Western New York Catholic

The Adult Faith Formation Committee of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Buffalo is pleased to announce that a Summer Solstice Taizé Prayer Service will be held on Tuesday, June 21 at 9 p.m. in Blessed Sacrament Church, 1029 Delaware Ave., Buffalo.

During the service the 10 people who lost their lives at Tops Market and the children and teachers who were killed at the Uvalde, Texas elementary school will be remembered. Friends, family and neighbors are invited to attend this ecumenical prayer service.

In our world filled with hate and prejudice, how do we cleanse our minds? The Taizé Prayer Service is an excellent way to reset yourself in 60 minutes by calming your mind by being intentionally quiet and present to the Lord. As you sit inside a darkened church, illuminated only by candlelight, a perfect atmosphere is created for meditative prayer.

The practice began in Taizé, the Burgundy region of France, during World War II. The prayer service is characterized by repetitive, mantra-like songs (such as “Jesus, remember me”), prayerful silence, and short scriptural readings.

Convenient free, off-street parking is available in the parking of the Catholic Academy of West Buffalo located adjacent to the church at 1069 Delaware Ave. The lot can be entered at Delaware and Lexington Avenues, and also from Linwood Avenue.

The Summer Solstice Taizé Prayer Service is the last of many programs that were offered at Blessed Sacrament Church in 2021-2022. The parish had started a series in March of 2020 called Church on Fire: Stay With Us! The 2021-2022 series featured an expanded format of lectures, concerts, events and services that provided 10 months

of programming, appealing to a variety of ages, genders, ethnicities and spiritualities. The parish opened its doors to all: long-time parishioners, new parishioners, curious non-parishioners, and community friends and neighbors … all!