Taize Worship at Dalby :
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At Dalby we meet on the 3rd Sunday of the month at 6.30pm for worship within the Taize Tradition : you're always very welcome to come and join us.
2025 Jan 19th Feb: 16th March 16th Easter (no Taize) May 18th June 15th July20th August 17th September 21st October 19th November 16th December 14th Taize worship is distinctive through its use of candlelight, repeated prayer chants, and periods of stillness and silence. |
"The peace of your heart makes life beautiful for those around you. Being wracked with worry has never been a way of living the Gospel. Founding your faith on torment would mean building a house on sand (Mt 7:26-27)
At every moment, do you hear these words of Jesus the Christ: "Peace I leave you; my peace I give you. Let your hearts cease to be troubled and afraid" (Jn 14:27) This deep-seated peace provides the lightness needed to set out once again, when failure or discouragements weigh on your shoulders. And sheer wonder comes alive, along with a breath of poetry, a simplicity of life and, for those able to understand it, a mystical vision of the human person." Brother Roger of Taize: Essential Writings by Marcello Fidanzio, editor, Brother Roger of Taize |
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A very brief insight and summary of the Taize Tradition :
Founded in 1940, the Taizé community is based in the small village of Taize in central France. 'Brother Roger, the founder of the community, was Swiss born. He recalls two things that were of great influence to him when he was young ; one was the divisions between Catholics and Protestants, and the other was his grandmothers' tales of helping refugees during the First World War ........... two major influences that gave him the heart for unity and a desire to reach out to the poor and oppressed. As a graduate he was led to buy a dilapidated house and outbuildings in a French village called Taize near an old Abbey, and from there he began to offer shelter to political refugees, including Jews fleeing Nazi persecution. He set up a regular pattern of prayer with his guests until, in 1949, he opened a monastic community for Protestants and then later Catholics; an ecumenical monastery! In the post-war years, the monks took in orphans and former German prisoners. Taizé monks are committed to material and spiritual sharing. They are self funding; initially setting up a milk co-operative, publishing religious books and creating a retreat centre for youth. They are bound by vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and the community is still self-supporting. The brothers live by their own work, refusing donations and personal family legacies. It’s still an ecumenical monastic order, a community of over 100 + Catholic and Protestant monks from 30 different countries across the world..... and is devoted to peace and justice through prayer and meditation. Welcoming others has always been an essential part of Taizé life. Today it’s one of the world's most important sites of Christian pilgrimage and welcomes up to 5,000 young people, between the ages of 16-30 a week. ... that’s tens of thousands of young pilgrims a year joining to share in the community's way of life, living out the gospel in a spirit of joy, simplicity and reconciliation. They camp in the fields around the church and monastery, joining in the community's worship three times a day and spending time studying the Bible, reflecting in silence and meeting in discussion groups Following the Benedictine tradition of Pray and Work, life in Taizé is centred on prayer, but all pilgrims are also expected to take part in community life, helping with cleaning, cooking, choirs, working together for the benefit of all ...... and, Taizé has developed it’s own unique style of ecumenical worship, with focus on silence and stillness before God; simple prayer chants, using a phrase from the Psalms or scripture, repeated or sung together. The worship is short, approximately 45mins, and there’s lots of candlelight! The focus is on dwelling within the words, stilling our chattering minds, and allowing the words to become part of us so that we become part of the prayer. Taize remains fundamentally ecumenical, bringing people together from all denominations and cultures, a sign of hope in a divided world; its spirituality has brought new life to Christian churches throughout the world. The worship is silence. song scripture, reflective prayer and intersessions. There is no sermon or teaching; we come before God in our diversity and are open to hear God speaking into our hearts. |
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So, we invite you to be comfortable in this worship with us. We remain seated or kneeling throughout, whichever is most comfortable for you ..............
