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  • All Souls All Saints Taizé Service

    Taizé chants + prayers + imposition in honor of All Souls/All Saints

    WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2023, 7:30 P.M.

     

    WINCHESTER, MA: Live in-person from the stunning Ripley Chapel at First Congregational Church, Winchester. First Congregational Church offers a poignant and meditative service, featuring the ecumenical prayers and music of France’s Taizé community. All denominations are welcome.

     

    As Autumn firmly takes root, please join us for this simple service – of Scripture, prayer, silence, and meditative singing – modeled after the rich and beautiful Taizé tradition. Our ministers will guide us in prayer and silence; voice, violin, cello, guitar, and piano will lead beautiful songs and chants, as a reminder and celebration of God’s love and forgiveness. This special tradition is a “parable of reconciliation and community.”

     

    The service will include a time to remember loved ones we have lost. As we approach Allhallowtide (the sacred days of All Souls and All Saints), there will be an opportunity to light candles and create an altar of remembrance. Feel free to bring a small photo or memento with you. Be assured that this is not a requirement – we will provide other decorations for the altar building.

     

    What is Taizé? Simply put, a small village in France, near to Lyon. The Taizé community is a uniquely ecumenical monastic order with a strong devotion to peace and justice through prayer and meditation. The 100-strong community of Roman Catholic and Protestant monks is drawn from 30 countries across the world. From its beginning, the community has been inspired by two aims: to live in communion with God through prayer and song and to be a leaven of peace and trust in the midst of the human family.

     

    As the Taizé community tells us,

    “To open the gates of trust in God, nothing can replace the beauty of human voices united in song. This beauty can give us a glimpse of heaven’s joy on earth.

    An inner life begins to blossom within us.”

     

    The worship service will be live in-person only. For more information, please visit www.fcc-winchester.org or contact Jane Ring Frank at 857-919-0983 or at jringfrank@gmail.com.