Casa Franciscana Outreach

10/10/2026

Paz y Bien — Peace and All Good.

A week ago, we joined our friends from the Mission team in Guaymas for a Franciscan pilgrimage filled with faith, hope, love and community.

Only days earlier, Hurricane Polo had brought heavy rain and flooding. The waters had receded, although at high tide some of the low-lying streets flooded again, clearing as the tide went out.

Our pilgrimage began with Mass celebrated by Fr. Martín. From there, we went into the community, visiting grandmothers raising their grandchildren after losing their daughters. We spent time with them, listened to their stories and shared moments of prayer, compassion and friendship.

We continued to the area near the train tracks, where migrants have passed through on difficult journeys. There, we stopped and prayed for those who had been there before us and those still searching for hope and a better life.

That evening came the Transitus of St. Francis. The community gathered and we processed together down the avenue to the plaza across from the Mesón. There was Mass, followed by food, music, dancing and fireworks.

After the storm, it was beautiful to see the streets filled again—not with floodwaters, but with people coming together.

A pilgrimage that reminded us that hope lives in community, love lives in being present for one another, and faith is something we walk together.

Paz y Bien.

10/07/2026

Walking With Those Living With Diabetes

This October, Casa Franciscana Outreach invites you to walk alongside Roberto, the Mission’s nurse, as he travels beyond the last paved road into the community of Maytorena.

There, Roberto delivers much-needed medications and spends time with the people the Mission serves each month.

Through these photographs and stories, we invite you to meet the people whose lives are touched by compassion, faith, and your generosity.

Together, we walk alongside them.

10/06/2026

A Hunger for More Than Food

On my recent trip to Guaymas, Mexico, I met people whose lives reminded me that migration is not simply about borders, laws, or politics. Behind all of these are human beings—hungry, tired, frightened, and still holding on to hope.

The young man in the first photograph had been living in Los Angeles when he was taken into ICE custody three years ago. He spent the next three years in detention, first in Texas and then Tucson. He had only recently been released when our paths crossed.

In the second photograph, the man standing had been living in California with his family. He told us they had paperwork for their asylum case, but they were returned to Mexico. Their van broke down, and they had been living on the streets for three days.

When we met them, all we had to give was water. We had no food.

The other two are from Honduras. The young man sitting by the railroad tracks speaks very good English.

I think of all of them often. I wonder where they are today. Have they eaten? Have they found a safe place to sleep?

There is another kind of hunger I saw that day:

A hunger for peace.
A hunger for freedom.
A hunger for dignity.
A hunger for a better way of life.

When Christ spoke of feeding the hungry and welcoming the stranger, perhaps He was asking us simply to see the person standing before us.

Sometimes we are not called to solve another person’s entire journey. We are called to see their humanity, offer what we have, and remind them they have not been forgotten.

This is something I have learned from Padre Martín at the Mission in Guaymas.

Food for thought: Perhaps the stranger God places along our path is not there for us to judge or even to rescue—but simply for us to see.

10/06/2026

A Hunger for More Than Food
On my recent trip to Guaymas, Mexico, I met people whose lives reminded me that migration is not simply about borders, laws, or politics. Behind all of these are human beings—hungry, tired, frightened, and still holding on to hope.

The young man in the first photograph had been living in Los Angeles when he was taken into ICE custody three years ago. He spent the next three years in detention, first in Texas and then Tucson. He had only recently been released when our paths crossed.

In the second photograph, the man standing had been living in California with his family. He told us they had paperwork for their asylum case, but they were returned to Mexico. Their van broke down, and they had been living on the streets for three days.

When we met them, all we had to give was water. We had no food.

The other two are from Honduras. The young man sitting by the railroad tracks speaks very good English.

I think of all of them often. I wonder where they are today. Have they eaten? Have they found a safe place to sleep?

There is another kind of hunger I saw that day:

A hunger for peace.
A hunger for freedom.
A hunger for dignity.
A hunger for a better way of life.

When Christ spoke of feeding the hungry and welcoming the stranger, perhaps He was asking us simply to see the person standing before us.

Sometimes we are not called to solve another person’s entire journey. We are called to see their humanity, offer what we have, and remind them they have not been forgotten.

This is something I have learned from Padre Martín at the Mission in Guaymas.

Food for thought: Perhaps the stranger God places along our path is not there for us to judge or even to rescue—but simply for us to see.

09/29/2026

Every Journey Matters — Living with Diabetes

This October, we invite you to walk alongside Roberto, the Mission's nurse, as he travels beyond the last paved road into the community of Maytorena. Through these photographs and stories, you'll meet the people whose lives are touched each month by compassion, faith, and your generosity.

Beyond The Last Paved Road
On a Saturday morning, Roberto, the Mission’s nurse, begins another journey into the Sonoran Desert. When he arrives in the small community of Maytorena, Sonora, Mexico, people wait and recognize the van's sound.

Roberto carries each carefully prepared medication package, already labeled with the patient’s name. He pauses to greet each person, exchange a few words, and make certain they receive exactly what they need before continuing down another dusty road.

For many, this visit is more than a delivery of medicine; it is the reassurance that they are remembered...

Read more and see the faces of those who benefit from your support on our website (https://www.casafranciscanaoutreach.org/every-journey-matters-diabetes-2026) .

Click here for an update from Casa Franciscana Outreach!

09/19/2026

With great sadness, Padre Martin informs us that our Cook for the Meson de Jesus, Señora Carmen died during the night…….. In Loving Memory of Señora Carmen

At the Mesón de Jesús, Carmen gave far more than food.
Through her hands came nourishment,
through her presence came kindness,
and through her years of service came a quiet expression of love
for those who arrived hungry and in need.

Every meal she helped prepare carried something of herself—
her time, her care, her compassion,
and her dedication to serving others.

Alongside the women who continue to give so generously of themselves,
Carmen helped make the Mesón de Jesús more than a place to receive a meal.
It became a place where those in need could be welcomed,
fed, and reminded that they were not forgotten.

And now, the hands that spent so many years preparing food for others are at rest.

Yet the love behind those hands remains.

It remains in the Mission.
It remains among the women who worked beside her.
It remains in the hearts of those she served,
and in all who were blessed to know her.

May they find comfort in knowing that a life devoted to serving others leaves something behind that death cannot take away.

08/24/2026

Celebrating the Transitus of Saint Francis
The Journey of a Pilgrimage

“Let us begin, for up to now we have done nothing.” — Saint Francis of Assisi

October 2–5, 2026

From Friday, October 2, to Monday, October 5, 2026, pilgrims will take part in four days of service, prayer, meditation, reflection, and connection with our brothers and sisters in Guaymas. During the pilgrimage, they will also join the community in commemorating the Transitus of St. Francis of Assisi and celebrating his feast day.

The pilgrimage takes place during a particularly meaningful time in the Franciscan calendar. On the evening of October 3, Franciscans throughout the world remember the Transitus of St. Francis of Assisi—his passing from this life into God—and renew their commitment to follow Christ in the way of the poor man from Assisi.

Come with us to the Franciscan Mission in Guaymas to serve, listen, pray, and reflect with our brothers and sisters.

Then join the community in remembering St. Francis of Assisi as he passed from this life into God and celebrating the life and spirit of Francis together.

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

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

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!