This year, three churches in the diocese hosted prayer in the style of Taizé, as part of an effort by ecumenical churches to bring this style of worship to new neighborhoods and new churches in Victoria.
Prayer in the style of Taizé had been offered on a three-month rotation at churches of different denominations throughout downtown Victoria since 1996. This offering was sponsored by the Downtown Victoria Churches Association (DVCA) and led by its ecumenical steering committee. For over 25 years, the steering committee met regularly. However, by early 2020, the DVCA had disbanded and many of the older committee members were ready to step down. And by March, all churches were shuttered.
In 2024, with the support of former DVCA committee members, prayer in the style of Taizé was hosted by three neighbourhood churches on the Saanich Peninsula. The winter rotation (January to March) was hosted by St Philip’s, Oak Bay, the spring rotation (April to June) was hosted at St Stephen’s, Parish of Central Saanich, and the fall rotation (September to November) at St Michael and All Angels, Victoria.
The Taizé Community
The monastic Taizé Community was founded in France, in the village of Taizé by Roger Schutz, known as Brother Roger. Brother Roger was originally from Switzerland but during the war he felt called to help refugees. So, in 1940, at the age of 25, he moved to France. He bought a property in the village of Taizé and, together with his sister, sheltered refugees, including Jews.
After the war, and after a period spent in Geneva for his safety and where Brother Roger gathered his first brothers, the nascent community returned to Taizé. One of Brother Roger’s guiding principles in the creation of the Taizé Community was ecumenism and today the community consists of 80 brothers from different church backgrounds: Catholic, Anglican and Protestant.
The brothers, along with the many young people who visit Taizé, attend church for prayers three times per day. A typical order of prayer includes songs, Bible readings, intercessions, a blessing and a period of silence. There is no eucharist or sermon, and the readings and songs are done in multiple languages. The songs are meditative, with a few words or phrases repeated, sometimes with accompanying music and other times performed as a chant. The worship space is simply decorated, with icons and candles.
Prayer in the style of Taizé to continue at St Philip’s
Several parishioners at St Philip’s, Oak Bay had been to the Taizé Community in France and were keen to offer prayer in the style of Taizé at their church. Through hosting the winter rotation, those parishioners felt they gained the background they needed to begin offering prayer in the style of Taizé at St Philip’s on a more permanent basis. A committee of four, including St Philip’s music director Judith Slimmon, started hosting a monthly prayer in the style of Taizé in September, and it will run through the winter months until March 2025. The services are at 7 p.m. on the last Thursday of the month, with the exception of December, when the service will be on New Year’s Eve.
Although Judith was not among the parishioners who had visited Taizé, France, she had previously experienced Hindu chanting, so it was this aspect of prayer in the style of Taizé that appealed to her. “I was aware of the power of chanting as a meditative practice. It has the capacity to centre and help one find a place of rest and peace. The ecumenical aspect was also important.” The services at St Philip’s have seen readings being given in six different languages, including Norwegian and Hindi.
Committee member Yvette Bird oversees the setting up and cleaning down of the church for the service, including lighting the candles, which are an important part of the service and the reason why the services will only be offered during the darker months. So far, prayer in the style of Taizé at St Philip’s has been well received, with between 25 to 50 people attending.
St Michael’s inspired by ecumenical services
Over at St Michael’s and All Angels, Victoria, incumbent John Perris was familiar with the Taizé Community and used Taizé style songs in his services but had never attended prayer in the style of Taizé. John was also drawn to taking part because of the ecumenical aspect. “It’s very communal, everyone sings all the songs,” says John. “It is a beautiful service, very meditative. There’s just one reading read in several languages, which we’ve tried out at the service.”
Prayer in the style of Taizé ran at St Michael’s on the third Friday of the month, and saw between 40 to 50 attendees, most of whom had been involved in prayer in the style of Taizé pre-COVID 19. There were around 10 participants from St Michael’s, some of whom helped at the services.
Among them were Deb Ayotte, who has been attending St Michael’s for six years, and Pat Gerrard, who is also a newer parishioner to St Michael’s. Deb described the services as calming and meditative, while Pat emphasized the importance of the ecumenical aspect of the services. “There was a depth to the service that made us feel the unity in the room,” says Pat. “Ecumenical services are much fuller in spirit, some of the barriers are gone.” Both Deb and Pat plan to attend prayer in the style of Taizé again next year.
In 2025, prayer in the style of Taizé will be hosted by the United Church. The winter rotation (January to March) will be hosted by the Abbey Church, the spring rotation (April to June) by Broad View United, and the fall rotation (September to November) by Esquimalt United Church. The services will be at 6 p.m. on the third Friday of the month, with the exception of Feb. 14 and April 25.
Church of the Advent, Colwood also offers prayer in the style of Taizé on the first Saturday of the month (except August and January) at 5 p.m. Christ Church Cathedral holds a centering prayer with meditation every Monday at 10 a.m. in the cathedral chapel room.
