Br Merric: the contemplative life of a Taizé brother

In the tranquil Burgundy region of France lies Taizé, an ecumenical monastic community that draws thousands of visitors from around the world each year. Among its dedicated members is Br Merric, an Australian who has spent nearly a decade immersed in the community’s life of prayer and work.

Br Merric grew up in Victoria and was involved in the Church but knew nothing about the Taizé community, apart from a vague recollection of hearing about its practice of meditative chants. While backpacking around Europe, and at the suggestion of a friend, he dropped in one day and was instantly captivated.

‘There were about 4,000 people there in the church praying and singing to God, expressing themselves in Bible studies and sharing, actually being able to speak about their faith,’ he recalls. ‘It hit me that young people do have a faith, that they are willing to sit and pray, and to sit in silence as well.’

The pattern of prayer at Taizé is chanting, prayers, a Scripture reading in several languages, singing and a long period of silence in the middle. The prayer services are held three times a day and are central to the vision of the founder, Br Roger.

The Protestant-born Br Roger came from Switzerland to France in the middle of the turmoil of World War II, seeking to establish a place of prayer in a spirit of reconciling Christianity. He believed that the Christian tradition’s fragmentation over the centuries since Jesus had proclaimed God’s love for every human being without exception could be fixed. But rather than leaving it to others, he believed that reconciliation should start with him and with the small band of men with whom he created Taizé.

‘Let us begin with ourselves, and widen our vision of the Church by opening ourselves to the gifts of faith, hope and charity lived by Christians of other traditions,’ he is quoted as saying in A Call for the Reconciliation of Christians.

Br Merric says it is a symbol of communion that there are now men of many western Christian denominations living in the community. He sees this ‘as a way of being able to express something of the hope as Christians that regardless of our differences—which perhaps we will never find answers to, the questions that are posed about the different ways we practise our faith—we can at least pray together as Christ would ask us to do.’

That initial visit stirred something in him that eventually called Br Merric back to Taizé, where he began volunteering and immersing himself in the community’s rhythm of prayer and work, alongside others also seeking spiritual direction.

After a year of volunteering, and in consultation with the brothers, Br Merric decided to join the community. His path involved a rigorous process of formation that included theological studies at the Catholic University in the city of Lyon. He says the community believes it is important to have a solid theological foundation when speaking to the visiting young people about their faith.

Taizé brothers work in the community, welcoming the visitors, or in the pottery workshops. (The community sells ceramics.) They are not allowed to accept money or gifts, or an inheritance. They are also sent on mission to live among the people mostly in Asian, South American or African countries. Br Merric went to Senegal, where he says he had his eyes opened by the powerful faith of the country’s Muslim and Christian communities who live side by side.

Now Br Merric contributes to the community’s mission of prayer and evangelisation, while also using his background in horticulture, which he had studied in Australia. He says it was by chance that he started working in the gardens, as the Taizé philosophy prioritises vocation rather than qualification in the allocation of brothers’ work.

‘We have huge spaces, green spaces that we have to maintain throughout the year, particularly in the spring, when it’s very beautiful—which I was very struck by the first time I went there, the beauty of the spring.’ Nature has always played a significant role in his faith, Br Merric says. ‘The beauty of God’s creation, how we can appreciate the beauty of it and the mystery of how it grows.’

It also serves as a pastoral opportunity to connect with young people, drawing parallels between the growth of plants and the development of faith. ‘The grain of a mustard seed can grow into something beyond our wildest imagination,’ he says.

Taizé welcomes tens of thousands of visitors a year, most of whom stay for a week, although some stay for a year to volunteer. The community offers retreats where people of all ages or backgrounds, male and female, can engage in prayer, reflection and dialogue.

The main focus, however, is young people seeking connection and meaning. Br Merric says the community places significant emphasis on listening to the concerns of young people, particularly regarding environmental issues, and providing a place for spiritual growth and dialogue.

The need for such a retreat was recognised from the beginnings of the Taizé community. Br Roger wanted Christians to have a refuge from the horrors of war, and it remains a refuge of sorts from the world for people needing time and space to think through what they’re searching for in life.

The periods of silence during the prayers are designed to be a time of peaceful communion with God. Taizé’s website offers the explanation that an important form of prayer—differing from lament or praise to God—is one where ‘there is nothing but quietness and confidence’. It quotes Psalm 131—‘Truly, I have set my soul in silence and tranquillity, as a baby full fed on its mother’—suggesting prayer needs no words and perhaps no thoughts.

Chanting, too, has proven benefits to the psyche, along with physical benefits. Rhythmic vocalisation has been used for millennia and in many religious and secular cultures. A 2022 international study found that devotional chanting practised regularly is associated with better quality of life and with cognitive benefits like less mind-wandering. That quietening in the brain helps those who practise chanting to listen more attentively to God and to discern what God’s plan is for them.

For Br Merric, Taizé is home now, and his heart belongs to the young people he meets there every day. He concedes he misses Australia, especially his family here, and is only able to visit every couple of years. His most recent visit incorporated work, too, holding well-attended services in Eltham, Northcote and Burwood. But he is content in ‘the place where people can come together, share their stories and grow in their understanding of God and each other’.