Taizé Prayers around Georgiaduring Lent (see new listing in Macon)
Monday, February 19, and March 18, 8:00 p.m., Cathedral of Saint Philip, 2744 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, GA. 7:00 p.m., Labyrinth walk, Child Hall; 8 p.m., Taizé Service, Mikell Chapel, Third Mondays.
Thursday, February 22, 7:30 PM, St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 636 W. Ponce de Leon, Decatur, 30030. Parking along the street in front of the church. Tea and cookies following. Quarterly prayer.
Tuesday, February 27, and March 26, 7:00 p.m., Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church, 471 Mt. Vernon Highway NE, Sandy Springs, GA 30328. Labyrinth available during prayer. Fourth Tuesdays.
New Listing! Wednesdays, 5:30 – 6:00 p.m., Vineville United Methodist Church, 2045 Vineville Avenue, Macon, Georgia 31204. https://vinevillemethodist.com/taize/ Includes a communion service. Weekly.
News
The new Prior of Taizé, Br. Matthew, wrote the annual Letter from Taizé with the theme “Journeying Together.” It is a reflection on what it means to journey together as ecumenical Christians. “You have one teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters” (MT 23:8), Jesus said. Are not all Christians sisters and brothers, united in a communion that is still imperfect but nevertheless real? Is it not Christ who calls us and opens a way for us to go forward with him as fellow travelers, together with those who live on the margins of our societies? On this journey, in a dialogue that reconciles, we want to remember that we need each other, not so as to impose our opinions, but as a contribution to peace in the human family.” Here is where you can find the Taizé Letter 2024. May it inspire you!
In January, Taizé Atlanta musicians joined with others to accompany the Prayer for Christian Unity organized by the Archdiocese of Atlanta. You can watch and listen to them play Laudate Dominum during the processional here . That evening they also accompanied Focolare musicians as they played their original song, “One in Him”, written for last year’s Prayer for the Week of Christian Unity. You can see a video here. Enjoy!
“The exchange with God becomes real for us in prayer: by his Holy Spirit, God comes to dwell within us. By his word and by the sacraments, Christ gives himself to us. In return, we can surrender everything to him.” - Brother Alois, Letter from Cochabamba
Prayer for Christian Unity, Wednesday, January 24, 7:00PM. Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 4465 Northside Dr NW, Atlanta, GA 30327.. “You shall love the Lord your God …and your neighbor as yourself…” is the theme for the international week of prayer for Christian Unity. Please join representatives from different Christian denominations for a Service of Prayer. Taize musicians will be assisting! Come join us!
Monday, February 19, 8:00 p.m., Cathedral of Saint Philip, 2744 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, GA. 7:00 p.m., Labyrinth walk, Child Hall; 8 p.m., Taizé Service, Mikell Chapel, Third Mondays.
Thursday, February 22, 7:30 PM, Lenten Taizé Prayer, St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 636 W. Ponce de Leon, Decatur, 30030. Parking along the street in front of the church. Tea and cookies following. Quarterly prayer.
Tuesday, February 27, 7:00 p.m., Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church, 471 Mt. Vernon Highway NE, Sandy Springs, GA 30328. Labyrinth available during prayer. Fourth Tuesdays.
Thursday, December 14, 7:30 PM, St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 636 W. Ponce de Leon, Decatur, 30030. Parking along the street in front of the church. Tea and holiday cookies following. Quarterly prayer.
Monday, December 18, 8:00 p.m., Cathedral of Saint Philip, 2744 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, GA. 7:00 p.m., Labyrinth walk, Child Hall; 8 p.m., Taizé Service, Mikell Chapel; 9 p.m., Holiday Reception, Court of Gratitude. Third Mondays.
Tuesday, December 19, 7:00 p.m., Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church, 471 Mt. Vernon Highway NE, Sandy Springs, GA 30328. Labyrinth available during prayer. Fourth Tuesdays.
Taizé News!The Taizé Community has a new prior. On Saturday, December 2, Brother Alois handed over his office to Brother Matthew in the presence of representatives of various Churches and many friends of the Community, as well as the young people in Taizé for the week. For an interview with Br. Matthew, the new prior, listen here…
Taize, Dec 2, 2023
Foto: Tamino Petelinsek/Taize
tamino7@gmail.com
Monday, November 20, and December 18, 8:00 p.m., Cathedral of Saint Philip, 2744 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, GA. There is a monthly labyrinth walk from 7:00-8:00 before the prayer. An introduction to how to walk the labyrinth is at 6:30. Third Mondays.
