Casa Franciscana Outreach

08/23/2026

Over the years, pilgrims with Casa Franciscana Outreach have traveled to Guaymas, Mexico, where they experience firsthand the work of Casa Franciscana Mission and meet the people it serves. They enter homes, listen to stories, participate in service, pray and reflect together. Along the way, many discover that pilgrimage is not only about what they come to give, but also about what they receive.

We come as pilgrims, following the example of St. Francis—not just to give, but to walk beside others with humility and care. We spend time with families, share simple moments, and often receive more than we bring. You may come hoping to help others and find that your own life is changed as well.

Join us October 2–5, 2026, for four days of service, prayer, meditation, reflection and connection with our brothers and sisters in Guaymas. Together, we will also commemorate the Transitus of St. Francis of Assisi and celebrate his feast day.

If your heart is looking for a deeper way to serve, we invite you to join us at Casa Franciscana Mission in Guaymas, Mexico.

Registration: casafranciscanaoutreach.org
Click “Pilgrimage” to sign up.

Blog info :You can read more about it here https://www.casafranciscanaoutreach.org/a-pilgrimage-to-guaymas-celebrating-the-transitus-of-st-francis—

08/05/2026

Every year, the Casa Franciscana Mission travels into remote Yaqui communities to ensure children have one of the most basic necessities for attending school—a properly fitting pair of shoes.

Before the shoes can be distributed, each child’s feet are carefully measured. For many families, this is an important day, as children gather with their mothers, grandmothers, brothers, and sisters, knowing that a new pair of shoes will help them return to the classroom. In many schools throughout Mexico, children cannot attend without shoes.

This is more than a shoe program. It is an investment in a child’s education, dignity, and future.

07/15/2026

Before the School Year Begins,

the Work Begins

Communities surrounding Guaymas, Mission staff, and community leaders gather names and shoe sizes for children preparing to return to school.

Parents stop for measurements, children are added to lists, and preparations begin for the weeks ahead. At the courtyard of the Director of the Paredonsito Expansion Community, Franki Otero, families begin arriving early — some after long drives from surrounding communities — waiting patiently as children are checked in and prepared for the coming school year.

For many families, the first steps toward school begin here

“To a parent, a new pair of school shoes means more than something to wear. It is seeing their child walk through the schoolhouse door, able to attend school, and no longer left out for lacking something so basic.”

Fr. Martín Ibarra, OFM

Read more stories and see more pictures on our website (https://www.casafranciscanaoutreach.org/sometimes-hope-begins-with-a-pair-of-shoes) .

Click here for an update from Casa Franciscana Outreach!

07/12/2026

Here are some recent photos showing the progress of the Fatima Clinic construction.

Father Martin recently toured the construction site with Sandra and one of the mission’s youth volunteers. As you enter the clinic, the doctor’s office will be on the left. To the right will be the dental office and the pharmacy.

During the visit, Father Martin met with the foreman to discuss how the drain from the dental office will be routed to the street.

You will also see Father climbing a ladder to inspect the inside roof. He was concerned that the rim around the roof, as it is currently designed, may allow rainwater to collect on top of the interior ceiling rather than drain away properly. He wanted to inspect the area personally and discuss the issue with the foreman.

07/08/2026

Behind every face is a story.

Over the next month, I’ll be sharing photographs of some of the wonderful people served by the Casa Franciscana Mission in the rural communities of Sonora, Mexico. Each image represents a life, a family, and a journey of hope.

In the coming weeks, their full stories will be featured on our website, where you’ll have the opportunity to learn more about the challenges they face, the strength they show, and the difference your support makes in their lives.

I hope you’ll follow along as we introduce you to the people who are at the heart of the mission.

07/04/2026

Certainly. Here’s the revised version with “On Saturday” added back in naturally:

On Saturday, the courtyard at Casa Franciscana Mission in Guaymas became a place of welcome and dignity. Men from the community came to receive clean clothing, a haircut, and a shave.

David, one of the mission’s youth volunteers, spent the morning giving haircuts and shaves, while María helped each man receive clean clothes.

