Taizé chose the theme "what are you seeking?" for this calendar year. The Brothers prepared readings and bible study discussions focused on this question for young adults to reflect in a deeper way.

You can read Brother Matthew's 2026 Letter here: https://www.taize.fr/en/what-are-you-seeking

What was I seeking?

Going into the retreat at Taizé, I was feeling exhaustion in a lot of ways and from a lot of factors. I was seeking rejeuventation but did not know what that would look like. I had a lot of anxiety about going to Taizé for a week, it was an unfamiliar place that I did not feel like I knew enough about to know if it was going to be right for me and what I needed as a processing space mid- year. I was seeking comfort within all the unknowns. Finding people I feel I can successfully reflect with on a personal level is always a challenge for me, so I was also seeking a community I could trust in throughout this experience. 

Mornings at Taize!

We start the day with morning prayer in the church at 8AM. Part of the Taizé experience is to participate in a daily job that you do throughout the week. Our group was assigned two parts for our job: the first task was to hold the silence signs every morning to remind the 1,000+ people entering the church not to talk. We then went to breakfast (bread, chocolate and tea) before heading to the second task of our job which was rubbish collection. Young Adults who are volunteering at Taizé long term run the job sites, so we would show up each day and they would tell us which parts of the camp needed garbage bags collected/replaced so they could come around and load the truck. The people you spend your time with matters, because I was lucky to be surrounded with others that were making the most of the experience! We turned something that doesn't seem that appealing into great bonding time I will value forever, and it was a good reminder how meaningful it actually is to serve the community no matter what the service could look like.

Evenings at Taizé 

There is more opportunity in the evening to choose what you want to do with your free time leading up to supper and then after supper until evening prayer service. One of my favorite moments was a casual walk through the nearby "town" of Taizé with YAGM & many of the new friends that were made. It was just relaxing to walk as the sun went down, continue conversations with some of the people from bible study but also talk about aspects of life outside of this retreat for everyone! Lots of laughter and genuine care for one another was felt in that final evening together. 

What did I find?

The environment at Taizé definitely stretched me new and great ways! Learning to calm/ clear my thoughts, settle into my bodies stillness, and embrace alot of silence. This style of worship/prayer was rejuvenating to me and something I want to continue to practice in my life. YAGM mentions a lot about community throughout our year, and I heard that in a lot of the discussions at Taizé as well. I have said in a variety of words since the start of YAGM application processes that I was seeking community in my personal life, not just my professional life. I got to meet some really amazing young adults from many different countries, all of us seeking different things but in the bigger picture it led us to embrace this experience together. I am grateful for the Hungary friends, the brothers of Taizé, and new friends who were an incredible community to me that brought me comfort and built trust over the week spent together.

Biggest take away

I say "biggest" because I think there are too many great takeaways to count! But it is something that I have reflected on the most since returning to my site placement. I spend a lot of time questioning; questioning myself, my connections/ relationships, my career, my life path. There is a lot of pressure I put on myself, and I think the hyperfixation on specific questions or next steps are actually a blanket for what I am truly seeking deep down, bigger picture. One thing that the Brother said before sending us into our bible study session was, we are never actually done seeking. And I think that settled me more than I realized in the moment. The word seeking, and how the 2026 letter describes some different types of seeking feel more human to me than all the questions I have created from expectations of myself. Seeking is more personal, reflective, spiritual. Some of the thoughts I have had is that just because I am seeking something doesn't mean I will get the answer, and I can become more okay with that. Or, when faithfully seeking, it may guide me to something I did not realize I was seeking and then spark new things to seek.