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French Retreat / A Week in Taize (Burgundy), June 4-11, 2005
As many of you know, Taize is a small 12th century village on a hilltop in the peaceful and beautiful area of Burgundy in France. It is now known worldwide for being the location of the ecumenical Christian community made up of about 90 brothers, both Catholic and Protestant, from all over the world. Taize has become internationally known for it’s lovely chants, and simple prayerful worship. For those of you not familiar with Taize, you may check out their web site:
http://www.taize.fr/
(if you use this link, use back until returned to this site)
God willing, June 4-11, 2005, we will be leading a one-week retreat in Taize. The goal of this retreat is to rest and replenish the soul in the unique and prayerful environment of Taize. We will be within walking distance of the Church of Reconciliation in Taize, so all those interested, will be able to attend any of the 3 short, simple and prayerful daily church services, the Bible introductions led by a brother, participate in the daily choir practices, and/or join the international discussion groups organized by the community (many are conducted in English). From where we are staying, we will also be within walking distance of the village XIIth century Romanesque churches of Taize and Ameugny.
The maximum number of people we can accommodate is twelve. If you are interested in perhaps joining us on this retreat,
please keep this in mind.
We have rented 3 remodeled 17th century houses where we will be able to experience the peaceful, quiet, and restful atmosphere of this lovely French countryside, and home style French cooking.
For those interested, we will have 3 outings to take advantage of this part of France (Burgundy), so rich in beauty, history, architecture and good cuisine. Please note that all day trips and/or activities are optional for participants, but are included in the pilgrimage.
We will visit the famous small town of Cluny, and its well-known Abbaye, which was so important for Europe in the 11th and 12th centuries. At the time, Cluny’s church was the largest and most beautiful one in all of Christendom, before St Peter of Rome was built. In fact, the great spiritual adventure of the Middle Ages radiated from this central point. The Cluny Abbots, well-known figures of their time, personified saintliness and culture. Full of ambition for their order, these enlightened men called upon the best artists, sculptors, artisans and foremen to realize this masterful undertaking. Over the centuries, Cluny was known as the light of the Western world. We will visit the remains of this church, take time to visit this beautiful and historic town, and eat in one of its fine restaurants, well known for its
bonne cuisine.
Also, as we’ll be in famous wine country, we will visit a wine maker. We’ll have a sumptuous lunch in an old castle (Pierreclos), which is set on top of a hillside in Burgundy’s magnificent vineyard countryside. We went there during our French pilgrimage of 2002, and were so pleased with their food, hospitality, and the lovely location, that we decided this would be a 'must' if ever again we lead another pilgrimage in this part of France. This middle age castle has a rich history. The 19th century French poet/writer/politician Alphonse de Lamartine spent time in this castle. It is now a private historical 'residence' turned museum. It has magnificent roman cellars, it’s own bakery, a roman church (or chapel), kitchens dating from the Middle Ages, XVIIth-XVIIIth century bedrooms, and even a spiral staircase. We’ll do some wine tasting in their XIIth century cellars.
For those interested, you’ll be welcome to come with us when we go to one of the local villages from time to time to get the fresh produce needed for our home cooked meals. One of the places we’ll go for sure is the small town of St Gengoux le National, which has kept some of its middle-age character and where we will buy fresh fruit and vegetables at their outdoor market. The meals will be served at a set time every day, and scheduled not to conflict with any of the Taize services or activities, so that those who wish to participate in them will be able to do so.
This retreat will be self-directed. Although our group will have our own short daily meditation and prayer, this is certainly not mandatory. You decide what is the best way for you to spend this time. You can participate fully in the activities organized by the Taize community (and thereby meet people from all over the world), spend your time just relaxing and soaking up the atmosphere, have time for silence and prayer, sharing with others, or any combination of these. Some may wish to use our retreat house as a base, rent a car, and visit the pretty Burgundy area more in depth. Or perhaps you’d just want to focus on reading…or walking or bicycling in the countryside. As we have been here many, many times (we actually met in Taize in 1979), we’ll be available to help you with any plans or questions you may have.
Once you have registered for the retreat we will be sending you by mail or e-mail two information packages on how to better prepare for our retreat in Taize and Burgundy. Along with this information will be some recommendations regarding reading, videos, etc.
We will also have a 'get together' one evening at our house before departure, for all of those able and interested, to go over some specifics, and to get to know each other a little. This is the approach we’ve used in the past, and people tell us they have appreciated and found it quite helpful. For those unable to come that evening, we’ll keep you all up to date via e-mail and/or mail, about all pertinent travel details, as we get closer to departure. We’ll also tell you a little about the other participants (with their permission) who are coming with us.
As many have expressed to us their desire to be able to use their frequent flyer miles, and/or to have some flexibility to be able to arrive in Europe early, and/or stay longer after the Taize retreat, you will arrange for your own transportation from your home to one of the Macon train stations, from where we will come pick you up by car. Consequently, the price of the retreat has been lowered accordingly to take this into consideration.
We can help guide you through the process of plane and train travel to Taize, if you like. There are several ways to do this. If coming by car, we will recommend the roads and directions we feel are best.
P.S. - Please feel free to contact any of these people below, who were with us on the Pilgrimage we led to Taize (among other places in France) in 2002. They have given us permission to use them as references. They were also with us when we had a meal at the above talked about 'wine castle', Pierreclos:
Joyce Gray: 512-264-8760
Dolores Bradford: 214-771-4957
The Reverend George Luck, and his wife, Deacon Diana Luck
214-826-6102.
For additional previous pilgrim feedback and information , see Testimonials and References
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