Fr. Daniel Renaud, chaplain at Saint Paul University, said the musical and artistic inclinations of this year’s retreat attracted youth, and though the songs were simple, they carried important theological messages. However, there were many times when silence prevailed throughout the weekend as well.
“Silence is not encouraged in society. The louder it is, the harder it is to identify one’s needs. We should not be afraid of silence,” Renaud said.
Focusing on a letter from Kenya, this Taizé retreat used African life, prayer and spirituality as an inspirational template for worship.
“People in Africa have the gift of knowing how to be together,” said Brother Emile. “Some things don’t exist alone.”
The retreat brought in people not only from Ottawa, but from out-of-town areas as well.
Jamie Mills, 26, from Boulder, Colorado, said, “I felt a contentment here I haven’t felt since the previous Taizé retreat I attended two years ago.”
Mills, who is part of a small Taizé group at his home parish, made the road trip with Courtney Chapman, 22. Chapman said they made the trek to Ottawa to experience something closer, rather than receive second hand information.
The Taizé retreat brings the participants together through communication, worship and a common yearning for Catholic knowledge and deepened spirituality.
Brother Emile said that young people come to receive new inspiration, as they look for new vitality. Other people, he said, wonder if there’s something in Christianity for them.
Through the songs and worship, people are able to reflect with clarity upon their faith and begin to try to answer the retreat’s thematic question of, “What is the source from which we draw life?”
“Beauty is disarming. We are not afraid of beauty. We can reflect in the disarming beauty of God,” said Brother Emile.
The last day brought many faith-awakened people to the microphone during closing ceremonies.
Renaud took his turn at the microphone and left a message of reflection and inspiration for the participants.
“Young people are the present of their churches. They are the future.”
(Windsor, 19, studies journalism at Carleton University in Ottawa.)
Taizé retreat draws 300 to Saint Paul University
By Hillary Windsor, Youth Speak News
{mosimage}OTTAWA - The world-renowned Taizé form of prayer was practised by nearly 300 young people at Saint Paul University in Ottawa March 13-15.
Led by Brother Emile, the first Canadian to join the Taizé community as a brother in France, the retreat joined people in music, prayer and special readings, allowing them to connect with themselves and those around them. Although Brother Emile has been sharing Taizé with Canadians in retreats for more than a decade, the full weekend retreat has alternately been held in Montreal and Toronto for the past two years. This March, Brother Emile was to make only short visits to Montreal, Toronto, Peterborough and London for evening retreats.
Led by Brother Emile, the first Canadian to join the Taizé community as a brother in France, the retreat joined people in music, prayer and special readings, allowing them to connect with themselves and those around them. Although Brother Emile has been sharing Taizé with Canadians in retreats for more than a decade, the full weekend retreat has alternately been held in Montreal and Toronto for the past two years. This March, Brother Emile was to make only short visits to Montreal, Toronto, Peterborough and London for evening retreats.
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