After his commission at the foot of the San Damiano Cross, Saint Francis chose a more ancient symbol of redemption as his standard: the Tau cross.
In commenting on the scriptures of Israel, the early Christian writers used its Greek translation, the Septuagint, in which the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the tau, was transcribed as a "T" in Greek.
Saint Francis first encountered this symbol when he was caring for lepers. He and the religious followers of St. Anthony the Hermit, who were working with him, used Christ’s cross; shaped like a Greek "T" - as a protection against the plague and other skin diseases.
Saint Francis eventually accepted and adapted the “T” as his crest and signature.
For him, the "T" represented life-long fidelity to the Passion of Christ. He pledged to serve the least, the leper and outcast of his day.
The College Symbol or badge is a stylized version of the Tau Cross that Francis used as his signature.
The College Motto "In Simplicity and Harmony" stems from the core values and beliefs emanating from the story St Francis of Assisi.
It calls all members of the community to lead a simple life, ridding ourselves of anything that harms us; prejudice, a lack of forgiveness, or a love of things over people; and to live in the peace and harmony of Christ’s commandment - To love one another as I have loved you.