Sister Isa Berrones
Casa Maria has celebrated its third anniversary. On October 20, we held a Eucharist with students, staff, volunteers, collaborators, Sisters Aurora Tovar and Isa Berrones, and Bishop Hilario Gonzales, the official celebrant of the Anniversary Mass.
There was also an official choir for the Anniversary Mass: Reyna Bustos and her 13-year-old son, Jose Carlos, who plays guitar. They were the choir at Casa Maria’s Inauguration Mass, along with Reyna’s husband, Carlos, who was the guitarist. Unfortunately, Carlos passed away from cardiac arrest two weeks after the Inauguration Mass in August 2022. Reyna and Carlitos Jr. wanted to continue being the official choir for the Mass in honor of their husband and father. Carlos was the brother of Lolis Bustos, the accountant who has managed the finances of our Civil Association since 2008.
After Mass, we shared a delicious dinner with tamales, champurrado, hibiscus and mango water, and a delicious cake donated by Juan and Rosalinda, the official anniversary cake donors. It was a pleasant and joyful evening.
This fall Casa Maria is supporting four students. One is in her third year, another entered in January of this year, and two entered in August. All four are from villages belonging to the Parish of San Rafael: Victoria and Anali are from Santa Maria de Ramos, Fernanda is from San Rafael, and Melissa is from Navidad. Victoria is in her fifth semester of Human Resources Administration, Anali is in her first semester of Agricultural Engineering specializing in Irrigation, Fernanda is in her third semester of Biotechnology Engineering, and Melissa is in her second semester of Dentistry. The four are excellent students. They enjoy their chosen majors, are dedicated to their studies, and are good friends with each other.
They are aware of the effort their parents are making to provide them with an education, which motivates them to study and persevere until they reach their goals. They also appreciate the support they receive at Casa Maria, a safe and suitable place to focus on their studies where they are learning values and strengthening their spiritual life. Victoria states with certainty, “It’s likely that if I weren’t at Casa Maria, I would have dropped out of university in the first semester because the transition from my rural home to the city was very difficult. I felt like I didn’t have the capacity to adapt or keep up with my studies. Here at Casa Maria, I felt supported and accompanied to face my fears. I’ve learned to trust myself and I’m no longer afraid of new things.” In January 2026, Victoria will begin the sixth of eight semesters in her degree program.
Thank you, Franciscan Sisters and all the donors, for trusting and valuing this project that supports the higher education of rural women, so that they may have a future of opportunities by achieving professional education while learning the value of their dignity and their personal rights, which they will promote with other women.
