Prayer in the Way of The Taizé Community

New Year’s Eve + Sat. Dec. 31, 2016

The Taizé Community

We’re grateful that you’ve joined us for this evening of prayer in the way of the Taizé Community!

The Taizé community is a monastic order with a strong devotion to peace and justice through prayer and meditation. It takes its name after the small town in France where it is located. The 100-strong community

of Protestant, Roman Catholic, Anglican and Orthodox monks is drawn from 30 countries across the world.

Taizé was founded in 1940 by a Lutheran pastor, Roger Louis Schutz-Marsauche (known as 'Brother Roger'). The early Taizé brothers were initially known for taking in refugees during World War II. The 90-year-old Br. Roger died in August 2005 after being stabbed during a prayer service.

Today Taizé is one of the world's most important sites of Christian pilgrimage. Each year tens of thousands of (mostly) young pilgrims flock

to the small village of Taizé in central France to share in the community's way of life.

The chants that we will sing tonight are at the heart of the Taizé Community prayer rhythm – and are deliberately simple & repetitive as a way to get to ‘the wellspring of faith’.

Short songs, repeated again and again, give them a meditative character. Using just a few words they express a basic reality of faith, quickly

grasped by the mind. As the words are sung over many times, this reality gradually penetrates the whole being. Meditative singing thus becomes a

way of listening to God. It allows everyone to take part in a time of prayer together and to remain together in attentive waiting on God, without having to fix the length of time too exactly. To open…

Prayer and silence are at the heart of the Taizé experience. People from every corner of the globe are encouraged to live out the Christian gospel in a spirit of joy, simplicity and reconciliation.

Ecumenism (a movement promoting Christian unity among Churches that are diverse) is the key to Taizé's appeal, making it a magnet for people of many different cultures and traditions.

Prayer in the way of the Taizé Community happens around Victoria

several times a month, including once a month at the Emmaus Community Chapel in Fernwood (www.emmauscommunity.ca) and several times a year here at St. Philip – usually on Palm Sunday and New Year’s Eve.

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Welcome / Bell x3 1) Veni Creator Spiritus (Litany) (Come, Creator Spirit)

2) Let All Who Are Thirsty Come

3) Alleluia 7 with Psalm 147: 12-20

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4) In Resurrectione Tua (In Your resurrection, O Christ, let heaven and earth rejoice)

5) Gloria (Canon) (Glory to God in the highest)

Reading: Matthew 25:34b-40 in several languages We now hear the words of scripture followed by about 5-10 minutes of silence beginning and ending with a bell.

Bell / Silence (approximately 10 minutes) Anointing During the next chants, people are welcome to come forward for the ancient practice of anointing with healing oil.

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6) Come and Fill (sung in English)

7) Wait For The Lord

Bell – Silent Reconciliation (Confession) – Bell

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8) Our Darkness (sung in English)

The Holy Eucharist (ending with The Lord’s Prayer, which we say together)

Our Father who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

and the power, and the glory,

forever and ever. Amen.

All who feel so called are welcomed to come and receive (gluten-free option available, please specify) during the next chants. You may also come forward to receive a blessing.

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Prayer at the Cross with candles During the next chants you are invited to kneel at the cross and offer an expression of your petitions, intentions, and thanksgivings.

9) O Christe Domine Jesu (O, Christ, Lord and savior)

10) Adoremus Te O Christe (We adore you Lord Jesus Christ)

11) Ubi Caritas Deus Ibi Est (Where there is love and charity, God is there)

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12) Stay With Us (sung in English)

There is no formal dismissal. Please feel free to stay as long as you like to pray and rest in stillness in the space.

All chants published and copyright by the Taizé Community France (Ateliers et Presses de Taizé) and composed by

J. Berthier. St. Philip Usage under OneLicense.