Today there are over 80 brothers in the community from all religious backgrounds, with Roger Schulze, or Brother Roger, as he is now known, as their Abbot. They are scattered worldwide. The brothers accept no donations or gifts for themselves, not even family inheritances, and the community holds no capital. The brothers earn their living and share with others entirely through their own work.
Taizé is a religious community that offers spiritual refreshment to people drawn from a wide variety of Christian denominations, including Protestant and Roman Catholic believers. It places the theme of reconciliation at the center of its life and worship, embracing many of the old monastic ideals but incorporate modern Christian concerns and ways of worshiping. Taizé encourages people to become makers of peace, bearers of reconciliation in the Church and of trust on earth, by becoming involved in their own neighbourhoods, towns and villages, in their parishes, with all the generations, from children to elderly people.
Today Taizé has become a place of pilgrimage for young people from all over the world. It can be visited by members of all the Churches, all religions and by people who have no religion. This is because the whole idea of Taizé is about reconciliation. It tries to break down the barriers between different denominations and branches of the church.
Taizé is visited each year by thousands of travelers, mostly young people, from all over the world. They are invited to spend a week with the community and to extend their stay with a further week of silence.
The food is simple, and the hospitality is warm and friendly. People from all around the world camp in the fields around the monastery, taking part in private and public worship, discussions and manual work. Some might help in the kitchens, or do other odd jobs on the land.
The worship contains simple songs in Latin and in other languages. People join in the community’s worship 3 times a day, listen to Bible introductions on the sources of the faith, spend time reflecting in silence, and meet in small sharing groups. They share deeply about their searching and their struggles to live out their faith.
Taizé prayer practices include silent meditation, the singing of improvised hymns, songs, the burning of candles and incense, and, in some cases, the chanting of Hindu-style mantras.
The community encourages participants to return home and to take back what they have discovered and put it into practice in the concrete conditions of their life: their parishes, their work or study, their families.
A week in Taizé can be a life-transforming experience for those who take part. Many people receive spiritual strength while they are there to go back to their normal life and be effective witnesses to the power of God in their lives.
They find a meaning to their life. One of Christ’s secrets is that he loved people first. There lies the meaning of life: to be loved forever, to be forgiven and trusted by God.
