Embracing a Mission of Love: Isabella Pucilowski’s Journey to St. Innocent Orphanage
My name is Isabella Pucilowski, and I have had the beautiful blessing of growing up at Saint Anna’s, finding ways to become more deeply involved in our parish family since 2021. Currently, I am a student at Sacramento State University, pursuing a degree in Liberal Studies and Elementary Education. My ultimate goal is to become an elementary school teacher, guiding children from first through fourth grade.
Over the years, I have actively sought out opportunities for spiritual growth and hands-on service. One of the most transformative experiences of my life was volunteering with Project Mexico last summer, where our team built a home from the ground up for a beautiful family in need. That experience sparked a deeper calling within me. Seeking the next phase of my spiritual growth, I applied to serve as a full-time missionary at St. Innocent Orphanage in Rosarito, Mexico, committing to live and work alongside the children there.
One wonderful aspect of this mission is that I am able to continue my university studies online while serving in Mexico. I am on track to complete my Bachelor's degree by the spring of 2026, shortly after returning home to Roseville.
A Sanctuary of Grace: St. Innocent Orphanage
St. Innocent Orphanage is uniquely distinguished as one of the few Orthodox Christian orphanages in North and South America. Remarkably, it operates out of the very same grounds where Project Mexico hosts home-building volunteers from Orthodox parishes across the United States.
The orphanage provides a profound contrast to the harsh, dangerous realities these boys would otherwise face on the streets without guidance. At St. Innocent's, the children are enveloped in:
A Loving Home: Receiving consistent, stable care from dedicated staff.
A Sacramental Life: Actively participating in the daily and weekly liturgical rhythm of the Church.
Future Opportunities: Gaining access to quality education, tutoring, and career mentorship.
Community Service: Learning the joy of giving back by engaging in local outreach projects themselves.
Recently, the ministry expanded to fill a critical void by opening Casa Cuna—the first and only Orthodox infant orphanage in the region. St. Innocent’s is currently constructing a larger, permanent facility to accommodate more babies, having already welcomed their first few infants into safety. Without Casa Cuna, these fragile babies would likely be sent to understaffed government shelters, leaving them without the intensive, individualized care they desperately need to thrive.
My Ministry with the Children
During my time at St. Innocent’s, my primary responsibility will begin in the nursery of Casa Cuna. My daily shifts will revolve around nurturing these sweet infants—feeding them, putting them to sleep, and providing them with the human warmth, play, and loving engagement that is so vital to early childhood development.
Simultaneously, I will be taking intensive Spanish lessons on-site. As my language skills improve, my role will expand. I will begin working closely with the older boys at the orphanage, tutoring them in their academic classes and teaching them English to expand their future career opportunities.
Nurturing Humility and Loving-Kindness
Engaging in quiet acts of daily service is a simple yet profound way to cultivate humility and grow in loving-kindness. These are the exact spiritual qualities I aspire to nurture within myself while rocking babies and tutoring the boys. My ultimate goal is to acquire the perspective and hands-on experience that will strengthen my lifelong mission as a Christian and a future educator.
How You Can Partner with Isabella
Because this is a completely volunteer, non-stipend missionary position, I am relying entirely on the grace of God and the generosity of others to sustain me. A modest budget of $500 per month is sufficient to cover my basic living and unexpected expenses, including food, medical and hygiene necessities, gas money for ministry transport, and travel costs to and from Mexico.
You can join me in this missionary labor in three vital ways:
Prayers: Please pray for my safety, for the hearts of the infants and boys I will be caring for, and that the Holy Spirit grants me patience and endurance.
Financial Support: Monthly pledges or one-time financial contributions will directly sustain my ability to live and work at the orphanage full-time.
Staying Connected: I truly hope that my regular updates from the orphanage will inspire you to send me a letter, give me a phone call, or even come down to Rosarito for a visit! Hearing from my Saint Anna family will be a hopeful, loving reminder that our shared work at the orphanage is significant and aligned with His holy will.
