The journey to Taizé started in October 2008, when all of the Poetry students gathered in the chapel to hear about a pilgrimage that involved mass three times a day, some seriously dodgy cuisine and camping in horrible conditions (occasionally blizzards!) However we also learned from pupils who had gone to Taizé in the past that it was an unbelievable week that had to be experienced to be understood. This sense of mystery was what sealed it for many. We wanted to experience what Taizé was all about first-hand, so along with about seventy other students we wrote our letters of application and hoped…
In January, the thirty-six lads who had been selected met for the first time for the first of our weekly Taizé preparation classes with Mr Murray. The preparation classes were usually a good laugh and were practical in informing us of what we needed to bring and what we needed to do in order to survive in Taizé. We also went to the Oratory a few times for Taizé-style meditation (which some lads used to catch up on their beauty sleep!) In the preparation classes we also learned of the unbelievable stupidity Belvedere students had occasionally been guilty of in Taizé and everyone was determined not to become one of the ‘select few’ whose (lack of) intelligence and common sense had resulted in them being immortalized by having a Taizé award named after them! Every triple class was also finished with much appreciated tea and biscuits that Mr Murray always provided us with.
In no time, April had arrived and thirty-six bleary-eyed students ambled into Dublin airport at 4:15 in the morning with some ridiculously over and under-sized rucksacks, after double and triple checking that they had their passports so as not to fall victim to contributing a stupidity fine to the “Teachers’ Entertainment Fund.” The teachers who accompanied us to Taizé were Mr Ger Murray, Ms Claire Broderick, Ms Catríona Jennings and Mr Dave O’Hanlon. We were also accompanied by past pupil Conor McGreevy who wasted no time in slagging whoever was standing beside him as soon as he arrived in Dublin Airport. Mr Pat Rogan, Mr Dan Meagher and Mr Conor Doherty also joined up with the group later in the week. We nervously queued with our rucksacks as we all feared paying an excess baggage charge. Most lads avoided it with rucksacks weighing 17 or 18 kilos on average but Danny Murphy was left worrying about what he could have forgotten as his bag weighed just 11 kilos! After a relatively stress-free plane journey (one student was stopped in security and quizzed about his hair-straightener) we hopped onto a few trains and then we got a TGV from the Gare de Lyon to Macon. Seán Boylan and I used our break in Taizé to practice our French while ordering lunch and neither of us were pleased when the woman serving us hadn’t a clue what we were saying! Cursing our French teachers, we boarded our TGV. As the train pulled into the station at Macon, we were all wary of what Mr Murray had said about having ninety seconds to get off the train in Macon or else you would end up in Geneva. With this in mind we threw our bags out the door and rushed onto the platform in world record time only to discover that ninety seconds is a deceptively long period of time and the train was still stationary by the time we left the station. After a short coach journey we arrived in Taizé.
After a lengthy wait we were given our Taizé welcome by a slightly over-enthusiastic man from the Netherlands whose pronunciation of the word “Taizé” was repeated hundreds of times by the Belvedere group over the course of the week. We then signed up for work and discussion groups: we were told that we should do one of each in order to make the most of our experience. After a mad rush to try to get the best work placements available most of us ended up cleaning toilets although some lads managed to get a job where they had to sit at the Source and sunbathe while occasionally telling people to keep the noise down. This suited Cian Kennedy perfectly as he felt he was above toilet-cleaning duties, due to his unquestionable SCT ‘ledgeness’!! Other jobs included cooking the five-star cuisine we endured for a week and this was a job that kept some lads extremely occupied.
After being assigned a job and a discussion group we set up our tents. To Ger’s dismay, everyone put up their tent without any problems with a few bright sparks even bringing a small tent for their bags so as to maximise their space! After we set up our tents we had our first experience of Taizé prayer. This was a unique and unforgettable experience. At the start of the prayer service I was struck by the sense of togetherness in the Taizé community as everyone in the church sang the chants together and I couldn’t help but feel a part of the community instantly due to the great warmth and strength of faith that existed between those in the church. After the prayer service we then sampled the famous Taizé dinners. On the menu that night was some sort of grey glop that resembled concrete and some stale bread on the side. However we also got yoghurts and fruit so nobody starved! Eventually we realised that the glop was tasteless so if we averted our eyes it was just about bearable. We headed back to our tents somewhat nervously wondering how we were going to survive a week of cement-coloured, tasteless food.
