24 April 2011
Around the World2011 Pilgrimage in MoscowThis morning we took part in the liturgy in the parish of the Icon of Our Lady, Joy of All the Afflicted, presided by Metropolitan Hilarion.
Olga writes about the day’s services; "Holy Saturday Liturgy – Great Saturday in Russian. The church is still immersed in grief. The dark clothes tell of this, reminding us of the fate of Christ on the Cross throughout Lent. But the moment comes when (...)
23 April 2011
Around the World2011 Pilgrimage in MoscowIn Moscow, from Wednesday 20 to Monday 25 April 2011, six parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church welcomed Brother Alois, four other brothers of the community and 240 young adults from 26 countries, who took part in the Orthodox liturgical life from Wednesday of Holy Week to Easter Sunday.It was the first time that Taizé had led a pilgrimage to Russia. On Holy Thursday, Archpriest Vsevolod (...)
6 January 2007
Around the WorldAnnual European Meetings40,000 young Europeans fill up with hope The 40,000 young adults gathered together by Taizé in the Croatian capital from 28 December to 1 January were very warmly welcomed by the city and by the families. The aim was to go to the sources of trust in God and in others. Just before the departure for Zagreb, the final practical information sheet had recommended taking warm clothes. The advice was far from superfluous. Huddled behind a small mountain, the Croatian capital is not sheltered from the rigours of winter. Prudently, everyone had (...)
5 January 2006
Around the WorldAnnual European Meetings50,000 young adults in Milan from 28th December 2005 until Sunday 1st January 2006 for Taizé’s 28th European young adult meeting, the first since the death of frère Roger.Milan filled with the spirit of Brother Roger
A text message from a friend during the night. Anne remembered long afterwards how she heard about the death of Brother Roger on 16 August last year, while she was on holiday. “My first reaction was to wonder how such violence could exist,” says the 28 year old school teacher. “I had in mind images of the village of Taizé, of the (...)
17 March 2005
Around the WorldAnnual European Meetings“If at present we are undertaking a pilgrimage of trust on earth with young people from every continent, that is because we are aware of how urgent peace is. We can contribute to peace to the extent that we try and reply to the following questions by the life we live: Can I become a bearer of trust where I live? Am I ready to understand others better and better?” This is how Brother Roger spoke on December 28th to the 40,000 young adults together for the 27th annual meeting.“I rediscovered my parish through the meeting”
Some 10,000 families (...)
30 May 2004
Around the WorldAnnual European MeetingsThe Face of the Church as Communion
“Whoever looks to God will shine; their faces will not be downcast,” sings the psalmist. In Hamburg, in trust and simplicity, one could see a light shining on the face of the Church. That light revealed its true face, its face of communion.
In Hamburg as in many other places, the Church is sometimes viewed as an out-of-date institution, with no appreciation of the beauty of today’s world, a vestige of the past that is afraid to accept present-day society. And yet it bears within it a Gospel reality, (...)
22 May 2003
Around the WorldAnnual European MeetingsThis winter, just a few days after the Copenhagen summit meeting that gave the final endorsement for the entry into the European Union of ten new central European countries, almost 80,000 young people from an even larger Europe came together in Paris to celebrate the Risen Christ, the bearer of peace.Perhaps more than in previous years, the European meeting was noticed and understood far beyond religious circles. “Christian Europe from Copenhagen to Taizé,” “The united Europe of young Christians in Taizé,” “The young people of Taizé will make (...)
22 May 2002
Around the WorldAnnual European MeetingsHospitality, A Face of God
Opening one’s door to strangers is never easy. As a result of months of work, many people could be welcomed not just in Budapest but in many places in the surrounding area.
The morning of December 28th, thousands of Hungarian families were impatiently waiting to meet the young people they would be hosting for the next five days. Will they manage to arrive? Will they be delayed by the snowstorm blanketing part of central Europe? Will customs formalities at the border take an incredibly long time? How will we deal (...)
22 May 2001
Around the WorldAnnual European MeetingsSharing a Hope
Traffic signs directed the coaches to pass by the hill of Montjuic, through a park of palm trees and cacti that overlooks the sea and offers a magnificent panorama of the city. “What a beautiful city! Such light! And what warmth!” You could hear these words in the coaches, especially in those which were arriving from the North of Europe.
A Long PreparationYoung people from many different countries, as well as those from the city and the region, had spent several months preparing for the meeting. But for all of them, it was a (...)