Thank you all so much for the immense love, prayers, and encouragement you have showered upon me as I embark on this next chapter of life.
Glory to God in all things!
February 2025 Update on life at Saint Innocent Orphanage
After having lived on the ranch for nearly 3 weeks now, I have begun to feel more and more settled and accustomed to the rhythms of life here. Saint Innocent Orphanage currently houses 10 children under the age of six, four of them newborns, and their particular home is called “Casa Cuna”. In the “Casa Hogar”, on top of the hill on the property, live the other 25 older boys, ages six years old through college age. The Casa Cuna is located about a minute's walk from my home, “Casa Blanca” or “Saint Xenia house”, where a few of the other American female staff live as well.
My new “permanent” schedule indicates I will be working; night shift once/twice a week from 9pm-5am, two morning shifts from 5am to 1pm, and one afternoon shift from 1pm - 9pm. When we are not working, most of us run errands, spend time and eat meals with the boys, attend church services and visit fun spots around Rosarito and Tijuana. Most of us also make frequent treks back into California to access things that don’t exist here. It is such a blessing that the ranch sits atop a hill overlooking the ocean, and the drive to it is under 10 minutes. Though nearly no two schedules are the same between us, there are still many opportunities for us to spend time together. Most recently, one of my housemates hosted a Supra/Keipi, a Georgian feast, where we each brought different dishes and gave toasts on multiple different topics. Some topics included Christ, the Theotokos, Elders, The presentation of our Lord (the day we celebrated), among many others. These special gatherings make the difficulties of the ranch beyond worth it. My own experience has been that even the difficulties themselves are in the end fulfilling and wonderful; it is always bittersweet medicine to be humbled!
There is much work to be done here, and it can be exhausting, but the Theotokos and all God’s saints are at work as well, and by the grace of God we tend to manage the difficulties well. Even from my outsider’s perspective during my first few days, I could see that the beauty of the shared goal we all have to provide for the children creates a particularly strong familial understanding between us. And yet of course, we are all frequently faced with the various temptations that are specific to us volunteers at the ranch. However, the struggle through these things bonds us together. One great challenge for many of us is the language barrier, and the nature of the childrens’ situations and the varied pasts they come from present unique struggles. It is unknown to most of us the details of each child’s origins and how they ended up here, much less when or if a good family will find them and take them home. All things considering, we take great care to be sensitive to these things and to give them a healthy and fulfilling childhood while here! I am often encouraged by the essentially miraculous situation that these children are in to be able to attend services often. They are also surrounded by spiritual fathers and other fatherly and motherly figures who, while never being able to truly fulfill that need for a child, come as close as we can. The children here are well socialized, are held to relatively high standards, attending private Christian schools and participating in sports. They are fed well, bathed daily, given plenty of clothing and toys, and their everyday needs are consistently met with kindness. This is not to mitigate the sorrows of a parentless life, but there is a specific marvelous beauty that exists in the fact that the children here are given the best situation that we can possibly give them.
When I consider that I have committed to a year here, I mostly feel a yearning to stay even longer. I have begun my 3rd-to-last semester of schooling online, and I am now enrolled in Spanish classes in a nearby language school. I have taken up the project of knitting hats for the children here, after my godfather passed along to me yarn and needles that once belonged to my godmother Markella, memory eternal! The things I learn here every day are irreplaceable and I am now slowly beginning to accept what everyone here says; I did not bring myself here, but was brought by Christ through the intercessions of the Theotokos. Though I have not been here long, I already feel mostly at home and am really looking forward to what lies ahead.
Truly, I feel blessed to be here and am encouraged that I am capable of this holy work despite how unequipped I often feel. If you think of it, prayers for the children and all those supporting them here are thoroughly appreciated. Through the support of you all and the many giving hands that have donated to help sustain me while here, I thank you so much!
March Update
September 2, 2025 Update
