Perspectief 2014-25

2014-25 Description of the practice 15 Reageer community, is only one example of the effort given to addapt to the unforseen circumstances. 5 Regularly, some eighty of the brothers are present in Taizé. The other 20-30 brothers live in small communities in poor areas in countries like India, Kenya and the Philippines. The brothers present in Taizé care for the youth that have come to join them for the week and earn the living of the community e.g. by working in the pottery and the shop. Daily life is centered around the three prayer services. Since communion is administered in the morning prayer, I will only describe this service extensively in the next paragraph. Two other services take place on a daily basis: a Catholic mass that I will describe as well, and a Protestant service. The latter takes place in the Orthodox chapel. This chapel is not located in the community’s main building, the Church of Reconciliation, but right next to it. In this service the Protestant holy Supper is celebrated, of which the bread is also is administered in the morning prayer. 2.2 Practices involving Eucharist and communion 2.2.1 Principles The current situation is the outcome of over sixty years of improvisation, according to brother Roger’s principle of the dynamic of the provisional. The prayer services of the community have evolved over time. They have been adapted to suit various situations: from a small all Protestant community of just a few men, to a situation where thousands of people from all kinds of ecclesial backgrounds join the prayers of a community of over a hundred brothers with very diverse backgrounds as well. Many Catholics have joined the community – current prior brother Alois is a Catholic. More changes are likely to follow, since the fall of Communism has enabled more and more Eastern Orthodox to find their way to Taizé too. 5 The community’s website presents panoramic photographs of the interior of the Church of Reconciliation : http://www.taize.fr/en_article12734.html . Sections can be closed down by lowering garage door-like systems, reducing the size of the church hall in the ‘low seasons’ and enabling multifunctional use of the building throughout the day.