Tuesday,November 28, and December 19, 7:00 p.m., Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church, 471 Mt. Vernon Highway NE, Sandy Springs, GA 30328. Labyrinth available during prayer. Fourth Tuesdays.
Thursday, December 14, 7:30 PM, St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 636 W. Ponce de Leon, Decatur, 30030. Parking along the street in front of the church. Tea and cookies following. Quarterly prayer.
Thanksgiving Blessings in the next week and blessings on your Advent preparations! Thank you for subscribing to this newsletter and please forward it to anyone who might want to know about the prayers.
If you are interested in the various books and music books by and about the Taizé Community, you can scan the variety available in the US at this link. This will provide links to the publishers and sources here in the US and Canada.
For Taizé related gifts, visit their Web Shop here. You can buy icons, posters, prayer benches, soap, cookies and gift boxes made by the Community, among other things. The Taizé brothers created a board game based on the lives of the desert fathers and mothers called Trellis. Try it out and report back!
Subscribe to this blog post newsletter for emails about monthly prayers and other news.
Monday, October 16, 8:00 p.m., Cathedral of Saint Philip, 2744 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, GA.https://www.stphilipscathedral.org. There is a monthly labyrinth walk from 7:00-8:00 before the prayer. An introduction to how to walk the labyrinth is at 6:30.
Tuesday,September 26, 7:00 p.m., Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church, 471 Mt. Vernon Highway NE, Sandy Springs, GA 30328. Labyrinth available during prayer.
Replay of Together Ecumenical Prayer Vigil in Rome: For those of you who missed the Taizé Ecumenical Prayer vigil in Rome last month, you can watch it on YouTube here. Br. Emile hosts the video broadcast and shares about his journey to become a brother and other details about the prayer. The first half includes beautiful words from refugees and immigrants, a dramatization, symbolic offerings, musical performances and gifts brought to the gathering. The second half is the Taize prayer with scripture readings. It is well worth watching in these times of needed hope.
**BROTHER EMILE VISITS USA THIS FALL** If you know anyone who would like to join in any of the meetings, retreats and prayers listed below, please spread the word. Most are open to the public.
Washington, D.C., Baltimore, AnnapolisFrom 15 to 24 October 2023, in the Washington D.C.-Baltimore, Annapolis area. The following events are open to the public:
Tuesday, October 17, 10.30 am, Bible Study Fairlington UMC, 3900 King St., Alexandria, VA, and at 7pm, Evening Prayer, at Fairlington UMC, 3900 King St. Alexandria, VA, Wednesday, October 18, 7pm, Evening Prayer at Foundry UMC, 1500 16th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20036. Thursday, October 19, 5pm Evening Prayer at Hood College, 401 Rosemont Ave, Frederick, MD 2170Saturday, October 21, 12:00 pm : Noon Prayer with Christians from various church denominations in Annapolis at First Presbyterian Church, 171 Duke of Gloucester Street, Annapolis, MD 21401. Sunday, October 22, 6.30 pm , Evening prayer and conversation at St. Stephen’s Martyr Catholic Church, 2436 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C., 20037. Monday, October 23, 6.30 pm : Evening Prayer at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 3513 N Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20007
Princeton, New Jersey – Tuesday, October 24, 7 pm, Evening Prayer at Nassau Presbyterian Church, Nassau’s Sanctuary, 61 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ 08542
New York City – Thursday, October 26, Manhattan, New York City, Noon prayer at James Chapel at Union Theological Seminary from 12;00PM to 12:45PM, 3041 Broadway, New York, NY 10027. Open to the public. Thursday, October 26, Brooklyn, New York, 7 pm: Park Slope United Methodist, 410 6th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11226. “Join the Park Slope & Gowanus community in welcoming our new migrant neighbors with a night of food, hospitality, and community. Food, cooked by our new neighbors, will be available from 7pm-8pm. 8pm. Evening Prayer. Friday, October 27, 8 pm: An evening at Maryhouse Catholic Worker, 55 E 3rd St., New York, NY 10003A. This evening will include prayer, reflections, Q&A, and also refreshments. Contact for these and other NYC events: Liam Meyers: myers.liamg@gmail.com
New Jersey– Sunday, October 29, 7 pm, Evening Prayer at Holy Trinity Church, 506 Westfield Ave, Westfield NJ 07090.