Before anyone leaves, each visit is carefully documented. The mission records each man’s name, age, and the services he receives. This record-keeping helps the mission understand the needs of those they serve, plan future outreach, and be good stewards of every donation.

A clean shirt. A fresh haircut. A warm welcome. Sometimes the simplest acts remind someone that they are seen, valued, and never forgotten.

07/02/2026

Before the first child is measured for a new pair of school shoes, the work has already begun.

Yesterday, the team from Casa Franciscana Mission traveled to San José de Guaymas for the annual Shoes for School program. As they entered the community, they slowly drove through the streets using a bullhorn to let families know they had arrived.

Soon, children began making their way to the meeting place. Some walked more than a mile along dusty roads. Others arrived with their mothers, grandmothers, older brothers, or sisters. A few came by truck, car, or motorcycle. Some children were excited. Others were shy and needed a little encouragement before stepping forward to have their feet measured for their new school shoes.

These photographs are more than images of children waiting in line. They are a glimpse into daily life in this small community—the dirt roads, modest homes, the neighborhood store where families stop for a cold drink or candy, and, most importantly, the people who call this place home.

Every measurement taken yesterday is one step closer to ensuring that, when school begins, another child will walk through the classroom door with a new pair of properly fitting shoes.

It is a simple act of love that helps restore dignity, build confidence, and remind every child that they are seen and valued.
When the dogs come to greet the Team as they prepare the children for school

06/30/2026

As we prepare to mail our 2026 Shoes for School fundraising letter, I thought I would share it alongside last year’s letter.

People sometimes ask why I travel to Guaymas to document the mission’s work. The answer is simple. To tell these stories honestly, it is necessary to go into the communities with the mission team, meet the families, listen to their stories, and witness their daily lives firsthand. Only then can the photographs and stories truly reflect both the need and the hope that exists.

Every image and every story represents real children, real families, and the dedicated work of Casa Franciscana as it serves some of the poorest communities in Sonora. My hope is that these stories help others better understand why the Shoes for School program is so important and why your support continues to make such a difference.

Click on the QR code to donate now

06/30/2026

Sometimes Hope Begins Long Before a Child Receives a New Pair of Shoes.

Long before the school year begins, the work has already started. In the Yaqui community of Guásimas, one of Casa Franciscana Outreach’s mission extension communities, families begin gathering so every child can be measured for the Mission’s annual Shoes for School program.

In temperatures in the mid-90s with nearly 100 percent humidity, Mission staff travel from community to community measuring each child’s right foot and entering their name and shoe size into their cell phones. It is a careful process designed to ensure that no child is overlooked when the new shoes are distributed before school begins.

These photographs capture more than measurements. They show the quiet preparation that takes place weeks before the distribution day. Parents wait patiently, children try on sizing guides, and Mission staff move from one child to the next, knowing that every correct measurement means one more child will begin the school year with shoes that fit.

Because of the generosity of Casa Franciscana Outreach donors, hundreds of children throughout the Mission’s extension communities will receive new shoes before classes begin. For many families, it is one less financial burden. For every child, it is an opportunity to walk into the classroom with comfort, confidence, and dignity.

Thank you for helping make these moments possible.

Guaymas Education HopeInAction ChildrenFirst HumanitarianStorytelling

05/05/2026

A Project That Took Root –

Home Garden Project

The Home Garden Project continues to grow in the communities surrounding Guaymas, where families are building something steady with what they have.

What began as a simple effort—to help families grow their own food—has taken root in meaningful ways. With seeds, young fruit trees, tools, fencing, and water tanks, families are creating gardens that support daily life. These are not large operations. The plots of land for growing are small, intentional spaces where food is grown, shared, and sustained over time.

In Etchoropo, Reina, Diego, and their children live and work in a place where daily life is shaped by what is available and what can be sustained. Their home is where daily life unfolds—family and neighbors gather, meals are prepared, and the rhythm of the day continues. Everything this family has is used carefully and with purpose—and even with little, they continue to share with others.

Outside, their kitchen is open-air. Meals are prepared here using what the land provides, and what water makes possible...

Read more stories and see more pictures on our website (https://www.casafranciscanaoutreach.org/where-growth-begins) .

Click here for an update from Casa Franciscana Outreach!