Taize: Prayer for all People

Stages of Faith, the Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning, by James W. Fowler, Harper:San Francisco, 1981.

Taize Prayer service offered by the Viatorian Community in Arlington Heights is a monthly service where people of all ages are invited to gather together in prayer fashioned after prayer services in Taize, France. Once a month, students, parents, neighbors, and clergy gather together for about an hour and a half to sing, chant, hear the Word proclaimed, and pray together. It is an evening of quiet and reflection, offering many the opportunity to take intentional time out of their busy lives to sit and just “be.”

In Fowler’s writings, he focuses on describing the six faith stages people may (or may not) go through. People do not necessarily go through all of the stages or in the same order. Stage one is described as Undifferentiated Faith. This is when there is complete reliance and trust on another. An infant who must completely rely on their guardian would be an example of this stage. The second stage is Intuitive-Projective faith. This stage usually includes those from ages 3-7. People in this stage are influenced by stories; they grasp concrete concepts through images in stories. The third stage is Mythic-Literal Faith, and it is where most adolescents and adults remain. This stage is literal and one-dimensional. The fourth stage is Individuative-reflective faith. Young adults are in this stage, although many adults don’t ever reach this point in their faith journey. In this stage there are tensions between individuality and associating the self with the group; it’s a time of demythologizing and critical reflection on self. The fifth and final stage is Conjunctive Faith. It’s the most complex, and it sees both issues/sides at the same time. Fowler even finds it difficult to fully describe this stage since it is not attained by many people. The six stage is reserved for saints or near saints.

I think Taize would be a great activity for many adults simply because it allows for individuality and can be experienced in different ways by people in different faith stages. Someone in earlier stages would appreciate the direction and concrete structure/flow of the evening. Members could simply sit and listen if they are uncomfortable singing/participating vocally. Those in higher stages, like 4 and 5, are able to allow the Taize experience to affect them in a multitude of ways. Since they realize everyone has their own world view and different life experiences, they are aware that Taize prayer can touch people in different ways at different points in their life. Overall, I think Taize offers much freedom for people from a variety of stages; it allows the individual to take what they can depending on where they are at.