San Francisco and Bay Area – From 30 October to 6 November. Various activities to be announced, but the main event is a full Taizé weekend (retreat) for young adults between the ages of 21 and 40, from 3 to 5th November in San Francisco. Write to taizesf2023@gmail.com and the organizers of the weekend will send you the flyer. This is how the group of young adults in San Francisco preparing the event has presented the weekend: “Our retreat location, the Verbum Dei Missionary Fraternity home, is located in the Mission of San Francisco, one of the oldest settlements in the city. The neighborhood is home to a diverse immigrant population, a unique mixture of faith, popular religiosity, and politics, and is a microcosm of some of the extreme inequalities and pressing social justice issues facing the Bay Area, which the retreat will reflect upon.
Seattle, WA – From 6 to 8 November. Tuesday, November 7, Seattle University, 7 pm prayer in the chapel of St. Ignatius, 901 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122. Wednesday, November 8, 7.30 pm Prayer followed by conversation at Epiphany church (Episcopal) , 1805 38th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122, www.epiphanyseattle.org
Victoria, B.C. (Canada) (I’m including this for the Americans who live nearby). Thursday, November 9th, 7.30 pm Evening Prayer at Saint John’s, United church, 10990 West Saanich Road, Deep Cove, B.C.
Spokane, WA – Tuesday, November 14, from 11am to 11.30am, Prayer at Seeley Mudd Chapel, Whitworth University, 300 West Hawthorne Road, Spokane, Washington, 99251, 7 pm, Evening Prayer at Seeley Mudd Chapel, Whitworth University, 300 West Hawthorne Road, Spokane, Washington, 99251.
To enable as many people as possible to take part in the ecumenical prayer vigil on 30 September,the teams of “Vatican Media” will be live broadcasting the pre-vigil program between 11:30 am and 1:00 pm (EST) and the the Prayer Vigil from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm (EST) at this link.
The Vigil will be presided over by Pope Francis in the presence of Patriarch Bartholomew, Archbishop Justin Welby, the General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation, Rev. Anne Burghardt, and many church leaders from different denominations. Tune in Live if you can, or watch the recording and add your prayers…
To follow along with the program on St. Peter’s square on Saturday, you can download the songs they will be singing here. The whole program can be accessed by scanning the QR code in the photo below with a smart phone. Check out our Facebook page to get updates.
You can hear from various church leaders and their invitations to pray for the gathering of Bishops in Rome at this link. Let us join our prayers for the Universal Church expressed in all confessions. The Synod meeting in Rome will run from October 4 to 29, 2023, and will need our prayers all the way through.
The Synod offers a hope of a greater communion with diverse Christians. That there is a unity given in Christ through the Holy Spirit. We need something that will show us creative ways of coming together as Christians even though we don’t agree on all things.
Let us join together, lift our hearts in prayer and rejoice at the beginning of this new journey!
‘Together: Gathering of the People of God,” an Ecumenical Prayer Vigil, is organized by the Taizé Community at the call of Pope Francis. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Archbishop Bartholomew I of Constantinople and other Church leaders will be in Rome with the Pope, Taizé Community, and young adults on September 30. In Atlanta, churches have organized Vigils to join those gathering in Rome, lifting hearts and voices together in praise, prayer and silence, listening to the Word and praying for the unity of the Church and the world. It began at St. Thomas More on September 14 with a wonderful turnout from around the city.
This week, the Ecumenical Prayer Vigil continues at Mt. Vernon Presbyterian Church on Tuesday, September 26 at 7pm and then on Thursday, September 28 at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Philip at 6:30pm in the Mikell Chapel. For details see below. Learn more about the Ecumenical Vigil in Rome at together2023.net.
Br. Emile and Br. Alois, the Prior of Taize both sent video greetings to Atlanta this summer, which you can see on our YouTube Channel. Brother Emile’s message encourages those of us who persevere in prayer. He describes the connection between trust and faith and inner and outer solidarity. When we persevere in prayer, it creates an atmosphere of encouragement that says, “Do not build your life on fear.” We need sources to renew our trust. Coming together in prayer is a way of contributing to building lives based on something other than fear, to building life based on trust.
Mt. Vernon Presbyterian joins the Ecumenical “Together” Prayer Vigil tomorrow night, Tuesday,September 26, 7:00 p.m. Mt. Vernon Presbyterian is located at 471 Mt. Vernon Highway NE, Sandy Springs, GA 30328. A labyrinth will be available during prayer. Contact person: Isaac Toney-Schmitt: isaac@mvpchurch.org.
