• >
  • Community >
  • Vocation and History >
  • Brother Alois, Prior of Taizé
  English
  • Community
  • At the Wellspring of Faith
  • Coming to Taizé
  • Around the World


 
  • Some Recent News
  • Visit of Patriarch Bartholomew to Taizé
    • Two video clips of common prayer
    • Visit of Patriarch Bartholomew to Taizé: Words of Welcome by Brother Alois
    • Speech during the Common Prayer
    • The Key Moments in Photos
  • Vocation and History
    • A bit of history: The Beginnings
    • A lifelong commitment
    • About Taizé: The Community Today
    • Brother François (1929-2018)
    • Brother Thomas (1939-2019)
    • Ascertaining the Truth
    • A pilgrimage of trust on earth
    • Brother Alois, Prior of Taizé
  • Brother Roger, Founder of Taizé
    • 12 May 1915 – 16 August 2005: Homage to Brother Roger
    • Why Brother Roger died
    • A way of reconciliation
      • Benedict XVI speaks of Brother Roger: “An ecumenism lived spiritually”
      • Interview with Brother Alois: Something that was without precedent
      • Mgr Daucourt, Bishop of Nanterre: Ecumenism is first of all an exchange of gifts
      • Déclaration by the French Protestant Federation: Let us respect the memory of Brother Roger
    • Photos of Brother Roger
    • Video: Brother Roger: A key word from my youth
  • Other people on Taizé
    • John Paul II: One passes through Taizé as one passes close to a spring of water
    • Paul Ricœur: “Liberating the core of goodness”
    • Olivier Clément: "Trust will have the last word"
    • Celebration of Taizé’s 70th Anniversary
      • Celebration of the 70th anniversary of Taizé - Messages received
  • Brothers living in other places
    • The brothers in Kenya
      • The brothers in Kenya
      • Back in Nairobi
      • Meetings and retreats in Nairobi
        • Meetings and retreats in Nairobi: program for 2017
        • Meetings and retreats in Nairobi: program for 2013
        • August 2012 : "Looking by ourselves and sharing"
        • April 2012: Three international retreats
        • Meetings in Nairobi : December 2011
        • Meetings in Nairobi: August 2011
        • Meetings in Nairobi: April 2011
        • Meetings at Nairobi: December 2010
        • Meetings at Nairobi: August 2010
        • Retreat at Nairobi: April 2010
    • The brothers in Senegal
      • The brothers in Senegal
      • A fraternité in Dakar
      • Sénégal: Young people from the villages around Taizé visiting Dakar
      • Lets go and see ak benn!
      • "Ak benn"
      • Voluntary drains clean-up in Grand-Yoff!
      • Griots at the Taizé house in Dakar
      • Refugees in Dakar
      • Locked and barred?
      • The children in Dakar are also accompanying COP21
    • The brothers in Bangladesh
      • The brothers in Bangladesh
      • Estema, the “assembly” at Tongi
      • The station children’s club
      • Rajshahi – following the meeting in Kolkata
      • Learning for life: The stipend program schools in Mymensingh
      • "Singing as we go"
      • Islam in Bangladesh
      • As Christmas draws near
      • Sing to the tune of a new life
      • Floods in August 2007
      • Visits in Nepal
      • On Christmas Day: a great gust of joy
      • Bangladesh: Festival for street children in Dhaka
      • Meeting in Mymensingh, June 2012
      • October 2012 : News of the brothers in Bangladesh
      • Bangladesh: A clown in Dhaka’s main railway station
    • The brothers in Korea
      • The brothers in Korea
      • A Life of waiting
      • A visit to the North
      • In Seoul: some hours of prayer and silence
    • The brothers in Brazil
      • The brothers in Brazil
      • A week of prayer for Christian Unity at Alagoinhas
      • Apprenticeships: Thirsting for a future: journeys on paths unknown
      • Brazil, October 2015: Pilgrimage of Trust in Salvador
      • The "brincadeira"
      • The brincadeira: “It is never too late to learn!”
      • The seeing and talking hands club
      • The "Emmaus" children
      • “Jornada da Confiança” at Vitoria da Conquista
      • An evening in the neighbourhood
      • Three months in Haiti
  • The Brothers’ Work
    • Books, CDs, DVDs
    • Download recordings and printable music
    • The ceramic adventure
    • “Circle Colours”
    • New Publications
    • Acts of the two colloquia held at Taizé in 2015
    • A new film: Moments in the Life of Brother Roger
    • New CD: «LAUDAMUS TE»
    • Buy Online
  • Solidarity: Operation Hope
    • An action of solidarity in North Korea
    • Portraits of Some Projects
  • Anniversaries 2015: Towards a new solidarity
    • From 1940 to 2015…
    • Prayers and Acts of Solidarity across the world
    • Many Church Leaders and Representatives of Other Religions at Taizé
    • Gathering for a New Solidarity: Workshops in Taizé
    • 16 August 2015: Messages Received from Religious Leaders
    • Meditations on Joy, Simplicity and Mercy
    • Gathering for a New Solidarity: Photos
    • Taizé: 10 May: Festive and collected atmosphere for the centenary of Brother Roger’s birth
    • Summer 2015: ARTtogether : Exhibition and Hands-On Workshops at Taizé
    • The icon of mercy
    • Gathering for a New Solidarity: Echoes from the week
    • Gathering for a New Solidarity: Workshops at Taizé
 

Brother Alois, Prior of Taizé

Brother Alois (Alois Löser) was born on June 11th, 1954 in Bavaria, subsequently living in Stuttgart. His parents were born and grew up in the Sudetenland, a region then part of Czechoslovakia. Of German origin, Brother Alois has held French nationality since 1984 and is a Roman Catholic.

