In the early hours of July 19th, eighteen pilgrims, led by Rev. Joseph Nelson, departed from the Lutheran Church House in Headingley, bound for the French ecumenical monastic community of Taizé. The week-long trip, which included many students from the University Chaplaincy in Leeds (a CLC-sponsored ministry), offered participants a chance to experience the hospitality, spirituality, and rich worship environment which the community provides to its visitors. The group was comprised of students and young adults from Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Orthodox churches – mostly from the Leeds and Nottingham areas, but also two visitors from the ELCA (Arkansas-Oklahoma) Companion Synod to the Lutheran Church in Great Britain.
While there, students and others enjoyed the diverse community of fellow pilgrims gathered in the beautiful French countryside. Taizé hosts approximately 2,000–4,000 guests from around the world each week during the busy summer months; the community is large, queues are long, and good humour and patience are paramount.
But the blessings of the experience far outweighed any inconvenience.
‘Being able to share communion with all of my friends and people of other denominations has been something really special,’ shared Flynn O’Reilly, a participant from the Roman Catholic tradition, referencing Taizé’s particular practice of welcoming baptised visitors of all Christian traditions to receive at the community’s Catholic Eucharist distributed at Morning Prayer each day.
James Eames attends worship regularly at St Luke’s in Leeds and came seeking a time of prayer, peace, and contemplation. ‘My favourite part is the community here – the fact that I’m in a place in the middle of nowhere in France with 2500 Christians from all over the world, speaking many different languages from so many different backgrounds – that’s really powerful and encouraging for our faith.’
Regular worship is, not surprisingly, a major focus of the community, and was offered three times daily. The group also celebrated with a Lutheran Communion service in the crypt, and later in the week were able to join an Anglican group for Eucharist in the old village church. A particularly special moment towards the end of the week was when one participant chose to be baptised, and the brothers gave Pastor Joseph permission to do this at Taizé.
Participants also enjoyed visits to the local farmers’ market and cheese shop, as well as an outing to the nearby town of Cluny to experience the medieval abbey–and the rare luxury of a chair with a backrest (these are uncommon at Taizé!)–along with some French refreshments. Evenings were for socialising with the community, with music and dancing creating a celebratory atmosphere.
On Friday, Pastor Joseph and Mariam (Faith rep for Leeds University Union and president of the Orthodox society) were invited to share lunch with the brothers, at which Br. Matthew, current Prior of the Taizé Community, a Yorkshireman (and more importantly, a fellow supporter of Bradford City like Pastor Joseph), observed how diverse the group was, and how it was exactly what the community wants to see more of: young Christians from a variety of denominations travelling, eating, and praying together.
Pastor Joseph summed up the spirit of the week: ‘It was a great joy, and this is how we will one day achieve Christian unity. When we know and care for one another, it becomes possible to resolve our differences, since it is in loving one another that we realise the unity God wills for the Church.’
