For decades, Taizé’s hauntingly beautiful music, "Jesus, Remember Me," "Bless the Lord," and many others has echoed in churches worldwide, drawing hearts into the depths of meditation and prayer. While many have sung this music for decades, most know very little about the profound mission behind those simple melodies.

Founded in 1940 by a man named Roger Schutz-Marsauche, Taizé emerged during a time of great social upheaval in Europe--amidst the devastation of World War II. Brother Roger, as he would come to be known, settled in a small village called Taizé, in Burgundy close to the line of demarcation. From the start, he sought to make his life a living example of the gospel, and that meant building a community in which reconciliation and peace would be lived out daily. He began welcoming refugees fleeing the war, Jews in particular. Eventually, several other men joined him and after the war, they ministered to German prisoners and to many others in need. Some 60 brothers, Catholic and Protestant from more than 30 countries now form the ecumenical monastic community of Taizé. The brothers commit their lives to Christ and to community living where kindheartedness and simplicity are at the center of everything. Their primary vocation has always been to seek paths of reconciliation between divided Christians and separated peoples. But not long after that initial group of men began the community, something unexpected began to happen.

Perhaps it was Brother Roger's vision of God as a God of love rather than a harsh judge, or perhaps it was his emphasis on the importance of trying to understand young people's search for God, but early on Taizé became a popular attraction for youth. Since the late 1950s, tens of thousands of pilgrims in their teens and twenties from every continent have come here to partake in the unique experience of Taizé's daily rhythms of work, prayer, song, group discussions and communal living. The visitors include believers and seekers of various cultural and religious backgrounds who resonate with the community's simple and profound way of life. They are welcomed regardless of their background or beliefs. The growth in the number of youth coming to Taizé spurred the expansion of the building used for prayer. Between 1961-62, The Church of Reconciliation was built fifteen years after the end of World War II by young people from Germany as a sign of reconciliation with France. Several additions had to be added from 1989 on, when the borders of Eastern Europe opened and the number of young pilgrims doubled. This abundance of young pilgrims has inspired annual meetings of youth in Europe and on other continents.

Our film will follow an ecumenical youth group of teens from The Dover Church in Dover, Massachusetts beginning with their departure and then continuing in France as they experience a week at Taizé. We will capture their arrival, setting up camp, signing up for work (at Taizé, everyone has a job), and joining more than 1,000 others as they form a queue for their evening meal. We then follow them throughout the week as they engage in the daily rhythm of prayer, group discussion, work, communal meals and communal living. Viewers get an in-depth look at Taizé through the desires, anticipations, struggles, and attempted resolutions of the youth profiled, ever seeking to determine the transformations that take place between one another and within themselves.

Brother Roger liked to remind the other brothers that they were not spiritual masters, but men who listened. To this day, every evening after prayer many brothers stay to listen one-on-one to the questions, the fears, the hopes and the dreams of the young pilgrims at Taizé. In a world increasingly fractured by division and discord, it is essential to see, to hear, to experience, and to be inspired by those who listen rather than judge, those who emanate goodness, who model peace, and who live reconciliation. This is the hope of the film: Taizé: A Pilgrimage of Trust.

Your contributions will move our project forward by opening the lens on:

• The anticipation and excitement of the teens as they pack, say good-bye to their families, and take off on a new adventure
• The challenges of navigating a new country, especially being with peers who come from different cultures and who speak other languages
• The struggle to embrace a way of life where simplicity is the golden rule.
• The conflict that stirs within as the youth encounter more deeply in prayer, in song, and in group discussions that they are loved just as they are
• The transformations that helps them to look at themselves and one another in new ways

If we reach more than our goal, we can use that money toward the next step--editing! Following all the filming, each video will be logged, transcribed, viewed a million times and then pieced together like a beautiful puzzle to create Taizé: A Pilgrimage of Trust.

Help us to spread the good news by sharing our project on social media. Every share brings us closer to telling this important story. Thank you for being part of our journey!