2 min readby Brian Flagg, To everyone who donated to Casa Maria this holiday season. We exist entirely on private donations, so many more people would be more hungry and desperate and without a voice if not for the generosity of the donors. Often times we get supportive notes along with a check or some cash. These warm my heart and help sustain me in the struggle. Here is one of my faves:                                                                                                                                                            12/17/13 Dear Brian and all at Casa Maria, Enclosed is a check in the amount of $60 which represents a week’s salary for each of  the six staff members. I wish it

4 min readby Kassandra Manriquez, La Morenita is from Guatemala. This is the story of her crossing borders to get here 16 years ago. She has four kids who go to Ochoa and Safford. She works part time at a tortilleria and is a valued member of the core team here at Casa Maria. Soon before her arrival at the border that would lead her into Mexico City, Morenita met a woman who saved her life, a miracle from the Virgin Mary she said. “For everyone who makes it across the border alive, it’s a miracle from God,” Morenita said. “Those of

5 min readby Brian Flagg, EL CANTO DE ZACARIAS – THE SONG OF ZECHARIAH (he was John the Baptist’s dad) (Luke 1, 67-79) On some level I’m kind of a devout Catholic Christian. I read the Scriptures for the daily mass in Español and English every day, am a lector at Santa Cruz Catholic Church and attend Mass almost every Sunday. But on Christmas and Easter my eyes tend to glaze over and I don’t practice. I guess I’m repulsed by the way our Demonic secular society takes over our Catholic Christian Church, how they pimp the season. I got up this

2 min readby Brian Flagg, I have to admit to feeling that Salpointe High School and private education in general is elitist and that its brilliance (in both academics and football) is somehow connected to and responsible for the 50% drop out rate and less successful teams at schools such as Pueblo. But then I got invited to Jessica Ellers’ Social Justice Class the students take during their junior year. I was one of the judges of projects that the students did to “solve poverty”. I now have a whole new point of view of what a Salpointe education could produce. They