It was the Fall of 1991, on one of our trips to Ireland in the Donegal town of Dungloe that we first experienced a Taize Worship Service, by accident actually. But are there really accidents?

We thought that we were going to a Sunday service in the local church. When we arrived, we were overwhelmed with the number of people attending what turned out to be a mission with a Taize prayer service and veneration of the cross. People of all ages were crowded into the church, sitting wherever there was free space. And singing! Singing these beautiful simple chants that are the hallmark of Taize music and worship.
Taize is the name given to the spiritual movement founded by Brother Roger Schűtz in France 1940. From the beginning, Taize’s community has been committed to helping people in need and worshipping God in a simple monastic way. It is an ecumenical Christian group of men from various religions who live and worship together three times a day.

Their worship service includes Bible readings, meditation and simple, repetitive chants, many of which we use in our own Sunday services. The spiritual practice of simple chants allows the soul to reach a different level of relation with God. The outer world falls away for a time and there is just you and God.

Taize’s Church of Reconciliation is aptly named as it has become and important site for Catholic-Lutheran ecumenism involving an ongoing dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and various synods of the Lutheran denomination, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Thousands of Christian pilgrims make the journey to Burgundy France to experience the spiritual refreshment offered there.

How can I relay to you the wonder of this movement and the gifts that it bestows on its followers? Is it another demonstration of the unconditional love which God has for us? In my opinion, yes, it is. God loves you unconditionally and wants you to avail yourself of all the methods available to be in a right relationship with Him. Prayer, meditation and chants are some of the ways to fulfill this relationship.

“Bless the Lord, my soul. And bless His holy name.
Bless the Lord, my soul. Who leads me into life.”