We welcome you to our monthly service of Taize style worship.
Taize is a small village in the Burgundy region of France, which since the late 1940s has been home to a remarkable community of Catholic and Protestant monks. They have become known for a very distinctive and very simple style of worship, characterised chiefly by the use of simple meditative chants, candlelight, contemplative reading of Scripture and silence. It is informal: no-one dresses up, no-one processes, people sit, stand or kneel as seems right to them. Please enjoy this freedom tonight. However, the informality also feels very traditional and the overall ethos is one of a gently contemplative spirituality.
People from all over the world come to worship at Taizé, and so the body of songs associated with the community has a very international flavour. Not all of the songs are easily translatable into English – at least, not in a way that also fits with the music. It would be a shame only to sing those that are, and so in this service there are some songs with words in Latin or Spanish. However, the essence of a Taizé song is that the words are very short, repeated, and easy-to-absorb. With the English translation also provided in this booklet, the fact that we’re singing in a different language shouldn’t pose that much of a barrier to prayer. It might even be good for us, by reminding us of the global character of God’s Church. We hope that you are able to join us.