GREENFIELD — The community welcomed 2026 at the Second Congregational Church Wednesday evening with an interfaith Taizé service — an evening of song, chanting, prayer and meditation to invite peace in the coming year.
The Taizé prayer service originated in the ecumenical community in Taizé, France, which began after World War II. Their community includes Christians of all denominations and their services are known for simple chanting, candlelight, icons and silent meditation.
Joe Toritto has been hosting Taizé events for more than 20 years in Greenfield. The tradition began when the Rev. Armand Proulx learned of the Taizé services Toritto was holding in friends’ homes and invited him to bring the practice to the broader community.
Since then, many have come to appreciate the tradition.
“I love being washed in the music,” attendee Bart Bales said.
Wednesday’s service began with a song of peace performed by the Eventide Singers. The song was dedicated to Cindy Pomeroy, a co-creator of the Taizé tradition in Greenfield, who died in November.
“Cindy was a pillar of this church and the community for 20 years,” Toritto said, describing Pomeroy as “a really holy woman.”
The song was followed by two readings and 10 minutes for silent prayer or meditation.
Jeanne Douillard, the wife of Rev. Proulx, who died last year, read quotes and prayers from figures such as Mother Teresa, Sister Ruth Marlene Fox, Mahatma Gandhi and L.R. Knost. The service had a particular emphasis on peace and social justice.
“It’s trying to bring in the new year with prayers for peace,” Toritto explained. “And I say, certainly, in this time here we live in, boy, can we use it.”
Community members voiced prayers for ill loved ones and for the strength to care for them, for those less fortunate and those “prioritizing profit over life,” and for the city of Greenfield, for “strength and understanding of its beauty.”
Judith Williams accompanied the choir on piano. She shared that she has been a longtime member of the Eventide Singers and that she values the Taizé services.
“I love seeing the community come together, and I love the silence with everybody communing separately and together through that silence,” Williams said.
When asked what the theme of the evening, peace, meant to her, Williams responded, “Everything.”
Others echoed her sentiment.
“It is just the best way to say goodbye to the old year and welcome in the new year,” Marcia Schuhle said. “It is peaceful and nurturing.”