Sharing a profound message of peace and trust
October 2024 – Drew Theological School was privileged to welcome Brother Emile of the Taizé community in France for an evening of conversation about the Taizé ethos of peace building, communal living, and approach to worship.
The Taizé community, a small village outside of Burgundy, comprises approximately eighty brothers from different church and geographical backgrounds.
Each year, the Taizé community welcomes tens of thousands of young adults from across the world to gather and experience prayer and life together with time for biblical reflection and exchange with others.
Brother Emile, who joined the Taizé community in 1976, was welcomed by Theological School Dean Edwin David Aponte, and previous Taizé visitors E. Stanley Jones Chair of Evangelism Daniel Shin and Jeff Markay C’88, T’95, pastor of Chatham United Methodist Church in Chatham, New Jersey.
“In Taizé, the gospel seemed to make sense in ways it had not before,” said Markey. “Prayer, Christian community, service, the scriptures, discipleship, liberation—it all seemed to take on new meaning at Taizé.”
A full Craig Chapel and online audience were treated to a history and overview of the Taizé way of life from Brother Emile as he shared stories on the impact of love, peace, and trust when surrounded by the darkness of injustice, war, and other atrocities.
“When evil and suffering are experienced intensely, it becomes difficult to imagine the good,” said Brother Emile. “Evil is considered to be real—everything else is unreal. We are led to see evil everywhere.”
“What helps us to resist seeing the fatalism of evil is the power of the imagination,” he continued. “Imagining a different way of living in the world can be a first act of resistance to the claim of evil. The building of the good requires our imagination if it is to become reality.”
Brother Emile emphasized that trust is vital within the Taizé community. “The most important word is trust,” he said. “Absence of trust is a main obstacle to being creative. Taizé is a place where we go together to find sources of trust. Imagination, risk, and trust go hand in hand. Trust is the fundamental reality to be creative.”
Brother Emile welcomed questions from the audience. Associate Professor of American Religious Studies Terry Todd asked Brother Emile for advice to rebuild trust surrounding the election.
“All you need is to want things to change—we can’t go on divided,” responded Brother Emile. “Churches can be safe spaces where we can have conversations and get to know each other—to tell and listen to our stories.”
When asked what he misses the most about Taizé when he is away, Brother Emile responded, “ I appreciate the peace. The peace of Taizé is special.”
Brother Emile led the participants in a service of prayer and worship in the Taizé tradition, filled with song, scripture, and participation within the Drew community.
The event concluded with a reception.
