Our Lady of Loretto
8925 S. Kostner Ave., Hometown

The title of this parish refers to the miracle of the House of Loretto that tradition says is the Nazareth home of the Holy Family. It was said to be carried in the air by angels and placed in Loretto, Italy. Coincidentally in 1967 a tornado tore through the winding streets of Hometown. In the aftermath of destruction, a second Our Lady of Loretto Church, planned by Vitzthum & Kill, was built in 1968.

The design is open, like its parishioners’ approach to new ideas and ministries. The broad semi-circular seating seems to let the liturgical action pour outward to the tree-lined streets of quiet pastel duplexes.

A recent door-to-door census by parish volunteers garnered 400 new members. A holy hour at 5 p.m. Thursdays is prayed for priests, and the Oblate Sisters of Jesus the Priest live in its convent. Christ Renews His Parish has brought a new understanding of what faith is, in this “home” of welcome and healing.