Coming to Taizé as a

Family

Tamino Petelinšek
en | fr

At Taizé, in addition to meetings for young people (aged 15 to 35) and adults (over 35), meetings for parents and their children (up to 14 years old) are planned at certain times of the year. They last a week, from Monday to Sunday. Please note that we can only accommodate families consisting of parent(s) with their own child(ren).

This year, the total number will be limited to 80 families per week. There is also a quota per country, so that families from all countries can come. We ask families to limit themselves to one stay every two years so that we can meet the growing demand.

We suggest that families with small children wait until they are 3 years old before coming. There are no organized activities for babies aged 0 to 2 years.

After receiving your registration request, the reception desk will confirm whether you can come or if you will need to change your dates.

General information

for a week at Taizé

Dates

We ask families not to register before January 15 of the year in which they are coming. Registrations before that date will not be taken into account.

In 2025, the meetings will be held during these weeks:

Please arrive on Monday from 3pm on and leave the following Sunday at noon. If your children do not yet attend school, please avoid coming in August, at a time when the demand is greatest.

Program

Families meet in a house in the village of Ameugny, called Olinda (600 meters from Taizé). Most of the activities take place outdoors. Each day begins with a time of Bible reflection for parents and children led by a brother. This is followed by a time of sharing for each family, parents and children together, or a small group of families if necessary. The activities for each morning are described in a booklet given out at the welcome.

Every afternoon, there is a theatrical performance and activities for family groups led by young people. The family groups are made up of parents and children together and remain the same from the beginning to the end of the week. The afternoon ends with a time of sharing between parents, while the leaders continue the activities with the children close to their parents.

In order to promote an experience of family, the children remain with their parents at all times.

Children can attend prayer three times a day in Taizé with their parents. However, parents should understand that silence and calm during prayer are very important for the participants and for the community. For this reason we ask parents with small children to take turns looking after them in one of the rooms adjoining the church. This may be difficult for families with only one parent present. Please take this into account when planning your stay in Taizé.

It is important that the whole family be prepared for a week of prayer and meetings.

Children 15 and older take part in the youth meetings. They take meals with the other young people at Taizé but stay with their parents if they are between 15 and 17.

What if we cannot come for an entire week or during a week when the family program is offered?

If they are unable to come during the family program or for a full week, families can join the adult group (maximum of 3 nights, preferably from Thursday or Friday to Sunday or from Sunday to Wednesday; a stay across two successive weeks is not possible). Parents then organize child care among themselves during times of sharing and community prayer. In this case, there are no specific activities for children. Such a short stay outside the family program is only possible for a limited number of families and only between Easter weekend and the end of September. If you are not bringing a tent, please check with us to see if we can offer you accommodation before planning your trip.

Practical information

If you need to cancel your participation in the family meetings once it has been confirmed by the welcome team, please notify us immediately. This will allow us to offer your place to one of the families on the waiting list.

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