During the season of Lent, we will be singing music from Taizé, an ecumenical monastic community in France, during both eucharists on Sundays. Taizé songs are very easy to sing - even if you've never heard them; they have simple melodies and harmonies, and they repeat many times through. 

We already do some Taizé-type songs here regularly. You might recognize "Take, O Take Me as I am" and "The Lord is in His Holy Temple." Each of these are songs that, while not written by the brothers (monastics) of Taizé are very much like Taizé songs in style. Other songs from Taizé have been a regular part of our Holy Week music, especially on Maundy Thursday: "Jesus, Remember Me" and "Stay With Me."

Singing Taizé songs works well in this time of reflection and renewal. In fact, many of our Catholic siblings will offer prayer services in the style of Taizé during this season. I think they will be especially edifying for us to sing this year as we figure out how to make music together again during this time of COVID. The songs help us to get in touch with our bodies and our breathing as our minds clear and we allow the words to get inside us deeply - they are often verses taken directly from scripture. I find the experience of singing them very powerful. 

If this style of singing feels unfamiliar to you - perhaps because you are used to songs that have a set number of verses or have ideas in them that are more complex, perhaps singing more of these songs on Sunday might allow even your mind more space to open up and listen as your lungs breathe in and out and your body hums with the vibration of your voice as it sings. 

If you play an acoustic instrument or sing and would like to be part of an ad-hoc group to lead this music this Lent, write to me at music@stcolumbakent.org. I will send you a link to an online sign-up sheet for whichever Sundays you are available. We'll meet at 10:30 on Sundays to go through the songs, and then offer them in praise to God at the 11 a.m. Eucharist.

Remember, too, that our weekly at-home Lenten devotions feature songs from Taizé. You can learn them in church on Sunday, and then sing them at home with your family - of any size - during the week. We'll also be live-streaming those prayers on Monday night each week so that you can pray along with some of our clergy and lay leaders here. 

Let me know how this experience goes for you - good and bad - as we continue to find ways to build and rebuild our music-making here at St. Columba's. 

Martin