CONSECRATION OF THE NATIVITY OF THE THEOTOKOS ORTHODOX CHURCH
Join us November 6–8 as we celebrate the consecration of the Nativity of the Theotokos Church in Rosarito — a milestone moment for Project Mexico, St. Innocent Orphanage, and the growing Orthodox community we serve. This weekend brings together the very things that have defined our mission for decades: worship, hospitality, and the joy of building something lasting for the people of Mexico. From a tour of the Project Mexico campus and St. Innocent Orphanage, to a day exploring the Guadalupe Valley, to the celebration itself, this is a weekend to reconnect with our community and witness the fruit of years of prayer and labor. We hope you'll join us.
ROSARITO, MEXICO
SAVE THE DATE FOR THE CONSECRATION OF NATIVIDAD DE LA MADRE DIOS
JOIN US FOR SERVICES AND FESTIVITIES ON
NOV | 8 | 2026
The Story of the Church
For more than 35 years, Project Mexico and St. Innocent Orphanage have served the poor and the orphaned of the Tijuana/Rosarito region — building homes by hand, and raising boys who had nowhere else to go inside the love and structure of the Orthodox Church. For most of that history, the spiritual heart of the ministry stayed close to home: a small chapel on the orphanage grounds, where the boys and staff gathered for the Divine Liturgy and the sacraments that shaped their daily life together.
But as the surrounding community grew, so did the vision. The boys who graduated from St. Innocent's needed a parish of their own to call home once they left the ranch — a real, permanent house of worship beyond the orphanage gates where the wider Rosarito community could also come to know Christ. It was, in many ways, a natural next chapter: an outreach that had always fed people materially and spiritually now reaching further, giving the Orthodox faith a visible, lasting home in the city itself.
That vision became the Nativity of the Theotokos Church, built from a generous financial gift provided by Hugo and Irene Aviles and other generous donors, together with the oversight of the Project Mexico Board of Directors, the church was placed under his Eminence Metropolitan Metropolitan Ignacio (Samaan) of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of Mexico, Venezuela, Central America, and the Caribbean, working alongside Project Mexico's Executive Director Fr. Nicholas Andruchow. Designed by CJK Design Group of San Rafael, California, and built with a local Mexican construction team, the new church opened its doors this past November, when nearly 200 parishioners and guests gathered for a weekend of Great Vespers, the "Opening of the Church Doors" service, and a Hierarchal Divine Liturgy. It stands today as the first Antiochian Orthodox parish in northern Mexico, and joins the Mission of St. Andrew the Apostle under the Orthodox Church in America — a sign of the wider Orthodox family that has grown up around this ministry.
This November, that story reaches its next milestone: the formal consecration of the church. It's a moment years in the making — for the orphans who now have a parish of their own, for the volunteers and donors who have given their summers and their support, and for a community in Rosarito that now has a permanent home for the Orthodox faith. We invite you to be part of it.
Weekend Itinerary
Thursday
5:00 pm Early Arrivals
6:00 pm Hosted Dinner
Friday
1:00 pm Pickup in San Diego and shuttle bus to the hotel
4:30 pm Tour of Project Mexico campus and St. Innocent Orphanage
5:30 pm Presentation
6:00 pm Dinner at the orphanage Friday night; transportation to hotel provided
Saturday
8 - 10:00 am Breakfast at Rosarito Hotel
10:00 am Day tour of the famous Guadalupe Valley
6:00 pm Vespers at The Nativity of the Theotokos
8:00 pm Banquet dinner
Sunday: Consecration of the Nativity of the Theotokos Orthodox Church
10:00 am Consecration and Liturgy
12:00 pm Luncheon celebration
3:00 pm Shuttle to hotel, airport, or back to the U.S.A.
5:00 pm Late Departures
Monday
Morning Departures
Hotel Reservations & Accommodations
Consecration Weekend guests are invited to stay at the Rosarito Beach Hotel, a historic beachfront property in the heart of Rosarito and just steps from the sand. Guests will enjoy on-site amenities including multiple pools, a full-service spa, on-site dining, and easy walking access to local shops and restaurants — all within a short drive of the church and event venues for the weekend.
