What’s all this talk about Taize?

The Providence Spirituality and Conference Center, a ministry of the Sisters of Providence, is offering monthly Taize prayer services in 2013, beginning Tuesday, Jan. 8.

Sister Paula Damiano

Sister Paula Damiano, coordinator of programming, desired to bring Taize prayer services to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind., and selected all of the themes which will be addressed in 2013 at the Woods.

The Taize prayer services are being held in conjunction with the 2013 Year of the River, the Terre Haute (Ind.) community’s yearlong celebration of the Wabash River. Year of the River organizers are Mary Kramer of Art Spaces Inc., Jon Robeson of Arts Illiana, and Steve Letsinger, art curator and instructor at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

As soon as Sister Paula learned of the Year of the River celebration, she worked to develop meaningful Taize prayer services at the Woods. Each of the 12 services will be 7-8 p.m. in the Church of the Immaculate Conception at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. See the schedule and themes of the Taize prayer services here.

The Taize prayer services are open to all faiths and all ages. Youth are particularly drawn to these services. But all who attend discover a service highlighting silent and spoken prayers combined with beautiful music in a candlelit atmosphere.

The Jan. 8 Taize prayer service’s theme is “Lack of Potable Water in the World.” There will be a 10-minute moment of silence during the service and attendees may choose to pray for people affected by a lack of water.

For more information about the Taize prayer services at the Woods, contact Sister Paula Damiano at 812-535-2926 or pdamiano@spsmw.org.

Watch a YouTube video about Taize prayer from the Church of England, Birmingham: