Our Symbols
Our Symbols
This is the symbol of the Franciscan Sisters of Mary. Our symbol combines the "tau" cross and the basket.
The Tau
The tau cross is formed from the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The prophet Ezekiel spoke of "God's faithful ones being marked with the tau on their foreheads," signing their complete commitment to God and the ways of goodness.
Francis of Assisi took the tau as the symbol of his movement. For him it was an ultimate sign of complete commitment to God and to the deep conversion of heart that would characterize his followers.
The tau is a mark of belonging, of being deeply consecrated, commissioned and committed.
The Basket
As a part of symbol of the Franciscan Sisters of Mary, the basket speaks of the readiness of our sisters to serve from our earliest days. It serves as a sign of compassion as we recall our founder's using it to bring food to refresh her sisters and comfort to people they cared for.
Often the basket was empty, a sign of our own neediness and dependence on the support and assistance of others and our dependence on God to provide our daily bread and to bless us with the compassion of others.
Sometimes the basket held a loaf of freshly basked bread to be broken and shared, and in that sharing, to recognize God's presence.
The basket is a symbol of our lives, open to God and to our sisters and brothers.
The basket and the tau speak to us of who we are.