Newsletter September 2026 - First Presbyterian Ridgewood, NJ
- Bruce Ballantine
- Aug 29
- 3 min read
Dear Friends,
More than thirty years ago, as a student at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, I experienced a Taizé worship service. The intimate setting, a darkened room lit by candles, along with simple prayers chanted softly with guitar accompaniment, punctuated by moments of silence, proved to be the perfect recipe to enable a busy theological student to slow down and enter into God’s presence. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to experience Taizé services in multiple places. Although each service was a little different, each time I experienced Taizé, I was able to be still and truly sense God’s presence. Thus, when I learned that a small group of pastors from the Presbytery of Northeast NJ was planning a pilgrimage to Taizé, France, the place where it all began, I jumped at the opportunity!
Entering into the Taizé community is like stepping into another world. Nestled in the rolling hills of Burgundy, Taizé is an ecumenical monastic community which draws from Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox traditions and welcomes as many as 6,000 pilgrims each week. Pilgrims stay in tents, simple dorms or simply furnished houses in the village.
There is a rhythm to life at Taizé. The brothers (about 100 in number), who have made a lifelong commitment to the community, lead morning, midday and evening prayers. Each prayer gathering takes place in the Church of Reconciliation, lasts for about an hour and includes scripture readings, chanted prayers and 15 minutes of silence. Worshipers sit on the floor or on simple benches which line the walls.
The chanted prayers, often a paraphrased line from a psalm or gospel passage, are set to easy-to-learn tunes and are sung in various languages, representing many of the native tongues of the pilgrims who are present in any particular week. Fortunately, the song book also includes the lyrics translated into other languages so that when I’m singing in German, for instance, I can understand what I’m singing.
Each day at Taizé also includes Bible study, small group discussion, three simple meals and work. My small group, consisting of pilgrims from the UK, Sweden, Belgium, Germany and the US, was assigned the job of cleaning pots and pans following dinner. Free time following evening prayers was spent socializing in an outdoor cafe called OYAK. It was a time for new friendships to grow deeper.
I came away from Taizé with a renewed commitment to silence as a way to grow closer to God and a way to open myself to God’s leading. And I came away with a greater appreciation for the commitment of Taizé to the work of reconciliation. Taizé was founded by Brother Roger during WWII as a religious community and place of welcome for war refugees. Today Taizé continues to welcome as many as 100,000 Christians and seekers each year – mostly young adults – from all over the world. It’s a place where, living together in community, pilgrims can truly experience peace on earth. It’s a place where, studying God’s word together, pilgrims leave with a renewed commitment to be the blessed peacemakers Jesus talks about in the Beatitudes.
On Thursday during my week at Taizé, pilgrims from the US and Canada had the opportunity to meet with Brother Emile, who is Canadian. During the conversation, we learned that Brother Emile will be traveling in the US during October. In fact, much of his time will be spent in New York City and New Jersey. On Sunday, October 25, at 7:30 p.m., Brother Emile will lead an Evening of Taizé Prayer at Church of the Presentation in Upper Saddle River. As you might guess, I plan to attend. If you would like to join me, just email me at pastorbruce@firstpresridgewood.org.
In closing, I would like to thank the congregation for providing me with the study leave and study allowance, which are part of my terms of call, and which enabled me to experience a spiritually enriching week at Taizé.
Grace and peace,
Bruce
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