By Jon James
Special to the Herald
Newman Center/Holy Spirit Parish at the University of Hawaii at Manoa will host a Taize Prayer Around the Cross service during Holy Week.
The service will take place April 1 at 7 p.m. Parking is available at the former Saint Francis School parking lot or in front of the Newman Center at 1941 East-West Road.
Taize is an ecumenical community of Catholic and Protestant religious vowed brothers; their monastery is located in the village of Taize in the Burgundy region of France (the brothers are also assisted by several orders of Catholic sisters).
Taize attracts tens of thousands of mostly young pilgrims from around the world and also sponsors large international gatherings.
The Taize Prayer Around the Cross was conceived several years ago by the Taize Brothers through the influence of Eastern European Christians. The candlelit service includes meditative chants, Scripture reading, a period of silence, a period of prayer petitions and veneration of the cross.
Toward the end of the service, a large icon Taize cross is laid down in the center of the chapel supported on stools with worshippers assembling around the cross and touching it with their heads. Participants pray for their own needs, for Christian unity, for those suffering in wars, for the persecuted, the tortured and for those who suffer injustice of every kind.
For more information, call the Newman Center at (808) 988-6222. To learn more about Taize and the prayer service, go to www.taize.fr.