Cross Catholic Outreach

Delivering food, shelter, and hope to the poorest of the poor

Delivering food, shelter and hope to the poorest of the poor.

GUATEMALA

Bless Families With Homes, Education,
Agriculture and More

Leaky tin roofs. Wood plank walls. Muddy floors. Every time it rains, it pours inside makeshift houses in Guatemala’s Diocese of Santa Rosa de Lima. Children and families desperately want to get ahead — but many are trapped in a terrible cycle of illness, hunger and exhaustion.

  • You can help break this cycle once and for all for hundreds of families. This fall, Cross Catholic Outreach is teaming up with Father Raúl Monterroso in Guatemala’s Diocese of Santa Rosa de Lima to transform lives. Together, we will build 107 stormproof homes for 749 people who currently live in makeshift shacks, bless 82 children with scholarships, provide over 800,000 protein-rich meals, and more.

Join us today to transform lives.

Give Now
Reina Lima and her children outside their makeshift house. They are one of the 107 families you can bless with a new, safe home.
Reina Lima and her children outside their makeshift house. They are one of the 107 families you can bless with a new, safe home.
Spiritual outreach is the backbone of our community transformation plan.
Spiritual outreach is the backbone of our community transformation plan.
Fr. Raúl with Rosa and Junior Pérez outside their home. Your gift will bless Junior and 81 other students with scholarships to attend a new Catholic school.
Fr. Raúl with Rosa and Junior Pérez outside their home. Your gift will bless Junior and 81 other students with scholarships to attend a new Catholic school.
Cross Catholic Outreach has supported water projects in the diocese since 2015.
Cross Catholic Outreach has supported water projects in the diocese since 2015.
Noé Salazar is one of the farmers you can bless with seeds, supplies and agricultural training.
Noé Salazar is one of the farmers you can bless with seeds, supplies and agricultural training.
Santa Rosa’s most vulnerable families receive food staples to prepare nutritious meals
Santa Rosa’s most vulnerable families receive food staples to prepare nutritious meals
A safe home transforms lives for children and families.
A safe home transforms lives for children and families.
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Community Transformation Strategy

Cross Catholic Outreach utilizes a four-stage process to accomplish comprehensive community transformation. Through this process and with your support, we can help break the cycle of poverty in the Diocese of Santa Rosa de Lima so families yearning for a dignified path can realize their God-given potential.

STAGE 1: ASSESS

Identify areas of greatest need with our extensive network of in-country partners.

STAGE 2: ENGAGE

Implement projects that provide practical benefits for the poor.

STAGE 3: DEVELOP

  • Set the stage for self-sufficiency with faith-infused poverty relief programs that maximize impact.

STAGE 4: PARTNER

Ensure transformative efforts are sustained by supporting continued operations.

Our Plan

Addressing Material and Spiritual Needs

Overcoming poverty in Santa Rosa will take more than a quick fix. Cross Catholic Outreach’s approach is rooted in St. Paul VI’s concept of integral human development — combining material aid with a strong spiritual component. Programs are interconnected, vastly improving the quality of life while leading souls to heaven.

Join us today to tackle Santa Rosa’s poverty in six ways:

Housing

Build 107 stormproof homes for 749 people who currently live in makeshift shacks.

Spiritual Outreach

Help 2,996 lay leaders and 2,025 catechists lead retreats to strengthen the Church.

Education

Bless 82 children with life-changing scholarships and furnish a new Catholic school.

Water

Quench the thirst of 200 children with a clean water system at a new Catholic school.

Agriculture

Lead 249 families to economic independence with training and supplies for larger crop yields.

Food

Fill stomachs with more than 816,000 protein-rich meals to fight a hunger crisis.

Root Causes of Poverty in Santa Rosa

Civil War:

  1. More than half a million survivors banded together in poor informal settlements.

Inequality:

  1. Two in five Guatemalan children are chronically malnourished. A wide wealth gap leaves poor families struggling with basic needs.
  2.  

Lack of Education:

  1. Schools are nonexistent in many rural villages.

As Catholics, we believe in protecting the dignity of all human life, especially the poor and vulnerable. Together, we can help them beat the odds.

A Catholic priest kneels with three small Guatemalan children.

Fr. Raúl is making a difference in Santa Rosa.

Our Strategic Partner – Father Raúl Monterroso

Fr. Raúl has dedicated his life to lifting up the Santa Rosa poor. We’ve partnered with his Caritas ministry since 2014 to feed the hungry, build homes and much more.

Success Story –
Umbelina Maroquin

In 2016, dogs would climb through her home’s wood plank walls and eat her family’s food. Today, her family has a safe home, clean water and strong faith in Christ.

Umbelina helps her foster son, Jose, with his homework.

Umbelina helps her foster son, Jose, with his homework.

Project Spotlight – Housing

  • • TOTAL HOMES: 107 new homes
  • • BENEFICIARIES/COMMUNITIES: 749 people in 3 villages (La 46, Candelaria and La Concepcion)
  • • FEATURES: Electrical wiring, clean air stove, washbasin, secure doors and windows, galvanized steel roof, concrete walls and floor
  • • COST: $6,034 per home

You Can Transform Lives in Santa Rosa

With Housing, Education, Agriculture and More

More than 2,000 years after Christ’s humble birth, children and families in the Diocese of Santa Rosa de Lima are pleading for a dignified existence. Join Cross Catholic Outreach as we seek to serve Christ in the poor and bless those in the greatest need!

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Download the Proposal

DOWNLOAD PROPOSAL

DOWNLOAD PROPOSAL

DOWNLOAD REMIT

A group on young Guatemalan children smile and wave.

Proceeds from this campaign will be used to cover any expenditures incurred through June 30, 2023, the close of our ministry’s fiscal year. In the event that more funds are raised than needed to fully fund the project, the excess funds, if any, will be used to meet the most urgent needs of the ministry.

What Is Your Legacy Mission?

When you include Cross Catholic Outreach as a beneficiary in your will, trust, retirement account or life insurance policy, you will make a difference for poor communities by meeting both material and spiritual needs for generations to come.

Create Your Legacy