The Episcopal Cathedral of St. Philip joins the Vigil on Thursday, September 28 at 6:30pm in the Mikell Chapel. The Rev. Monsignor Francis G. McNamee of the Cathedral of Christ the King will give the homily. The Cathedral of St. Philip is located at 2744 Peachtree Road, NW, Atlanta. Questions? Contact the Rev. Salmoon Bashir at 404-365-1035 or Sbashir@cathedralatl.org
Don’t forget to check out our Facebook page and follow us there for another source of updates and shared articles, videos and news from Taizé.
Br. Alois sent Atlanta a video greeting and an invitation to join the worldwide Ecumenical Prayer Vigil.
Together: Gathering of the People of God, an Ecumenical Prayer Vigil, September 14, 7:30 pm, St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 636 W. Ponce de Leon Ave. Decatur, GA 30030
Please join us this Thursday at St. Thomas More Catholic Church at 7:30 PM for a special service in the spirit of Taizé. We will join with people around the world during September, praying for the future of the human family and a renewed spirit of unity in the church. This service will be modeled on the Together: Gathering of the People of God prayer vigil organized by the Taize Community to be held in Rome on September 30. It will include special readings and intercessions, songs and silence and participation by the ecumenical body of lay and clergy. Tea and cookies following.
The bishop’s synod in October signifies the Catholic church’s steps toward listening to the whole people of God. The Taizé Community, which proposed the Ecumenical Vigil, and the Pope, have invited people from all confessions to join together in Rome and around the world to pray as One.
Pope Francis says: “The path toward Christian unity and the path toward synodal conversion of the church are linked.” To read Pope Francis’ invitation to the Ecumenical Prayer Vigil in Rome, click here; to learn more about the Ecumenical Vigil in general click here.
If you would like a song sheet ahead of time, or with any other questions, email Lisa at lisapersons@mac.com.
Together: Gathering of the People of God, an Ecumenical Prayer Vigil, September 14, 7:30 pm, St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 636 W. Ponce de Leon Ave. Decatur, GA 30030
Please join us this Thursday at St. Thomas More Catholic Church at 7:30 PM for a special service in the spirit of Taizé. We will join with people around the world during September, praying for the future of the human family and a renewed spirit of unity in the church. This service will be modeled on the Together: Gathering of the People of God prayer vigil organized by the Taize Community to be held in Rome on September 30. It will include special readings and intercessions, songs and silence and participation by the ecumenical body of lay and clergy. Tea and cookies following.
The bishop’s synod in October signifies the Catholic church’s steps toward listening to the whole people of God. The Taizé Community, which proposed the Ecumenical Vigil, and the Pope, have invited people from all confessions to join together in Rome and around the world to pray as One.
Pope Francis says: “The path toward Christian unity and the path toward synodal conversion of the church are linked.” To read Pope Francis’ invitation to the Ecumenical Prayer Vigil in Rome, click here; to learn more about the Ecumenical Vigil in general click here.
If you would like a song sheet ahead of time, or with any other questions, email Lisa at lisapersons@mac.com.
Thursday, September 14, 7:30 pm, St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 636 W. Ponce de Leon Ave. Decatur, GA 30030
Join us at St. Thomas More as we unite with individuals around the world to pray in an Ecumenical Prayer Vigil for the upcoming Bishop’s Synod in Rome this fall. In Atlanta, we will gather to pray through song, scripture, prayer and silence for these efforts to open the doors of Christian unity and to give space to different voices to be heard. Let us come together in gratitude and prayer that fruit may be brought forth! Refreshments following.
This Synod signifies the Catholic church’s new steps toward listening to the whole people of God. The Taizé Community, which proposed the Gathering, and the Pope have invited people from all confessions to join together in Rome and around the world to pray as one. Pope Francis says: “The path toward Christian unity and the path toward synodal conversion of the church are linked”.
To read Pope Francis’ invitation to the Ecumenical Prayer Vigil in Rome, click here; to learn more about the Ecumenical Vigil in general click here .
Please pass this email on to anyone who you think would be interested! Thank you!
Contact Lisa Persons for more information, to help out, to get a copy of the songs ahead of time or with any other questions at lisapersons@mac.com or (404)218-5527.
Taizé Atlanta 
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