Tiers Ordre de l'Unité
The Third Order of Unity (Le Tiers Ordre de l'Unité) is the Third Order of the Communauté de Grandchamp .
The Third Order of Unity (DOE) was created in August 1955 on the initiative of Brother Roger to give the "Grandes Communautés" of Taizé and Grandchamp (the then narrow circle of lay people around the religious orders) a common spiritual structure.
During the 1960s (after the Second Vatican Council ) the Taizé brothers decided to place the reception of young people at the center of their activities and to hand over the care of the DOE to the Sisters of Grandchamp.
The first groups of the DOE emerged in Lausanne , Geneva , and Neuchâtel , later groups were added in German-speaking Switzerland, the Netherlands and Germany. There are isolated members in France, the USA and in African countries. There are currently no members in Austria. The DOE has a total of around 170 members.
The members of the Order of Unity live their commitment in their profession, their families and their community. Daily prayer and meditation of the Bible, retreats (retreats in Grandchamp or the Swiss-German branch of the Sisters of Grandchamp, the Sonnenhof in Gelterkinden ) and regional get-togethers during the year mark their spiritual life. The regional groups come together for church services, Bible studies and discussion groups in which they exchange ideas about the respective annual topic.
The DOE is headed by the Équipe , a team of eight members from French-speaking Switzerland, German-speaking Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands and a sister of the Communauté de Grandchamp.
The Rule of the Order consists essentially of the chapter headings of an early version of the Taizé Rule :
- Pray and work,
- so that his kingdom may come.
- Let in your day
- in work and rest,
- God's word come alive.
- Keep the inner silence in everything
- to abide in Christ.
- Let the spirit of the Beatitudes penetrate you :
- Joy - Simplicity - Mercy.