Taize services are gaining in popularity

<p>A cantor stands in a sanctuary bathed in candlelight, repeatedly chanting a brief, devotional line from Psalms or another Biblical Scripture.</p><!-- Nothing to do. The paragraph has already been output --><p>Those present join in the chanting, and as it resonates with the rhythms of their hearts, they sometimes are inspired to add harmonic improvisations.</p><p>The chanting is one component of Taize services, which now are being offered at St. John’s Episcopal Church of Petaluma on the first Friday of each month, Elim Lutheran Church in Petaluma one Sunday every month and at the Church of the Incarnation in Santa Rosa on the fourth Friday of each month.</p><p>And as local residents deal with ever-mounting daily challenges, they have found solace and inspiration in these mystical services of prayer and chanting that originated in an ecumenical Christian monastic order in France.</p><p>“Each evening begins with a one-half hour lecture about a saint, artist or poet, followed by a candlelit service that includes a reading, as well as prayer and song, featuring a cellist, pianist and cantor,” said Petaluma resident Kayleen Asbo, one of the two musical director at St. John’s, as well as the driving force behind the local Taize services. “No one tells you what to think: Each person uses the message of the reading for contemplation. The service is deeply contemplative, and the lyrics are quite simple.</p><p>“We have been receiving extraordinary feedback. Many people feel that the services have enabled them to go the deepest they’ve ever gone, spiritually.”</p><p>Petaluma resident Kate Klarkowski has been attending Taize services at Elim and St. John’s.</p><p>“So many things are challenging these days, with people facing financial problems and families being dispersed,” she said. “I’m a contemplative person, and am susceptible to the harshness of life. Taize services are important for me because they quiet the soul, and provide a wonderful, wonderful way for people to join together in a beautiful experience through prayer and singing.</p><p>“The services transcend time.” </p><p>Taize services are inclusive by nature, so they have been drawing people of many faiths, as well as spiritually inclined residents without any specific faith.</p><p>“We’ve had Catholics, Episcopalians, Baptists, pagans and Sufis, among others,” Asbo said. “And people have come from as far away as Cloverdale, Fairfax, San Anselmo and San Rafael.”</p><p>Themes for the services have included, “The Mystic Path of St. Francis of Assisi,” “Rodin and the Burghers of Calais,” “The Mystic Path of Ariadne and the Labyrinth,” “The Mystic Path of Clare of Assisi” and “St. Francis and the Lady of the Tomb.”</p><p>The original Taize Community was founded by Roger Louis Schutz-Marsauche (later known simply as Frere Roger, or Brother Roger) in southern France as a shelter to protect Jews and other people in danger from the Nazis during World War II. </p><p>While Brother Roger was growing up, his family emphasized the need for unity among Christian traditions, and he made this, as well as helping people in need, a central part of his own ministry. The Taize monastery grew, dedicated to promoting peace and reconciliation throughout the world through prayer, simplicity, purity of heart and music.</p><p>As word spread about the ecumenical community, more people pledged their life to it. Since 1951, the brothers have lived in small fraternities among the poor in Calcutta, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Algeria, Brazil and even Hell’s Kitchen in New York City. During this time, Taize services have been performed in an ever-increasing number of places — and in many languages — throughout the world.</p><p>The Taize community in France now is composed of more than 100 brothers who come from Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant traditions, and more than 100,000 young people make pilgrimages there each year for prayer, Bible study, communal work and sharing.</p><p>Asbo first attended a Taize service six or seven years ago at Mercy Center in Burlingame.</p><p>“I experienced the profound depth of the service, and went to the Taize Community in France to find out more about it,” she said. “There, I had the most beautiful, moving and heartfelt experience that I have ever had. People were singing in different languages — including Polish, Tagalong, Swedish, Russian and Latin — and I had the sense that peace might be possible.”</p><p>Besides serving as a musical director at St. John’s, Asbo is a professor at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, teaches mythology at Dominican University in San Rafael and the Berkeley City Club, and is a doctoral candidate in the mythological studies program at Pacifica Institute in Santa Barbara.</p><p>Asbo began organizing services at the Church of the Incarnation in 2007, and brought them to St. John’s this year when the Episcopalian group returned to the church at 40 Fifth Street after reaching a settlement with St. John’s Anglican Church, which also claimed the property.</p><p>“Taize is dedicated to reconciliation and trust. When the Episcopalians returned home, I thought that starting a Taize service would be a good gesture of the church’s openness to all people,” Asbo said. “But people hungered for more, so we started a service at Elim. </p><p>“It seems that people want a Taize service available every week.” </p><p>(Elim Lutheran Church is located at 220 Stanley St. and the Church of the Incarnation in Santa Rosa is at 550 Mendocino Ave.)</p><p>(Contact Dan Johnson at dan.johnson@arguscourier.com)</p>