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Br. Raul Diaz knows hunger.  He grew up in rural El Salvador with five siblings.  One of the highlights of his childhood was going to town with his mother to buy rice and corn.  Hopefully, the supply would last until their next trip.   These outings also provided him an opportunity to read the newspaper.  He…

Each year the CFO board, travels to Guaymas.  On our recent trip, we were in awe watching the amazing Mission staff in action. Cries for help from those in need fill each day and unexpected happenings are around every corner. Their secret weapons for turning tragedy into something more manageable are patience, love and total unselfishness. Irma, the social work who has…

Dear Ones, The death of beloved Fr. Elias in December made us aware that many of our newer supporters are not familiar with the history of the Casa Franciscana Mission. It is the story of the resurrection and hope of the Guaymas poor, an appropriate reflection for Easter, the resurrection of Christ, the hope of the world.In 1969, the bishop of…

Meet Adolfo and his grandson.  They are among the people in the poor hills of Guaymas that receive our food boxes.  Recently, we accompanied Fr. Tommy on his delivery and found the young boy and the old man sitting on their patio.  We could not help but to chuckle at what we saw between them. …

Each year the Casa Franciscana Mission provides a “portable” medical mission to the rural communities outside of Guaymas, MX.  The undertaking is a joint effort of Casa Franciscana staff, the Franciscan friars from the Province of Santa Barbara who are medical professionals, local volunteer physicians and dentist, countless other volunteers, the local Public Health Department…

Volunteer CFO board member, Francisco López, traveled 20 hours to provide leadership training to the supervisory staff at the Casa Franciscana Mission in Guaymas.   Francisco tells us that it was clear that each team member sees his or her job not as a job but as a calling.   The commitment is to being the best…

A New Year’s tradition is to bid farewell to those who have passed in the closing year and on December 23, 2018 Fr.  Elias Galvez left us.  Given his life of good works, we are sure that he is now enjoying the presence of his Father and his beloved St. Francis. This quiet friar with…

As usual, we spend a lot of time in December organizing piñatas, cake, candy and new balls for Posadas/Christmas parties with kids in poorer neighborhoods and villages around Guaymas.  Last Saturday (December 15th)  we went to Guásimas, a fishing village of indigenous Yaqui people, that was about a half-hour drive south of Guaymas.  They still…

Start a New Tradition: Prayer of Thanks before Opening Gifts   Lord, let us hold this time in our hearts, the wrong sizes, the snippets of ribbon and most important, being together. Help us to remember the immense love you have for each person in this room. With every gift we open, no matter how…