wfn.org | [ENS] Episcopal bishops attend funeral for Br

["Matthew Davies" <mdavies@episcopalchurch.org>]

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Episcopal bishops attend funeral for Brother Roger of Taizé

Archbishop of Canterbury sends letter to Taizé community

ACNS 4025

[ENS, Source: ACNS - J M Rosenthal] -- They came from many nations, all
denominations and all ages, to pay tribute to the founder of Taizé, as
Cardinal Walter Kaspar of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian
Unity at the Vatican, presided at the funeral Eucharist August 23 for
Brother Roger, murdered during a prayer service on August 16.

At the funeral Anglican Bishop Nigel McCulloch of Manchester, England,
read
a passage from Isaiah with Reformed and Lutheran leaders reading the
other
lesson. Bishop Geralyn Wolf of Rhode Island was present as was the
Bishop
Anthony Priddis of Hereford, and Suffragan Bishop Mark Andrus of
Alabama.

The haunting prayers and chant so associated with the community at
Taizé
were sung throughout the liturgy in the Church of Reconciliation that
rests
in this picturesque part of France. "Nothing can ever come between us
and
the love of God, the love of God revealed to us in Christ Jesus" was
sung as
the congregation received Holy Communion.

Following Communion three young children lit the candles of the many
Taizé
community brothers, and soon the light flooded through the church to all
present. Four priests from Taizé stood at the coffin and sprinkled
holy
water followed by the bishops and clergy of the Orthodox churches
chanting
their traditional commemoration of the dead and blessing the body with
incense.

As the thousands present sang "Confitemini Domino," -- give thanks to
the
Lord, for he is good, alleluia -- four brothers carried the coffin on
their
shoulders from before the holy table and, with the entire Community,
processed through the candlelit church. Tears, waves and young people
reaching out to try to touch the coffin greeted the brothers as the
chant
continued.

As the formal liturgy came to a close, and in the spirit of Brother
Roger
himself, the people resumed their places and continued in prayer and
song --
the essence of the life at Taizé. They sang: My soul rests in God
alone:
from him comes my salvation.

Since the news of the murder of Brother Roger, tributes have come in
from
church and civic leaders and others touched by the ministry of Taizé.
Canon
Kenneth Kearon, secretary general of the Anglican Communion, said, "The
news
of the death of Brother Roger has saddened Anglicans around the world,
and
we are especially shocked by the violent manner of his death, which was
in
stark contrast to his lifelong ministry of peace and reconciliation. The
Taizé community which he founded, whose witness to ecumenism and
reconciliation especially among young people will be his lasting
memorial,
has influenced Christian worship and spirituality worldwide, and it is
to
that Community that I extend our prayers and heartfelt sympathy at this
time."

On hearing the news of Brother Roger's murder, Archbishop of Canterbury
Rowan Williams, said, "This is an indescribable shock. Brother Roger was
one
of the best loved Christian leaders of our time, and hundreds of
thousands
will be feeling his loss very personally, and remembering him in prayer
and
gratitude. But the shock and trauma for the community at Taizé will be
heavy
-- and it will be for all the young people who witnessed this event. All
of
them are in our prayers."

Bishop Pierre Whalon of the Convocation of American Churches in Europe
said
in a letter to the Taize Community: "Brother Roger did so much to show
the
world the way that leads to Jesus, a way that has come to its end for
him
but in which we continue to walk. As a teenager, I met him in Taizé
for the
first time. Meeting this man in your community greatly influenced me to
decide to follow Christ, and finally, to accept to be in service to his
Church. I know it is the same for thousands and thousands of people who
had
a similar introduction to the Lord, reinforced by the ecumenical witness
of
your community that offers the world a vision of the Church without
divisions."

The Taizé website now states the following: "During the evening prayer
on
Tuesday 16 August, in the midst of the crowd surrounding the Community
in
the Church of Reconciliation, a woman - probably mentally disturbed --
struck Brother Roger violently with knife blows. He died a few moments
later.

In its sorrow, the Taizé Community thanks all those who are supporting
it by
their affection and their prayer."

The community also announced: "Eight years ago, Brother Roger designated
Brother Alois to succeed him, as the person in charge of the community.
Brother Alois has entered straightaway into his ministry as servant of
communion at the heart of the community."

The Taizé Community is made up of more than a hundred brothers, Roman
Catholics and from various Protestant backgrounds, coming from more than
twenty-five nations. The community's existence is in itself "a sign of
reconciliation between divided Christians and divided nations."

The vision for Taizé began in 1940, when at the age of 25, Brother
Roger
left Switzerland in order to live in France, the country of his mother.
For
several years he had borne within him a calling to begin a community
where
reconciliation between Christians would be lived out in daily life. A
community where "kindness of heart would be a matter of practical
experience, and where love would be at the heart of all things." He
wanted
this community to be present in the midst of the suffering of the time,
and
thus it was that he made his home in the small village of Taizé, in
Burgundy, just a few miles from the demarcation line which cut France in
two
during the first years of the war. There he was able to hide refugees
(Jews
in particular), who had fled the occupied zone in the knowledge that
they
could find refuge in his house.

After the war he was joined by others, and on Easter Day, 1949, the
first
brothers of the community made their commitment to a life in celibacy,
to
community of possessions, and to simplicity of life.

In many parts of the world Brother Roger will be remembered at services
and
prayer gatherings.

You may wish to email the Brothers at this time of their great loss at
condolences@taize.fr.

May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

(This report is possible due to the web streaming of the funeral on the
internet)

Bishop Nigel McCulloch of Manchester represented the Archbishop of
Canterbury

A Letter from Archbishop Rowan Williams to the Taizé Community:

Dear brothers and friends,

Like all of you, I am still coming to terms with the terrible tragedy of
last week. But today is an occasion not only for mourning but for
celebrating the extraordinary achievement of our dear Brother Roger.

Very few people in a generation manage to change the whole climate of a
religious culture; but Brother Roger did just this. He changed the terms
of
reference for ecumenism by the challenge to Christians of diverse
loyalties
to live the monastic life together; he changed the image of Christianity
itself for countless young people; he changed the churches' perception
of
the absolute priority of reconciliation, first in post-war Europe, then
throughout the globe. And what is perhaps most important is that he did
this
without any position of hierarchical authority, without any position
within
the politics and power-struggles of the institution. His authority was
authentically monastic - the authority of a father and elder brother in
God
who drew his vision from  patient waiting on the Lord in prayer, and
from
the work and study and discernment of a committed Community. His life
and
witness present the true Gospel challenge to all our Christian
institutions,
the challenge to become really credible through our willingness to live
and
listen in humility, to know where our true power lies.

We thank God today for a life that questions our institutional
complacency,
not in the name of fashion or ease or naive radicalism, but simply in
the
name of the Gospel of Jesus and the ministry of reconciliation. Brother
Roger's life will be a lasting gift and challenge, and we pray that the
community of Taizé, so much loved and valued in all the Christian
world and
beyond, will go on offering us this same gift in the years ahead. Please
be
assured of the abiding love and prayers of your friends in the Anglican
Church, and especially your brother in faith.

+Rowan Cantuar