JPEG - 20.1 kb

After several visits to Taizé, beginning in 1970, he stayed for a year as a volunteer in 1973-1974, taking part in the welcome of young people. He entered the community in 1974. He followed the theological and spiritual training programme for new brothers, and made his life commitment on August 6th, 1978. He has lived at Taizé since then.

As a brother, he has devoted a lot of time to listening to, and accompanying, young people.

JPEG - 21.2 kb

Before the fall of the Berlin Wall, Brother Alois made numerous journeys in central Europe, to support the Christians there, then under communist regimes.

Over the years, he has co-ordinated the organisation of international meetings at Taizé and the European meetings held in several of the continent’s major cities.

Being very interested in music and liturgy, he prepared for publication the new book of the community’s prayer: “Prayer for Each Day”, and he has composed a number of the songs of Taizé.

In keeping with the Rule of Taizé, which plans for the prior to designate his successor, Brother Roger indicated his name to a council of the brothers in January 1988. He had already discreetly made the choice since 1978. Being tired and very old, Brother Roger announced to the community in January 2005 that Brother Alois would begin his ministry within the next year.


Brother Alois became prior of the community at the death of Brother Roger, on August 16th, 2005.

The responsibility of the prior is to stimulate the forward movement of the community and to create unity and communion among the brothers. “When Brother Roger asked me, a very long time ago, to prepare to take on responsibility for the community after him, he didn’t give me instructions; he didn’t tell me how I was to exercise this responsibility; but he left these words: For the prior, as for the brothers, discernment, a spirit of mercy, an inexhaustible goodness of heart, are the irreplaceable gifts.”

Brother Alois carries out this ministry at Taizé and also in visiting the brothers living in small groups in Brazil, Bangladesh, Korea, Senegal, and Kenya: “Twenty or so of our brothers live in small fraternities on other continents. Through this, we wish to be close to the poor and to create bridges between different cultures.”


JPEG - 31.4 kb
In Goma, North Kivu, 2012

With the brothers, Brother Alois continues to animate the ‘pilgrimage of trust’ launched by Brother Roger over thirty years ago. This pilgrimage consists notably of a European meeting, held each year in a major European city; together with a meeting of young people held alternately in Asia, Africa, and Latin America: “Continuing the pilgrimage of trust on earth, which brings together young people from many countries, we understand ever more deeply this reality: all humans make up one single family and God lives in every human being, without exception.”

To help young people to understand faith better, he has published two books: in ‘Oser croire’ (Dare to believe), he explains the essentials of the Christian faith by commenting on the meaning of the major annual feasts, and in ‘Pélerins de confiance’ (Pilgrims of Trust) he draws on, among other things, the annual letters he has written to young people since 2006. “If only many young people could understand this better: faith is not primarily a matter of sticking to truths, but of a personal relationship with God. The centre of our faith is the Risen One, present amongst us, who has a personal link of love and trust with each person.”


JPEG - 16.9 kb
With Pope Francis

Accompanied by other brothers, Brother Alois regularly visits Church leaders: he was received each year by Pope Benedict; he went several times to meet the Orthodox Patriarchs Bartholomew of Constantinople and Kirill of Moscow; he visited the World Council of Churches, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, head of the Anglican Communion.

JPEG - 18.6 kb
In Constantinople, with Patriarch Bartholomew I

“Through these visits I would like to show that, with the brothers, we passionately seek communion between Christians. In Taizé we want to contribute to giving greater visibility to the communion which, in Christ, already exists between all who are baptised.”

JPEG - 20.8 kb
Patriarch Kirill and brother Alois, Easter 2011

JPEG - 27.5 kb
Archbishop Justin Welby and brother Alois, 22 March 2013
©Picture Partnership/Lambeth Palace
Last updated: 3 September 2013

Daily Bible Reading

Fri, 6 December
James writes: Let no one say when they are tempted, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.
James 1:12-15
more...

For the Diary

 Search events

Podcasts

2019-12-05 : Espère en Dieu + Psalms 80 / Eph 2:19-22 / Wait for the Lord / Notre père / Prayer by Brother Alois / Nimm alles von mir
IMG/mp3/podcast_2019-12-05.mp3
5 December 2019
2019-11-28 : Alleluia 16 + Ps. 66 / Mt 26,36-46 / Aber du weißt den Weg für mich / Prayer by Brother Alois / Bénissez le Seigneur
IMG/mp3/podcast_2019-11-28.mp3
28 November 2019
more...

New CD: «LAUDAMUS TE»


Community

  • Some Recent News
  • Visit of Patriarch Bartholomew to Taizé
  • Vocation and History
  • Brother Roger, Founder of Taizé
  • Other people on Taizé
  • Brothers living in other places
  • The Brothers’ Work
  • Solidarity: Operation Hope
  • Anniversaries 2015: Towards a new solidarity

At the Wellspring of Faith

  • Prayer
  • Songs
  • Meditations and Reflections

Coming to Taizé

  • Youth Meetings
  • Specific information for 2019
  • Specific information for 2020
  • Travel to Taizé
  • UK School & College Weeks
  • UK University Weeks
  • Testimonies by young adults
  • Multimedia
  • Some Recent News

Around the World

  • Small Provisional Communities
  • Africa
  • Americas
  • Asia Pacific
  • Europe
  • Middle East

Copyright © Ateliers et Presses de Taizé

This website

[ top | Sitemap | Home]

  • Contact
  • Times of prayers at Taizé
  • News by email