Casa Franciscana Outreach

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!

04/14/2026

Home Gardens in Guaymas: Rosenda does not talk about what she has. She shows it. Each month, the mission’s team visits homebound families—those who cannot come, the team goes to them. - Each February, board members from Scottsdale, AZ, travel to Mexico to meet with their partners—to listen, to share, and to plan the mission’s future. During these visits, they go out with the team to meet the families they serve, and it is there—in places like Rosenda’s home—that they are received, in her home, in her way. - Her garden is not for display—it is for living. What grows here feeds her family. What grows here is shared. - The board members worked beside her during this visit—tending the soil, clearing the garden, learning through her rhythm of life. - Then the fire is lit. What was grown became the meal. Tortillas are shaped by hand, warmed on the comal, a traditional flat cooking surface used throughout Mexico.

This is how she lives—with care, with purpose, with generosity. This is what the Home Garden Project makes possible. Not just food, but health, dignity, and a life rooted in giving—even when you have little.

. . . . . CommunityCare. MissionInAction. FaithInService. GuaymasMexico. FromSoilToTable

04/12/2026

Where growth begins, it starts with water.
In the communities surrounding Guaymas, families like Reina and Diego’s are building something steady with what they have—small plots of land, carefully tended, shared with purpose.
With seeds, tools, and a single water tank, a garden begins. Rows take hold.
Meals are prepared from what the land provides; Neighbors gather; Children play in the same space where food is grown.
Water does not come easily here. It arrives by truck—sometimes once a week—and must last.
This month’s Home Garden Project focuses on helping families grow their own food in a sustainable, healthier way for daily life. Without a way to store water, a garden cannot last. With one tank, a family can begin growing food at home and supporting their daily needs over time.
The focus of May is simple: give a family the ability to begin.





WaterIsLife
SustainableLiving
CommunityFirst
GrowYourOwnFood
NonprofitImpact
FaithInAction
ServeOthers
BorderlessCare
SeedsOfHope
FromTheGroundUp

02/19/2026

The Story Does Not End Here, Daily Resurrection In Our Midst
https://conta.cc/4skc2oH

Email from The Casa Franciscana Outreach Paz y Bien Visit Our Website About Us News Pilgrimage Contact Us Donate The Story Does Not End Here, Daily Resurrection In Our Midst My Dear Sisters and Broth

02/18/2026

The Story Does Not End Here,

Daily Resurrection In Our Midst

My Dear Sisters and Brothers of Casa Franciscana Outreach,

Easter comes as a gentle light, reminding us that death is not the end of the story.

The Resurrection is God’s promise that His story continually moves with new life—every day, every moment—here and now among us. We see it in small acts of kindness, in families who find strength to begin again, and in the quiet courage of those who refuse to give up hope.

Here at the Mission, the Resurrection takes flesh in daily life. It is present in a warm meal shared with someone who is hungry, in medicine placed into the hands of a diabetic who has been worrying through the night, in a child who laughs again because he feels seen and loved.

The Franciscan tradition invites us to notice this new life in simple things: a smile, a greeting of peace, the beauty of creation, the gift of one another. Saint Francis of Assisi teaches us that we meet the Risen Christ most clearly when we draw near to those who suffer, when we walk humbly, and when we rebuild, what is broken brick by brick, heart by heart.

Your friendship and generosity make this possible. Together with you, we are instruments of peace and hope in Guaymas.

Fr. Martín Ibarra, OFM

“The final word does not belong to fear, poverty, or despair - but to love.”

Read more stories and see more pictures on our website (https://www.casafranciscanaoutreach.org/the-story-does-not-end-here-daily-resurrection-in-our-midst) .

Click here for an update from Casa Franciscana Outreach!

01/25/2026

If you are in the Phoenix area, we invite you to Franciscan Renewal Center today. The Casa Franciscana Guaymas A.C team along with Fr. Martín will be at all the masses.

If you are unable to join us in person, you can watch Fr. Martín celebrate Mass at the 9:15 Mass (or watch it later using the same link).

Please consider making your donations to the Casa online https://qr.thecasa.org/olaSunday, January 25, 2026 (9:15 a.m.) - The Third Sunday in Ordinary Timef...

01/21/2026

Meet Fr. Martín — This Weekend at The Franciscan Renewal Center

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

We’re delighted to share that Fr. Martín and members of the Casa Franciscana Mission team from Guaymas will be with us this weekend at The Franciscan Renewal Center (“The Casa”) in Scottsdale.
Come and hear firsthand how your generosity continues to transform lives in Guaymas. Fr. Martín will share stories of the children, families, and elders your support sustains — and offer updates on the Mission’s most recent outreach efforts.

Mass Schedule
Fr. Martín will preside at all weekend Masses, and Mission staff will be available afterward to say “hola” and share more about those they serve with your help.

Can’t attend in person?
You can join us via livestream on The Casa’s YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/TheCasaFRC) :
Saturday – 4:00 p.m.
Sunday – 9:15 a.m.�
Recordings will also be available to watch anytime and to share with friends.

For 58 years, the friars have been serving our brothers and sisters in Guaymas because of the generous donations of people like you. We deeply appreciate your support over the years and look forward to another year of sharing a smile, a spirit of hope, and the love of God.

We look forward to seeing you this weekend!

With gratitude and peace,
The Casa Franciscana Outreach Board

P.S. If you can’t join us in person, please consider spiritually sponsoring a child today. Your prayerful support changes lives.

Click here for an update from Casa Franciscana Outreach!

12/09/2025

The Birth of Jesus Christ Born Again in Guaymas, Mexico

Dear Sisters & Brothers:

Each Christmas, we celebrate not only a moment in Bethlehem but also a mystery that lives on in every act of compassion. The child Jesus, born into poverty, continues to be born among the poor of Guaymas. In the laughter of children, the prayers of elders, and the hands of those who serve, His light still enters a world hungry for hope.

At Casa Franciscana Mission, the story of Christ’s birth is retold every day—in food shared, medicine given, gardens planted, and the tenderness exchanged between neighbors.

Many families in Guaymas live with little, yet their faith and generosity shine brightly. Their humble homes remind us that the first Christmas was not wrapped in comfort but in love — a love that continues to dwell among the poor...

Fr. Martín Ibarra, OFM

Click here for an update from Casa Franciscana Outreach!

10/15/2025

The team is working to expand our garden program and expand our outreach in the community 🧑🏽‍🌾

09/30/2025

The Transitus of St. Francis

Dear Sisters & Brothers:

“As we approach St. Francis’s Transitus, we are reminded of his tender care for the sick and the poor. Each year, Franciscans recall his passing into God as a call to renew our commitment to walk in his way of compassion — especially the compassion that moves us to aid the sick.

Fr. Martín Ibarra, OFM

Click here for an update from Casa Franciscana Outreach!

07/24/2025

Thanks to the generosity of a number of Casa Franciscana donors, the Mission was able to purchase a van. It will be used to help the staff travel to the various areas we serve, bring more supplies with them (and keep them secured as they are out serving), as well as help in many other ways. This van replaces multiple other vehicles, including those of the staff, that had to be used previously. This will ultimately save the Mission money while also allowing us to better serve our brothers and sisters!

If you'd like to contribute to the van fund, please reach out, and we'd be happy to speak with you about how you can contribute to this invaluable equipment 🥰

Send a message to learn more