‘Our job is to offer hospitality and a listening ear’

I received the phone call to say that Brother Roger had been murdered during the evening prayer meeting at the Roman Catholic World Youth Day in Germany [August 2005]. The young people carried on singing, but I just could not believe the news. It was a terrible shock.

I first met Brother Roger when I went to Taizé in 1970 with a group of friends from my church in Stuttgart. I was only 16. I went back several times after that, and, in 1974, decided I wanted to live and serve in the community.

His last words have remained very important to us. He said: “In the measure that our community creates in the human family possibilities for broadening out . . .” But he was too tired to finish the sentence. He meant that we cannot just withdraw in fear and passivity, but we must make the love God has for all human beings more perceptible for each one.

I am a Roman Catholic, and Brother Roger was a Protestant; the ecumenical nature of Taizé is so very important. Personally, it has allowed me to deepen my faith in the Church. There are different gifts and different traditions, and we must look at ways of strengthening these gifts together, so that they can enrich everyone.

I am happiest when I am together with the Brothers. We have just had a marvellous time in Bradford, where we had a wonderful service at the Cathedral, and met the Mayor and Muslim leaders.

While in England, I am meeting both the Archbishops [Canterbury and Westminster] and hope to have a chance to share and pray with them.

A long time ago, in 1978, Brother Roger had talked to me informally about taking over his ministry. We did not say much more about it until eight years ago, when he told the Community about it. I found it all hard to imagine at the time.

He was such a big influence on my life. He had so many personal gifts that marked our community life, particularly prayer and welcoming. Yet we have to go on; and the young people keep on coming.

I think it is important for us to remember that even if Brother Roger was the heart of our lives, we are centred on Christ. He never pointed to himself, but to God; the living presence of God.

All Brothers take the Taizé prayer robe as part of their lifelong commitment to our monastic community. We come together for prayer three times a day. It is a visible sign of our life here.

There are no women sisters at Taizé, but we are linked with the Community of the Sisters of St Andrew. They have a centre in Belgium, but have been in Taizé since 1966. We complement each other very well.

Taizé never closes. You cannot say to the 100,000 young people who come each year, “We are not open today.” But, at the end of each year, we move to where our European meeting is. This is very important for us. This year, it is in Zagreb in Croatia.

Churches can support Taizé most by welcoming young people into their life and offering them a place of friendship. We tell all our young visitors to go back and become part of the daily life of their church.

We are a small monastic community; we do not want to become a big one. We want the young people not to stay with us, but to go back and find a place of friendship in their own church.

Singing together has immense value; it was very important to me when I first visited Taizé. I am very interested in liturgy, and I know that a lot of churches across the world run Taizé services.

If I had to define Taizé, I would say: a group of people who believe there is one human family and that Christ has risen from the dead to unite us. This we would show by our life.

Welcoming and listening are vital parts of Taizé. Our job is not so much to offer advice as just to be here, offering hospitality and a listening ear.

I am currently reading Dr Zhivago. Some of us have just been on a visit to Russia and met leaders of the Orthodox Church there. We have a lot of Russian young people who visit us at Taizé, and we wanted to learn how better to understand them.

When I was young, I wanted to be a farmer: I was always asking my grandmother for a horse. But, when I became a teenager, I knew I wanted to do something in the Church, as it was such an important part of my life.

The most important choice was when I decided to come to live at Taizé. I was so struck by the prayer and worship, and meeting new people.

At the time, I believed that Eastern Europe was somewhere I could not go. At Taizé, I was shown you could. The Brothers had incredible relationships with Christians in Eastern Europe.

There are 100 Brothers, 70 at Taizé, and 30 around the world. These links with places like Calcutta and Bangladesh are so important.

I always remember an Easter sermon by Brother Roger on Romans 8, where Paul says nothing can condemn us, as Christ has risen. So we have this marvellous freedom. Brother Roger was definitely the biggest influence on my life.

We do not accept donations. We earn our own living, and live very simply. We have a pottery, sell music, and run a shop. Brother Roger bought the house in 1940. We only accept contributions towards the meetings we run.

Fair trade is a big issue for the young people who come. We have tried to introduce it, but, of course, have to keep the balance between that and living in an affordable way.

I am always so glad when I understand a passage in the Bible in a new way, particularly when it is so familiar. At the moment, I am studying the letter to the Ephesians.

Brother Alois was talking to Rachel Harden.