small provisional communities
The experience of “small provisional communities” is continuing and several teams returned to Taizé to recount their experiences after spending a few weeks together. Renate, from Moresnet in Belgium, wrote: “Ruta, Ines and Pascale have now returned home after an experience of life in a small provisional community with us. But the memory of four very intense weeks of meetings remains. All those who came for prayers or meals were happy with their visit and encouragement: elderly people, students and those preparing for confirmation, ill people, people with disabilities, those who are poor or homeless, members of our community.... We experienced many beautiful moments, even through situations which could be depressing, as you are confronted with the suffering of others and your own weaknesses. But the joy was still there, with moments of silence and gratitude.”
Looking toward 2015, the community has launched a Facebook page on which the links to Taizé website updates and echoes of all the events will be published.
New publication
Recently a new booklet in colour was published presenting the community and the young adult meetings in several languages: “The Taizé Community – A Parable of Communion.” Additional information and links to purchase the various online versions are available online.
Agenda
- France. At the invitation of the Ecumenical Association Star Champs Élysées, Brother Alois will give a talk on Friday, November 14, 2014, at 8:30pm in the Church of St. Peter de Chaillot in Paris, on the topic: “Dare to live under one roof”. The conference will be followed by a concert “From the Renaissance to Modernity”.
- Japan. A Taizé brother will go there in late November for visits and meetings in Sendai, Hiroshima, Kagoshima, in the Caritas Center at Yonekawa, Wakayama and Shimonoseki. There will be a retreat for students of Kwansei Gakuin University.
Prayer
Holy Spirit, give us the love of Christ Jesus. May we live as he lived and may the unlimited mercy of God overflow into our lives as kindness for others, especially for the poorest.
