Vietnamese Tau Crucifix Project

From the earliest moments of his conversion and his decision to “leave the world”, our Seraphic Father Saint Francis burned with “missionary” zeal.  No sooner than a few men had chosen to follow him and his way of life he decided to send them out, two by two, to spread the good news and joy of salvation.  He always desired to share his joy in Christ with everyone, and we are all aware of his journey to witness to the Sultan during the crusades.

Brother Bruce  Michalek, O.F.M., of Our Lady of Guadalupe Province, Albuquerque, New Mexico, has offered our region a special opportunity to partner with him in a missionary endeavor in support of the Franciscans of Vietnam by making and selling a very  unique and beautiful Tau cross; a crucifix with corpus in the shape of a Tau cross, pictured here.

Letter from Brother Bruce: Week Eight. Click Here.

Brother Bruce writes: 

“Imagine what the cost of boarding and educating 200+ Franciscan students. That is what the VN Province is having to do. They operate a rubber plantation as well as a coffee and pepper plantation to help support their formation programs. 

The economy in VN is extremely low in comparison to our USA economy. The U.S. Dollar is equal to 22,000 VN dong. The average wage for a worker is about 5 U.S. Dollars per day. The families of the Franciscan aspirants are asked to contribute 50 USA dollars per month to help support the 90+ aspirants. Needless to say, many of the families can’t afford to pay but the friars accept the students anyway. 

Any monies raised from the sale of the Tau Crucifixes will be used for the general support of the Franciscan students.”

Brother Bruce has himself traveled to Vietnam on three occasions to teach English to the young men in formation.

If you wish to purchase a wearable Vietnamese Tau Crucifix, or a wall-sized one (both in solid walnut), please contact Andy Gray at adgsfo@comcast.net.

Also, if you wish to contribute directly to the Vietnamese Franciscan community please send your support c/o:

Brother Bruce Michalek, O.F.M., Southwest Franciscan Missions, P. O. Box 12395, Albuquerque, NM  87195.

Be sure to note that your donation is for the Vietnamese Franciscan community.

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