Taize - Saint Mark's Episcopal Cathedral

About Taizé

What exactly is Taizé Prayer? It is named after a small village in eastern France which, for over fifty years, has been the home of an ecumenical Christian monastic community. Members of the Taizé community belong to several different Christian denominations. Catholics, Anglicans, Protestants, Orthodox and others live and pray together, share a simple life and welcome thousands of visitors who come to spend time with them every year from all over the world.

Taizé prayer services are comprised of silence and song, candlelight and stillness, prayer and contemplation. The music is unique and distinctive. Taizé chants featuring deceptively simple refrains that are repeated, mantra-like, by the whole congregation, while instrumental and vocal soloists occasionally add verses on top of the repeated refrains. The music is accessible, participatory, and meditative.

All who attend these services, either online or in person are invited to stop, pray, and use the silence and meditative music as opportunity to listen to the “still, small voice” within. The mind calms and the soul opens up. God speaks and the heart hears.

Taizé at Saint Mark's

A group of Saint Mark's community members with experience of Taizé liturgies wanted to bring this style of worship to the inspiring space and special acoustics of the cathedral nave. Beginning in the spring of 2022, the service is offered seasonally (approximately every two or three months), on a Tuesday evening. The service is also livestreamed. You can view a recent service leaflet here to see what the order of service looks like, and video of past services may be seen below on this page.

If you have any questions, or are interested in contributing in some way to our Taizé Prayer ministry, please get in touch. All are welcome to contribute—as musicians, readers, or to help to plan the services—regardless of you prior experience with Taizé. To learn more, email taize@saintmarks.org

2025 Taizé Services

Taizé is now offered monthly, on the second Tuesday! All services in the cathedral nave, and livestreamed

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2025, 7 P.M.
in the week of the Feast of the Baptism of Christ

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2025, 7 P.M.
observing the 1,500th anniversary of Brigid of Kildare

(no Taizé service in March 2025)

TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2025, 7 P.M.
remembering Martin Luther King Jr.

TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2025, 7 P.M.
remembering Julian of Norwich

Watch this space for information about the monthly Taizé services June–December 2025. Observances subject to change. Video and leaflet from past services can be found linked below, or here.

Sunday Forum on Taizé at Saint Mark's

Living Buddha, Living Christ, Living Spirit—An Interfaith Prayer Service in the Style of Taizé

On Tuesday, May 21, 2024, the Saint Mark's Taizé Ministry was joined by friends from Clear Mountain Monastery Buddhist Community (which meets on the cathedral campus every Saturday morning) for Living Buddha, Living Christ, Living Spirit, a special interfaith service acknowledging two sacred feasts: Pentecost (May 19), celebrating the coming of the Holy Spirit in the Christian calendar; and Vesak (May 23) celebrating the Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and passing in the Buddhist calendar. The liturgy was structured around the values that both traditions hold as sacred, represented by the "fruit of the Spirit" in Galatians, and the perfections (parami) of character necessary in Buddhism to achieve enlightenment. Prayers. readings and chants were taken from Christian and Buddhist traditions.

We hope to continue this collaboration in future years. A preview forum presenting background information for this service can be found here. A complete video of the service is now available here.