About Us
The Casa Franciscana Mission in Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico dates back to 1968, when the Mexican Obregon Diocese asked the Franciscan Province of Saint Barbara, CA, USA to provide pastoral care to the English-speaking community in San Carlos, Mexico. The friars agreed to minister this care to the San Carlos community under the condition that they could also serve the poor in the neighboring city of Guaymas, Mexico. The Mission remains a legal entity of the Franciscan Province of Saint Barbara in the United States.
The Mission’s current programs address the many needs of the marginalized population of Guaymas through its free medical/dental clinic, Mesón de Jesus (dining room), food packages for the home-bound and migrant shelter support. In collaboration with Shriners Hospitals, children with orthopedic and burn issues are transported to clinics in Phoenix. Our services are open to all, but we primarily serve four of the poorest Guaymas neighborhoods, a population of approximately 10,000 in a city with approximately 110,000 people.
The Casa Franciscana Mission has a history of creating important programs that evolve into standalone community institutions. Examples of these programs are the Hogar de Paz (an orphanage); Jerry’s Club (a safe after-school recreational program for children 12 years of age and under); Belles Artes (a music academy for youth). They are all self-sustaining with the assistance of Mexican governance boards and the Guaymas community.
In 2021 Your Support Helped To:
✓ Serve 57,807 individual meals to needy adults
✓ Serve 13, 479 meals to needy children
✓ Deliver 12,000 food boxes to the disabled, elderly and families
✓ Facilitate 6,000 medical/dental services
✓ Provide 932 educational support encounters (tutoring, counseling, technology for class access)
✓ Distribute 1,086 pairs of children’s shoes
✓ Furnish 1,000 backpacks with school supplies
✓ Comfort 4,284 immigrants (food, medicine, first aid, hydration)
✓ Provide blessings, friendship, love and hope to many of our brothers and sisters
…AND MORE
The Casa Franciscana Outreach (CFO), formally established in 1988 and based in Scottsdale, AZ, is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization also under the Franciscan Province of Saint Barbara. The principal purpose of the CFO is to raise funds and awareness for the Mission in Guaymas, Mexico. The CFO provides approximately $300,000 annually for the important work of the Mission. This is accomplished through the work of an all-volunteer board supported by a part-time paid accountant.
The Casa Franciscans Mission is also an Asociacion Civil (A.C.) in Mexico which is the equivalent of a 501(c)3 in the United States and maintains a separate board in Guaymas to meet that country’s requirements. The two boards meet annually and function collaboratively.