The next few days followed a routine that was relatively easy to settle in to. We were woken every morning by Ger Murray shaking (and in some cases kicking) our tents until we appeared and walked, bleary-eyed to the church. After prayer we had breakfast, which consisted of a bowl of hot chocolate, two sticks of chocolate and a stale piece of bread (probably left over from the previous night’s dinner!) Breakfast was followed by a quick meeting with Ger to see how everyone was getting on. Ger also gave out some extra rolls and pieces of fruit that had mysteriously found their way from the kitchen’s lunch supplies into Barry McConnell’s pockets! We then set off to work. While Cian and his band of slackers set off to sunbathe, I along with most of the other lads began our toilet cleaning duties. A way of cleaning the bathrooms using colour-coded sponges for different parts of the bathroom had been devised somewhat unsurprisingly, by a gang of Germans. They had also “composed” a song that was sung every morning by all those cleaning toilets. While many seemed to enjoy it, the Belvedere lads certainly did not and it pained us to hear a Beatles classic be ruined by a bunch of Germans singing “Let Me Clean.” After our not-so-inspirational sing-song we were divided up so that not more than one or two Irish people were cleaning together. On my first day I was cleaning with a group of Portuguese and Lithuanian people. I was struck by the friendliness of these people who I’d only just met and I was greatly impressed by their desire to learn as much as possible about cultures that were foreign to them. It was impossible not to form friendships with people who were so accepting of all types of people and I remained friends with the group of Portuguese people for the rest of the week. After work, we had a few hours of free time before midday prayer. One of the things I loved about Taizé was the amount of free time we had every day. We could go to the Oyak and grab a half-frozen croque monsieur, we could play Ireland Vs. The Rest of the World football matches, we could talk to people our own age from all over Europe or we could relax down by the Source and take time to ourselves. The Source was a tranquil, quiet area beside a lake that was used to get some alone time or just to relax.
Midway through the week we were joined by Mr Pat Rogan and Mr Dan Meagher and they wasted no time in searching for reasons to fine people! They couldn’t hide their disappointment when they discovered how well-behaved the group was and the Teachers’ Entertainment Fund was looking worryingly thin at the end of their first day! Mr Conor Doherty arrived two days later but missed his official welcome by the group. As a result of this, Ger ordered us to welcome him every time we saw him, to make sure he felt at home!
Despite countless welcomes, everything continued as normal. We had our discussion groups in the afternoon. This began with one of the brothers, Br Georg, interpreting a passage from the bible. Then we split up into small groups with people from all over Europe to discuss different issues. Ms Jennings had kindly volunteered me to be the contact person for a discussion group which basically meant I had to lead the discussion. Initially the discussions were quite heavy but as the week went on they became more light-hearted and the group got on very well with each other.
After dinner, we had evening prayer and then we would all head down to the Oyak, the place to be as far as Taizé was concerned. We were allowed have one beer under Taizé rules but we were delighted on the first night when we were allowed to order as many drinks as we wanted, only to find out that we had been in the non-alcoholic queue. We then had a sing-song every night at the Oyak and although we couldn’t match Dave O’Hanlon (who won the hearts of many young women) we tried our best and the music was generally good and we always had a good laugh. The Oyak also gave us the opportunity to use our charm to woo any Swedish woman who crossed our paths. The Belvedere group was guilty of some horrendous chat-up lines that will haunt some for years to come but I won’t embarrass the unfortunate many by naming them.
As the week went on, we were allowed go back to the church after the sing-song and spend time there by ourselves or with others. I found the prayer services and the extra time we were given in the church hugely beneficial during our stay in Taizé as it gave time to reflect on who I was and what I wanted in life. The Taizé prayer services undoubtedly strengthened my faith as any doubts I had were eliminated by the warmth and strength of community I felt while singing the chants with as many as ten-thousand people. On Good Friday the kissing of the cross took place. This was an experience that will live long in my memory. The cross was placed in the middle of the church and people queued all through the night for a chance to kneel beside the cross and kiss it while praying.
Unfortunately the week had to end and the last day arrived. We woke up at 7 to pack our bags and our tents. We had our final bit of Taizé food (not one of the aspects of the trip I miss) and made our way into the church for our last prayer service. It was Easter Sunday and nearly ten-thousand people crammed into the church for the Service of Light. Everyone was given a candle and from one flame at the top of the church, all ten-thousand candles were lit.
After the service of light we said our goodbyes, double-checked to make sure we had our passports and our souvenirs and left for Macon. A TGV and a few trains later we had arrived at our hostel in Paris where proper mattresses were appreciated by all. We then changed into our good clothes that had been stored safely away all week and made our way to a restaurant for our first proper bit of food in a week. The hilarious Taizé Awards Ceremony took place that night and Ger and Conor McGreevy gave an impressive performance that embarrassed most of the lads, but to spare their blushes I won’t reveal who won what awards. After the awards ceremony we headed back to the hostel where we partied long into the night. Claire made it her mission to ensure that every one of us got up onto the dance floor at some stage. I was amazed at her determination and every one of us busted a move at least once!
We then had the next day free to roam the streets of Paris before our flight home. The free time in Paris was nice but all I thought about was Taizé when I was there. Taizé was a fantastic experience for me. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, made new friends in the Belvedere group and also made friends from different countries. I learned about the power of a community in Taizé and I was amazed at how, when everyone gives everyone else a chance to be themselves, the community becomes a happy and functioning one. Regardless of nationality, everyone was treated as equal in Taizé and that is something I have tried to incorporate into my life since I returned from the trip.
On behalf of the group, I want to thank all the teachers who went with us as they helped make Taizé an unforgettable experience for the group. I want to thank Conor McGreevy also, as his advice was hugely important for surviving the week! I want to thank the students who were over in Taizé with me also. I couldn’t have wished for a better group and we all got on so well, which made the experience even greater. I really can’t think of any negatives I encountered on our trip to Taizé apart from the food and some dodgy after-sun, but even that had its upsides! A special thanks must go to Ger Murray who put huge work into ensuring the success of the trip and the enjoyment of all those who travelled. His enthusiasm and unique sense of humour made it a trip that will live long in our memories as one of the best weeks of our lives.

Kevin Millar, Poetry Kenney