News from Saint Francis Anthony Fasani Custody in Vietnam

On Saturday, August 30, 2025, the Custody of St. Francis Anthony Fasani in Vietnam celebrated as three friars professed Solemn Vows and another three professed First Vows.

The following is from the website of the St. Joseph Cupertino Province. View the entire article and many more beautiful photos at https://franciscanfriars.org/2025/09/07/first-and-solemn-profession/

Before making their First Profession, the three novices completed a canonical year at the St. Francis of Assisi Friary in Dak Nong. During this formative year, they were introduced to the spiritual foundations of Franciscan life—deepening union with Christ through prayer, silence, fraternal life, self-denial, work, and humble service.

For the three friars making Solemn Profession, this step represents their definitive consecration to God, binding themselves permanently to the Order and its mission. Their preparation included years of human, spiritual, and intellectual formation, leading them to maturity and readiness for a lifelong commitment to the Franciscan way of following Christ.

This profession marks a milestone in the vocation journey of each friar, opening a new chapter of consecrated life in the Church. May they remain steadfast and faithful to their vows, becoming living witnesses of the Gospel and instruments of peace in the mission entrusted to them.

The apostolic life of the friars in Vietnam focuses principally on the corporal works of mercy. In the Red River Delta area in the north, the friars minister both to the rural poor of Thai Binh Province and especially to elderly leprosy patients in Văn Môn Village. In the south, the friars have created the Bread of Saint Anthony program which assists poor families — often headed by single mothers — with basic necessities: food, clothing and school supplies for the children. On weekends, the Conventual Franciscan student friars who study philosophy and theology at either the Franciscan Institute of Saigon or the Centrum Dominicanum Studiorum bring meals to the sick in Thủ Đức Hospital in the metro-Saigon megalopolis.

Here’s brief video from Friar Jude Winkler about how the friars in the Saint Anthony House of Studies in Vietnam work together to share the love of that fraternity with those who need it most.