Prayer of Peace in the Spirit of Taizé

Grand Rapids, Michigan

A Monthly Prayer Service in the Spirit of Taizé

Candles and Cross

What is "Taizé"?

"Taizé" (pronounced "teh-ZAY") prayer originated in the village of Taizé, France, the home of an international, ecumenical religious community. This style of prayer spread throughout the world, and is not new to Grand Rapids. It has been used by many local churches and for ecumenical events. The prayer space is usually lit by candles, especially near a cross and/or icons. The service is meditative in character, using singing, scripture and silence to draw us deeper into an awareness of God's love. The experience of Taizé prayer commonly brings peace, comfort and confidence.

You can follow these links to learn more about Taizé and this style of prayer:
»  Article: "A visit to Taizé"
»  The Taizé Community Website
»  Article: Meditative Singing: The Music of Taizé
»  Article: The Value of Silence
»  The Taizé Community (Wikipedia)
»  A description of Taizé (GIA Publications)

More Information for Peace - Mindful People

Whether you tend to lean to the left or the right, the value of peace crosses borders. Peace and justice are not issues owned by the left or the right, or most any other cultural division we observe. The information we've collected here below addresses peace and justice from many angles. We do not endorse everything listed here, but we provide it as a resource to you. You may find some of the information here of interest to you (and some of it, perhaps not). Not every connection will be of equal value to everyone. Take a few moments to browse through these notes. We hope you will find something that encourages or inspires you.

Other links of possible interest:

»  Quotes About Peace
»  www.stmarygr.org - St. Mary's Church hosts our Prayer of Peace services
»  www.npm-gr.org - The Grand Rapids chapter of NPM provides support, volunteers and expertise to our Prayer of Peace services
»  www.geii.org - The Graymoor Ecumenical & Interreligious Institute (GEII), sponsors of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Peace and Justice:
»  www.wmjpc.org - The West Michigan Justice and Peace Coalition seeks to help plan, coordinate, and support actions for justice and peace
»  www.paxchristiusa.org - Pax Christi USA strives to create a world that reflects the Peace of Christ by exploring, articulating, and witnessing to the call of Christian nonviolence | see also: www.paxchristimi.org - Pax Christi - Michigan
»  www.usccb.org/sdwp - The Department of Social Development and World Peace works on behalf of the United States Catholic Bishops to share and apply Catholic social teaching on domestic and international issues. Click on International Issues | War and Peace for some interesting reading.
»  www.aquinas.edu/campusministry/cava_sac.html - Aquinas College Community Action / Social Action
»  metapeaceteam.org - the META Peace Team exists to present nonviolence as a real alternative, a constructive, positive force, not simply a critical and reactionary one
»  The Culture of Peace Committee of the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids
»  instituteforglobaleducation.com - the Institute for Global Education (Grand Rapids) supports the non-violent resolution of conflicts and the pursuit of justice as the best way to achieve true, lasting peace
»  http://loveandforgive.org/ - The Campaign for Love and Forgiveness encourages contemplation and conversion about how love and forgiveness can effect meaningful change
»  www.ucc.org/justice - United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries
»  www.thekingcenter.org - Principles of Nonviolence | and Glossary of Nonviolence
»  www.thepeacealliance.org/ - the campaign to establish a U.S. Department of Peace
»  www.gvsu.edu/interfaith - the Kaufman Interfaith Institute (Grand Valley University) builds respect and acceptance among religious traditions
»  www.interfaithdialogueassociation.org - the Interfaith Dialogue Association of West Michigan works to eliminate prejudice between members of different religious traditions and ideologies

Nuclear Issues:
»  www.carnegieendowment.org - The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing cooperation between nations; its work is nonpartisan and dedicated to achieving practical results
»  www.ctbto.org - The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization was established in 1996 by a Resolution adopted by the Meeting of States Signatories at the United Nations in New York.
»  www.un.org/disarmament - The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs
»  reachingcriticalwill.org - The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom's project on nuclear disarmament brings together official documents, NGO reports, and comprehensive analysis.
»  www.ieer.org - Institute for Energy and Environmental Research
»  www.wagingpeace.org - The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, whose web site offers critical analysis and resources on the de-alerting of nuclear weapons and nuclear abolition.
»  www.wslfweb.org - the gold standard in nuclear weapons-related documentation, analysis and commentary
»  www.fas.org - the Federation of American Scientists website contains a wealth of informaiton and analysis on a range of disarmament issues
»  www.nti.org - the Nuclear Threat Initiative gathers documentation, analysis and resources on nuclear disarmament issues
»  www.fissilematerials.org - The International Panel on Fissile Materials (IPFM) is an independent group of arms-control and nonproliferation experts from both nuclear weapon and non-nuclear weapon states, seeking to reduce the danger posed by uncontrolled nuclear materials
»  www.acronym.org.uk - The Acronym Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy provides documentation, analysis and resources from a collection of nongovernmental organizations
»  www.nrdc.org/nuclear - The Natural Resources Defense Council works to to ensure a healthy environment for all life on earth; the website has resources on a wide range of nuclear issues
»  www.armscontrol.org - The Arms Control Association is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to promoting public understanding of and support for effective arms control policies

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