On the first Saturday of each month, St. Mary’s offers a Taizé Eucharist at 5:00 p.m. This style of worship comes from an ecumenical monastic order in Taizé, Burgandy, France. The service is very contemplative, marked by periods of singing, silence, and meditation.

Jacques Berthier and others have composed beautiful chants which are easy to learn and the congregations sings repeatedly. The chanting enters our hearts and souls, soothing our care and drawing us to God. On the Taizé website, the singing is described:

“Short songs, repeated again and again, give it 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.”

We invite all to experience this meditative time of worship, and to give thanks at the Lord’s Table. If you play a musical instrument, or would like to join our small group of singers for the Taizé service, please contact our Minister of Music, Dr. Mark Lawlor.