The Road Of Hope: A Gospel From Prison

The Road of Hope: A Gospel from Prison

In 1975, Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan was traveling to Saigon, Vietnam, to become its new Coadjutor Bishop. On the way, he was arrested and imprisoned-an incarceration that lasted thirteen years. Despite tremendous risk, Van Thuan refused to remain passive. During his nights in prison, lie wrote encouraging messages to the Vietnamese people. These brief reflections, scribbled on scraps of paper, were smuggled out of prison, copied by hand and circulated within the community. Bishop Van Thuan was thus able to remain connected to his people in a hidden yet powerful way. The Road of Hope is the collection of these 1,001 messages, a true "gospel from prison," written to console and strengthen a weary people in a war-torn land. They remain the heartfelt, personal words of a father who sustained and nourished his childrens desire for freedom. Today, they speak to us-an invitation to begin our own journey on the Road of Hope, leading us into our future. ""An Imitation of Christ for the 21st Century." - Francis B. Schulte, Archbishop of New Orleans