On a 16-acre horse ranch with a sweeping view of the Pacific Ocean, something extraordinary happened. Through the labor and prayers of volunteers and donors, they transformed that land into a home—a real home—for boys who had none.
St. Innocent Orphanage opened its doors in September 1996 in Rosarito, Baja California, Mexico. From the beginning, it was designed to be something different from the institutional care most orphaned boys in Mexico receive. More than a shelter. More than a system. A family.
We receive each boy not as a case number, but as a son. He is given a bed, a meal, a school uniform, and something harder to measure: the steady, unconditional love of staff and volunteers who will walk alongside him until he is a grown man ready to make his own way in the world.
We are an Orthodox Christian ministry, and the life of the Church runs through everything we do — from the morning prayers that begin each day, to the Divine Liturgy celebrated every Sunday on our ranch, to the example set by the clergy, volunteers, and homebuilders who visit us throughout the year.
Who We Serve
In northern Baja California, the number of children without a stable home far exceeds the capacity of municipal orphanages — and those facilities prioritize younger children. Adolescent and teenage boys are consistently left without options. Without intervention, many are drawn into lives of poverty, drug trafficking, and violence on the streets of Tijuana.
St. Innocent Orphanage exists specifically for these boys. Every boy in our care has been removed from his home by social services, has fled an abusive situation, or has lost his parents to death or imprisonment. We are not a foster care facility. When we accept a boy into our home, we make a long-term commitment — he is part of our family until he reaches adulthood.
Four Foundations of a Life Restored
From the day a child arrives — whether an infant placed in our nursery or a teenage boy walking through our gates — life at St. Innocent Orphanage and Casa Cuna San Felipe is shaped by four commitments. These are not programs. They are a way of life.
Faith
A healthy spiritual life is central to healing and growth at every age. Our infants are baptized and received into the life of the Church. Our older boys begin each morning with prayers and attend Divine Liturgy every Sunday — many serving in the altar or as chanters. An Orthodox priest lives on the property, leads our sacramental community, and walks alongside each child in their spiritual formation. Through the volunteers, clergy, and homebuilders who visit throughout the year, our children witness the Orthodox faith lived out in practice every day.
Family
Many of the children in our care have never known a stable home. At St. Innocent Orphanage and Casa Cuna San Felipe they find one — with staff and volunteers who show up for them consistently, celebrate their birthdays, share meals with them, and love them without condition. Our infants are held and nurtured in a home environment. Our older boys learn what brotherhood means through shared activities — camping, cooking, soccer, movie nights, service projects, and cultural outings. At every age, our children are learning what it means to belong.
Education
All of our school-age boys attend private schools in the communities surrounding the ranch. Many arrive significantly behind grade level — some with no prior schooling at all. Our educational staff devotes hours each day to tutoring, lesson review, and individualized support, working to bring every boy up to grade level and beyond. For our youngest children at Casa Cuna, early childhood development — language, motor skills, play, and attachment — is the foundation we lay first. We push each child, at every stage, toward the fullest life they are capable of living.
Healing
Many of the children who come to us carry wounds that cannot be seen. The structure, safety, and joy of daily life at St. Innocent Orphanage and Casa Cuna San Felipe create the conditions in which those wounds can begin to heal. When a child arrives, there are many firsts — a first Christmas present, a first birthday party, a first home where there is no fear of abuse, a first warm meal that was a sure thing, a first experience of being guided by love rather than survival. These firsts add up to the healing and building up of the soul — at every age.
From Behind Grade Level to High School Graduate
In northern Mexico, the average resident completes only an 8th-grade education. We hold our boys to a different standard.
Every school-age boy at St. Innocent Orphanage attends private school. Our educational staff devotes hours each day to homework support, lesson review, and supplemental tutoring. When a boy arrives who has never been in a classroom, we meet him where he is — and we stay with him until he has caught up.
For the youngest children at Casa Cuna San Felipe, education begins even earlier — through early childhood development, language enrichment, and the kind of attentive, one-on-one care that gives every infant and toddler the developmental foundation they need to thrive.
A sound education is not simply an academic goal. It is the foundation of a self-sufficient life — one in which a young man can support his own family and make a meaningful contribution to his community. We want every child who grows up at St. Innocent Orphanage and Casa Cuna San Felipe to be equipped to do exactly that.
A Home. A Family. A Future.
For nearly three decades, St. Innocent Orphanage has welcomed abandoned and orphaned teenage boys — giving them not just shelter, but love, faith, education, and belonging.