Taize, Schenectady link through brothers' visit

He found the brothers' solidarity and prayerful lifestyle in a tranquil setting quite fulfilling, and he looked forward to traveling with them to foreign countries and helping people discover meaning and hope in their lives.

The brothers attract thousands of visitors year round and draw huge crowds wherever they go: 19,000 people in London, 80,000 in Prague and 200,000 in Dayton, Ohio.

Pedro became Brother Pedro and has been a member of the Taize community for 27 years. He and Brother Donagh came to St. John the Evangelist parish in Schenectady recently to speak about their monastic community and show an educational video.

The following night featured prayer with music, for which Taize has gained much of its popularity. The brothers visited the cluster parishes of St. John's, St. Mary's and Holy Cross during their stay.

Founded by Brother Roger in 1940, the Taize community began when he visited the tiny village in eastern France and assisted political refugees, mostly Jews, who were fleeing the Nazi occupation.

His goal was to form a "parable of community" rooted in the monastic tradition with no divisions among Christians; its members would take a vow of celibacy and commit themselves to material and spiritual sharing. Today, the Taize community includes more than 100 Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran and Reformed brothers from 25 countries.

Since the 1960s, many visitors between the ages of 17 and 30 have visited Taize during week-long meetings run by the community. They explore sources of faith and search for ways of combining inner life and human solidarity.

Brothers and visitors gather in the Church of Reconciliation three times daily for prayer that consists of short, musical refrains taken from Scripture and is used in churches around the world.

Brother Pedro was part of a group of Taize brothers that came to Hell's Kitchen in New York City in 1978 to spread their message of prayer, hospitality and work among the needy.

"We came to share with the people of that neighborhood where we lived, to open the doors of our home to those who wanted to pray with us and to look in the neighborhood for signs of hope," he said.

Brother Donagh, whose first trip to the United States is this current visit, emphasized the importance of the Taize brothers traveling abroad to meet people throughout the world as part of the "pilgrimage of trust on Earth" that is at the heart of their calling.

Often, the brothers live and work among people in impoverished areas in Asia, Latin America, Africa and the United States.

This "pilgrimage of trust on Earth" movement also has led the Taize community to such places as Paris, Rome, Poland and the Philippines. More than 100,000 young people from eastern and western Europe gathered for the European meeting in Paris in 1994; this year's event is scheduled for Milan, Italy.

The musical form of prayer for which the Taize brothers have become so well-known, Brother Donagh explained, is based upon brief, Scriptural passages that are repeated over and over again.

Originally, these prayers were in French, but they were translated into other languages beginning 25 years ago in order to be understood by people of more nationalities.

Language didn't seem to be an obstacle for Andrea McAfee, an Albany resident who has visited Taize and spoke during the event at St. John's. She has visited Taize twice, 1983 and 1995, and has felt her spirituality deepen with each stay. Her fellow visitors came from such countries as Nigeria and Zimbabwe, but language didn't seem to pose a problem.

"There was this language that was beyond words, this love. There's no judgmental attitudes at all. You come as you are, and everybody is accepted for who they are," she said.

During her most recent visit, which lasted two weeks, she spent an entire week in silence and got a sense of the peaceful lifestyle that the brothers lead.

"You could really see their life of simplicity that brings such joy," she said.

(St. John the Evangelist Church hosts an evening prayer with music from Taize on the last Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. For more information about the Taize community, check out their website at http://www.taize.fr or call 212-246-0029.)

(11-12-98) [[In-content Ad]]