Recently Br Ghislain spent three weeks in Krakow at World Youth Day.
During Krakow’s WYD, the spirit of Taizé has been evident. St Stephen’s Church held Taizé prayers Tuesday to Friday, three to five times a day. The church was serenely beautiful with icons hung around it. The lights were dimmed and most of the lighting came from subdued candles. The haunting, chant-like song of the pilgrims truly calmed the soul.
The pilgrims drawn to the Taizé prayers came from all over the world. There were numerous Poles, French and Italians; quite a few Australians arrived as well.
In addition to the Polish Pope, John Paul II, there have been other figures in recent history who have worked tirelessly to renew the Church in the West. Among them is Brother Roger (1915-2005), who began the Taizé community in the French village of that name. This is an ecumenical monastic community that seeks to renew the Church. It focuses on song, silence, work and prayer. Taizé borrows from both Eastern and Western traditions; it uses Byzantine-style icons and music influenced by the Western liturgy.
Each year, 100,000 young people visit Taizé, and tens of thousands attend the European Young Adults Meetings during the New Year period and, since 2006, the International Young Adults Meeting. In these noisy, fast-moving times, so many young people are drawn to this serene, austere slice of traditional monasticism.
All are invited to join Brother Ghislain for prayers on Sunday 25 September at Merewether Uniting Church, Glebe Road, at 6.00 pm.