3 min readSonia McReynolds, a life-long Tucsonan from the Westside, and her husband Herb McReynolds, chief of staff at the Emergency Room at St. Marys Hospital, share here about their recent trip to Cuba. Sonia organizes a monthly lunch brigade to Casa Maria from her parish, Most Holy Trinity. Thanks to Sonia and Most Holy Trinity! by Sonia McReynolds Our trip to Cuba was everything we expected and much more. My husband and I went to Cuba solely as a humanitarian, educational, and cultural trip and not for political reasons. We visited Cuba with a tour company, which was the only method

2 min readby Brian Flagg and Cesar Aguirre Thanks to Lupita Parra, Alexis Olalde and Barbara Truman from Santa Catalina Parish in Oro Valley for fixing the Jesus Mural. Some fool had defaced the big face of Jesus with the Crown of Thorns that greats those who enter Casa Maria. This mural was done with spray paint in 2004 by Fr. Robert Barcelo OCDS when he was still a brother and doing time at Santa Cruz parish that summer. This work of art really seems to fit this place and the ministry here. Art and culture really is the way to touch

3 min readby Teresa Ornelas, Chair of the Counseling Department at Pueblo High School for the last 10 years I want to begin by saying it’s been an honor to serve the Casa Maria staff and community for almost 30 years. It all began quite simply. I was a sophomore at Salpointe Catholic High School and my social responsibilities teacher said we had to take part in a community service project. Not knowing what to do, I asked my dad, Dr. Richard L. Ornelas for ideas and without hesitation, he said “Casa Maria Soup Kitchen!” I was 14-years-old, but Brian Flagg put

4 min readBy Brian Flagg It kinda feels like our Bishop Gerald Kicanas has been hanging out with the Holy Father! He sounded just like the Pope when he wrote in this month’s Catholic Vision: “Advent awakens in people a sense of urgency to become involved in addressing the challenges and issues of our day that rob people of their dignity and that make the world unlike the world God intended for people. Advent invites us to address the widening gap between the world as it is and the world Chirst came to bring about. Advent calls us to open our eyes

5 min readby Cesar (CeAZe) Aguirre Hip Hop is a passion of mine… I love all music, but Hip Hop is something I have a real deep connection with. I can feel it pumpin’ in my heart and runnin’ through my veins. I grew up listening to what is labeled as ‘gangsta rap’. Today’s mainstream Hip Hop (or Hip Pop as I like to call it) is heavily influenced by gangsta culture. Many rappers now put up a front, try to project a persona that may not really be who they are because that is the only way to make it big.

5 min readby Brian Flagg and Cesar Aguirre Congratulations to Santa Cruz and St. Johns schools for being “recognized as part of the White House’s Bright Spots in Hispanic Education initiative. “The schools are part of the Notre Dame ACE Academies, which work to increase access to educational excellence for Latino students.” They are 2 of the “more than 230 Bright Spots nationwide.” (Page A5 Daily Star 12/15/2015) This is great but in our barrio, Barrio Libre, which encompasses more or less the City of South Tucson, very few, if any local students attend Santa Cruz, even though Barrio Libre is 100% within the

< 1 min readFrom the Southside to Tucson High School to the U of A to Casa Maria! … where she is in the process of transforming the garden! The project kicked off on Saturday, December 5, with the help of master gardener Luis Herrera from the Food Bank, the youth group from Southside Presbyterian, Tito and friends from the group Flowers & Bullets (puro Barrio  Centro) and many others. They busted caliche out of the ground, built two raised garden beds, got other plots mixed with compost and got it all ready to plant! I know Christy as the daughter of Nancy