Taizé and the art of silence

Taizé is not a religious denomination, but a style of worship that originated in the town of Taizé in the south of France.

The idea of Taizé is that people spend too much time talking and not enough listening to God.

“The idea is that God speaks in silence more often than words,” says Rev. Jen Garbin from the Milton Christian Church.

Services take about 45 – 60 minutes, with only about 15 minutes spent in prayer and singing. Emphasis is also put on how the prayer space is arranged, to make it as harmonious and as welcoming as possible.

“It can be a little daunting the first time people try it. People aren’t used to sitting in silence for even five minutes, let along 15-20,” says Rev. Garbin. “Silence is scary, because you have to face yourself.”

However, she says the more one practices the easier it is to slip into the quietness. It becomes a place to feel refreshed and rejuvenated.

The service is ecumenical, which means it is open to all people, not just of a certain faith.

“The central belief behind it is that we are all God’s creatures,” she says. “The largest section of the population says they are spiritual, but not religious.”

She says the traditional style of Sunday worship doesn’t appeal to everyone, while Taizé appeals to a broader base.

“They’re trying to find the divine and understand what it is all about, but the standard fare of old hymns, books of prayers and sermons just don’t fit the lifestyle today. They want a spiritual experience, not a religious one. Taizé offers that spiritual experience.”

Brother Roger started Taizé in 1940, when he sheltered refugees in World War II. Out of discretion for the Jewish and Agnostic refugees, Brother Roger left the house when he prayed and sang. Out of this eventually sprang the idea of worship outside of traditional denominations.

Since then the worship style has grown to dozens of countries and communities around the world.

For more information on Taizé, contact Rev. Jen Garbin at miltonsummervill@eastlink.ca. Information on the Taizé community can be found at www.taize.fr.

The worship service begins 7 p.m. on the first Friday of each month.