From our Rector, September 23, 2022
Dear Beloved of God,
We are nearing the end of our month of Creation Care, although we will continue to care for our creation for the rest of our lives. To conclude the month, we will be holding a Prayer Vigil for the Care of Creation on St. Francis Day, October 4. This prayer has been prepared by the brothers of Taizé specifically for such an occasion and we need your presence!
The “Songs of Taizé” published in different languages are simple, but preparation is required to use them in prayer. Short songs, repeated again and again, give the time of prayer a meditative character. As the words are sung over many times, it becomes a way of listening to God. It allows everyone to remain together in attentive waiting on God. See below for more on this way of praying together:
- October 4 at 4:00PM* we are hosting a pet-blessing together with St. Francis Church at the entry to our sanctuary. (At the bottom of the steps near the sunflowers). Please do bring your scaly, furry or feathered friends! * note the time change
- October 4 at 5:00PM we will be hosting an ecumenical song practice. If you can sing, PLEASE come to help us! We will be preparing the 5:30 Prayer Vigil for the Care of Creation. We need your presence. We need your prayer. We need your voice.
- October 4 at 5:30PM we will gather with people from many different congregations in our area for a Prayer Vigil for the Care of Creation.
Meditative singing can also sustain personal prayer. Through singing, little by little, our being finds an inner unity in God. The songs can continue in the silence of our hearts when we are at work, speaking with others or resting. In this way prayer and daily life are united. The songs allow us to keep on praying even when we are unaware of it, in the silence of our hearts.
Today, the Taizé Community is made up of about a hundred brothers, coming from many different ecclesial backgrounds, and from around thirty nations. By its very existence, the community is a “parable of community” that wants its life to be a sign of reconciliation between divided Christians and between separated peoples. The brothers wish to support the search for peace and reconciliation wherever it exists.
Some of the brothers live far away from Taizé, mainly among the very poor; they work among prisoners in Seoul, South Korea, bring relief to the disabled in Bangladesh, welcome numerous children in Senegal and Brazil, and lead youth meetings in Kenya…. The existence of these “Taizé houses” is based on prayer and fraternal life.
Over the years, young adults have been coming to Taizé in ever greater numbers; they come from every continent to take part in weekly meetings. Sisters of Saint Andrew, an international Catholic community founded seven centuries ago, Polish Ursuline Sisters and Sisters of St Vincent de Paul take on some of the tasks involved in welcoming the young people.
Church leaders also come to Taizé. The community has thus welcomed four Archbishops of Canterbury, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, Pope John Paul II, metropolitans and bishops of different Orthodox Churches, the fourteen Lutheran bishops of Sweden, and countless pastors from all over the world.
For more information, go to https://www.taize.fr/en
