“A Human Being’s True Glory is to Persevere in the Service of God.”

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(Quote from St. Irenaeus)

Those whom the Casa serves are destitute, not merely poor. These people live in shacksMother + 3 Kids that are often rodent-infested. They experience the torture of empty stomaches, cold nights, crawling vermin, insecurity, gnawing idleness, and premature death.  (Read about visits to the colonias and the conditions there.) The Sisters offer rays of light to many of these men, women, and children.

Rosalinda, 36, came to the Casa in great turmoil. She had run away from her husband because he brutally beat her and used drugs. Her two little boys are 4 and 6. She is desperate for a job to support them, and meanwhile, makes and sells burritos outside her son’s school. She needs help with food, clothing, medical care, and school supplies for which the Casa has been a God-send. She no longer feels abandoned and is “grateful from her heart because the Casa opened its doors to me and my little boys with a shower of great love.”

Sister Armida writes, “We are struggling very much to keep services going. Prayer is our strength to keep our faith deeper in God who provides for us all.”

How You Can Help!

From Sister Armida . . . May we ask for:

  • Bedding, towels, both personal and laundry soap
  • Food items and bottled water

The need for food is great.

women and blanketsThe women appreciate donations of fabric, thread, and yarn to make items they can sell. The Sisters always encourage the people to help themselves which they are often able to accomplish!

Your regular donations help to provide for the needs of the destitute who come to the Casa seeking food, clothing, and medical care. This month, we sent $12,746 to the Casa from 46 families, including $1,000 from the The Anonymous Fund at San Diego Foundation. We also received a generous donation of $9,104.50 in stock.  Thank you!  Thank you!

Jesus says in the Gospel, “the poor you will always have with you.” The thousands of people the Franciscan Sisters feed and care for at the Casa are these poor/destitute. Many cannot help themselves because of sickness, deformity, or old age. The Casa is their lifeline. Some who come to the Casa need only a few months of temporary help, while others are totally dependent. The destitute who come to the Casa do not choose this life! “There but for God go I.”

The Sisters not only provide food and medical attention, they treat every man, woman, and child with the utmost dignity and provide jobs that enhance self-worth.  The jobs provided are for the “volunteers” and they work very hard at the Casa — in the kitchen, cleaning up, driving the trucks, sorting clothing, etc. These men and women are paid small wages and a weekly bag of food for their labor. This helps them to “sustain” their families while maintaining their respect.

PLEASE KEEP THE SISTERS IN YOUR DAILY PRAYERS.  PRAYER IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THIS MISSION WHERE GOD PROVIDES THROUGH US ALL.

May God bless you for your goodness to his poor during this holy Easter season!

MARCH REPORT

  • 23,030 people of all ages served hot meals in the Dining Room
  • 1,340 General Medical Clinic and prescriptions filled
  • 2,640 bags of groceries were given
  • 2,535 families obtained clothes and house supplies
  • 530 people personally attended in the Social Service Office
  • Groups came to do haircuts
  • 20 Scholarship aids
  • 2 trips to deliver food  and clothing to some poor neighborhoods
  • 5 Lenten retreats (children, volunteers, medical staff, youth, and men)