A Vision Takes Root

The story of Rancho Nazareth began in the early 1960s, when Father Henry, a Catholic priest from Orange County, California, recognized the challenges facing migrant worker families.

Many parents traveled for seasonal agricultural work, leaving them with few reliable options for caring for their children while they were away. Some children stayed with grandparents or other relatives. Others faced disrupted schooling or lacked consistent adult care and supervision. The situation became even more difficult following the cancellation of the Bracero Program, an agreement between the United States and Mexico that had allowed Mexican citizens to work temporarily in U.S. agriculture.

Father Henry saw an opportunity to create a place where families could entrust their children to a stable environment while they worked. He began fundraising to purchase land and establish a facility near the U.S.-Mexico border.

1967: Land Is Purchased

In 1967, Father Henry purchased 126 acres in Tecate, Mexico, under the name of the Archdiocese of Tijuana and began developing what would become Rancho Nazareth.

1970: Rancho Nazareth Opens

In September 1970, Rancho Nazareth officially opened as a co-ed facility serving approximately 25 children. The Sisters of the Sacred Heart and of the Poor assumed responsibility for the day-to-day administration and care of the children.

Although the facility operated under an orphanage permit, the children who lived there were not necessarily orphans. From the beginning, Rancho Nazareth served children whose families needed a safe and stable place for them to live while navigating difficult circumstances.

A Home That Evolved with the Community

Over the years, Rancho Nazareth adapted as the needs of the families it served changed. Today, it functions as a Casa Hogar – a residential home where parents can place their children when circumstances make it difficult to provide adequate care, stability, or consistent access to education.

Those circumstances can include divorce, a parent being incarcerated, or severe financial hardship. While some children may have no known living family members, many maintain relationships with parents or other relatives and remain connected to their families.

Rancho Nazareth provides children with a stable, warm, and supportive environment where they can attend school and continue their education while their families work through financial, legal, or other challenges. When circumstances allow, and with guidance from trusted organizations, we also work toward reunifying children with their parents so they can continue their education and family life together.

From Boys’ Home to a Home for Siblings

Although Rancho Nazareth originally served boys and girls, the facility became a boys-only Casa Hogar in the late 1970s, accepting boys between the ages of 2 and 18. Over the years, the number of children living at Rancho Nazareth has fluctuated between approximately 25 and 51.

But as the Sisters witnessed the impact of separating siblings by gender, Sister Enedina began advocating for a different approach: creating a home where brothers and sisters could remain together. Eventually, in 2017, Rancho Nazareth began accepting girls once again.

The decision represented an important new chapter for the orphanage – and created an urgent need for additional facilities that could provide girls with the same safety, care, and opportunities already available to the boys.

As Sister Enedina expressed it, “It is of ultimate importance that the families of children in need, regardless of economic or emotional circumstances, remain together rather than separating children due to gender.” Her vision continues to influence the work taking place at Nazareth today.