Casa Franciscana Outreach, Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico

Casa Franciscana Mission has been challenged to continue serving the people of Guaymas during the world pandemic that has created many limitations yet our ministries continue to serve the elderly, the sick, children, hungry, homeless, jobless, migrants and outcasts.
The Mission looked forward to 2020 with the celebration of the first anniversary of the Denise Nagel Youth Center. The women’s co-op had a record number of widows and single mothers participating and our dining room pantry was well stocked. How quickly things changed with Covid-19! All of our Mission services were shut down. Some of our own staff came down with the virus or lost loved ones. Increasing numbers became unemployed and sick. With new duties of dealing with the effects of COVID-19, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) became necessary. Meals could not be prepared and disposable supplies were required to provide brown bag meals and food boxes. The clinic, dining room, pharmacy and social services were closed and new ways to serve the community evolved.
We ventured out into our already marginalized neighborhoods, where our staff found horrific scenes of the poor elderly left in filth and neglect – forgotten ones. One woman was alone, dying of cancer. We provided a small AC unit, medicine and food. Another elderly man was living in an unsustainable situation of abandonment. Ignoring our own safety, we cleaned him, changed his bed, brought medicine, nutritional food, mobility devices and spiritual care. Then we found Esperanza who cried when we came. We were the only ones who had visited her.
We are taking our services to the people. When the clinic closed due to COVID restrictions, we took the clinic to the sick. We provided comfort and safety to children. We have distributed 1,032 pairs of shoes!! We continue to provide Social Services and the Pharmacy dispensed much needed medicines and supplies in our courtyard. Our kitchen is providing lunch bags (sardines, crackers and water) and food boxes to families and to migrants from Central America and southern Mexican states travelling through town.
Casa Franciscana Outreach was assigned to Mission San Luis Rey De Francia in Oceanside in 2014. for Missionary Cooperation Plan. They are assigned to the same Church for Missionary Cooperation Plan 2021.
-Fr. Martin Ibarra, OFM, Casa Franciscana – Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico