UMY: Taize Evening Prayer for All Saints Day
5:30-7:15
We will begin with dinner in the Community Center. This week we will be sharing the space with one of the Sunday school evening fellowship.

After supper we will move to the Sanctuary for Taize Evening Prayer. This will be a time of centering, remembering and being still in the presence of God. An oasis in the midst a busy and stressful time.

Following prayer we will share in the Christ Candle. Tonight the Christ Candle will be a tad bit different as we take time to remember the people in life we are thankful for.

Hope to see you for this special evening.


The community was founded in 1940 for a sanctuary for second world war POWs (prisoners of war) by Frère Roger (Brother Roger), who remained its leader until his death on August 16, 2005. The ecumenical community is made up of more than a hundred men from many nations representing Protestant and Catholic branches of Christianity. Life in the community focuses on prayer and Christian meditation. Young people from all over the world visit Taizé each week to join in the community life.

The community, though Western European in origin, seeks to welcome people and traditions from across the globe. This internationalism is reflected by the music and prayers where songs are sung in many languages and increasingly include chants and icons from the Eastern Orthodox tradition. At the heart of Taizé there is a passion for the Church. That is why the community has never wanted to create a “movement” or organization centred on itself, but rather to send the young back from the youth meetings to their local Church, to their parish, group or community, to undertake, with many others, a “pilgrimage of trust on earth.”

In many places across the world, ecumenical prayers using music from Taizé are organised by people, young and old, who have been in touch with the community. These times of prayer are very varied and are integrated in appropriate ways into the life of the local Church. The community's website provides reflections, prayers, songs and news of the “pilgrimage of trust on earth”.


Since the late 1950s, the Taizé community has become an important destination for Christian pilgrimage with the number of visitors nowadays ranging from a few hundred to several thousand (during summer vacations), the week of Easter being an exception with a peak of more than 5,000 people. The weekly international youth meetings (primarily for young adults between 17 and 30 years of age) are the community's priority.

The schedule of a typical day in the youth meetings:

Morning prayer
Breakfast
Large group Bible study led by one of the brothers
Small group discussions
Noon prayer
Lunch
Optional song practice
Practical tasks
Theme workshops
Dinner
Evening prayer