Ecumenical Prayer Outreaches in our Parishes: In the Spirit of Taizé - October 3, 2025

Praying ecumenically is about joining in prayer with baptized Christians from every tradition. Ecumenical prayer is about praying, and singing for unity, communion, and healing for all that is broken and for all that divides our world. We are all one in Christ and called to be Christ's hands and feet in the world! While we have differences, we are strengthened and called to unity and communion by virtue of our common baptism in Christ.

Our monthly first Friday Prayer in the Spirit of Taizé celebrated the beginning of its 33rd year on Friday, October 3. While our in-person attendance is lower than our pre-Covid numbers, we are seeing more people return each month with typically close to 300 in person and 100-200 praying via live-stream. I am grateful to Brian Kinyon who continues to provide a beautiful online experience for those who cannot participate in person.

Of note, in this Taizé evening, we welcomed over 75 college students from two different Evangelical Christian Colleges and Universities from the Chicagoland area.

• 10 students from a "Worship and Prayer in Chicago" course offered at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, IL.
• 65 plus Wheaton College students from the Wheaton College Concert Choir who were on a weekend worship and service immersion trip in the Chicagoland area.

Special thanks to the various professors who wanted their students to experience this ecumenical prayer based at the Ascension Church site. As part of our prayer, I offered the group the opportunity to sing a piece following the extended time of silence. The student choir surrounded the altar / prayer space and sang a beautiful a arrangement of Dorsey's "Precious Lord, Take My Hand."  (The Choir gathers around the altar to sing at 57.00 in the livestreamed video embedded below.)

I encourage you to consider joining in this monthly "Taizé" service if it is not familiar to you! If you have been away for a while, please come back and pray with us!

David Anderson
Director of Pastoral Music and Liturgy
Ascension and St. Edmund Parish

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Livestreamed Service at 7:30 PM - Ascension Church

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