It has been four years since young people started a Taizé prayer service at St. Viator Catholic Community in Las Vegas. What began as an outgrowth of their experience at the Viatorian Youth Congress, has become a mainstay at the parish, including during Lent.
Before Friday’s stations of the cross, Fr. Richard Rinn, CSV, Pastor, Fr. Lawrence Lenz, CSV, Associate Pastor and Deacon Associate Michael Underwood served up the soup, but it was the teens who took over from there.
(L-R) Deacon Associate Michael Underwood, Fr. Lawrence Lentz and Fr. Richard Rinn
They led the stations of the cross and culminated the powerful evening with the candle-lit setting of Taizé prayer. The meditative service includes periods of silence with readings from Scripture, prayers of praise and intercession, and the frequent repetition of simple, contemporary music or chants based on the Psalms. 
“It was a great, prayerful night,” said Associate Rosy Hartz, who leads the youth ministry group at the parish. “I’m so proud of these teens who brought stations and Taizé together.”
It was the teens who suggested the parish host a Taizé prayer service back in 2017, after the shooting massacre in Las Vegas and it has become an important part of the prayer life of the community ever since.
“Taizé gives you a moment to slow down the busyness of your life,” Hartz adds, “and take a moment to grow closer to God.”