Our Mission
We've been to and been a part of the large Eucharistic conferences and retreats that are so life changing for many. These are truly helping build the Kingdom of God, but they can also come with a hefty price tag. If you are struggling to believe in the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, this price tag can be an obstacle. The Loreto Project is a music project that spreads Eucharistic revival to all communities without cost being a barrier.
So what are we doing about it?
Don't get us wrong, a laborer deserves his wages. Speakers, musicians, sound technicians, and more all deserve a just wage. Our mission is to provide encounters of Spirit led, musical Eucharistic adoration to Church communities through missionary music teams and partnering funders.
Through our missionary music teams, we are able to bring the encounter to those who need it the most. Our missionary teams fundraise their salaries so we can make the Loreto Encounter affordable for parishes, working with them on what is affordable to their budget.
It is our partnering funders that make this possible. We call them our "angels" because they help carry the mission, much like the angels are said to have carried the Holy House from Nazareth to Loreto, Italy. Through their monthly giving or one-time support of the mission, we are able to provide scholarships and discounts to parishes and communities who want to bring this encounter to their flock.
We know that Spirit led, beautiful music has a special way of opening up the heart to encounter Jesus. This is why as professional worship leaders, we want to offer our gifts generously to help provide an atmosphere for this transformative encounter to communities. We also provide resources to help prepare parishioners to enter in and experience the Eucharistic heart of Jesus in a new way.
Our Story
The Loreto Project began with a prayer of surrender. While Joseph and Mary had both used their musical gifts prior to their relationship, they both knew the Lord was calling them to something more. When they entered into engagement, they put their gifts before the Lord and asked Him what He wanted to do. His response was simply a name: The Loreto Project.
It was several months before they received more clarity. The Lord invited them to take a step in faith and book flights to a honeymoon in Italy. At the time, all they could afford was the flights, not the trip. Yet, they heard from the Lord that He had a message for them in Loreto, Italy: the location of three-quarters of the Holy House of Nazareth. The Lord, in His providence, provided for the honeymoon in full!
While on their honeymoon pilgrimage, Joseph and Mary were able to visit many holy places in Rome, Assisi, and Loreto. At each of these places they prayed for God to reveal to them the vision and mission of The Loreto Project. After all, they had already invested in establishing it legally knowing the Lord would reveal the purpose in time.
In Loreto, the couple were able to pray in the Holy House of Nazareth. Tradition holds that it was carried by angles from Nazareth to where it now resides in Italy. There they were able to sit down beneath the window where tradition teaches that the angel Gabriel announced to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she was to conceive of the Holy Spirit!
What stuck out the most to the couple was the Latin words Hic Verbum Caro Factum Est inscribed over the altar. These translate to "The Word became flesh here." They were over 2,000 miles away from where the annunciation originally took place, yet they were able to encounter the house of Jesus where they sat.
After a couples days praying near the remains of Eucharistic saints in Assisi, the vision and mission became clear. As the Lord used angels to carry the Holy House to a foreign land so that people could come to encounter Jesus there, so their music was going to be carried to help other communities to encounter Jesus' real presence in the Eucharist.
Joseph & Mary
Joseph and Mary, originally from Michigan and Mississippi respectively, now reside in Steubenville, Ohio where they steward their ministry.
Both have a long term love of music, but they come from very different backgrounds. Mary was raised as number 6 of 9 in a very large and devout Catholic family. She started playing music at the age of 7, where she quickly learned to love it as a form of prayer.
As early as 11 years old, Mary was leading music for masses at her home parish. When she went on to college, she continued to use her gifts both at Aquinas College in Nashville where she started and Franciscan University where she completed her Bachelors in Business. Following college, Mary started working at the Catechetical Institute at Franciscan University, but she continued to use her gifts for the Kingdom. On top of continuing to do masses, holy hours, and retreats, Mary played for the Franciscan Steubenville Conferences for 3 years and lead worship for a Franciscan University Pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
Joseph, on the other hand, was not raised Catholic. He grew up in a house without faith and considered himself atheist. He started playing electric guitar at the age of 14, where he used it as a way to escape and find some peace. Though he played covers of Rock'n'Roll primarily, he started writing his own music very early on which he always wanted others to hear to help them encounter the light and peace he found in it.
At the age of 19, Joseph joined a semi-professional metalcore band that released albums, music videos, and did many shows in the West Michigan area. He did this while studying accounting at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, but he eventually left to pursue music. Joseph found himself wrapped up in the drug lifestyle associated with the music. It was this lifestyle that put him in a situation where he was pursued by individuals who wanted to kill him, and this led to him reaching out to God for help.
God miraculously saved him from this situation and cured many of his addictions. Following this experience, he started to follow Jesus Christ. On this journey of conversion, he left the band and the lifestyle, despite the band just starting to get offered tours and noticed by labels. In 2016 Joseph had a profound encounter with the Eucharist and Psalm 116 that would be a pivotal moment for him coming into the Catholic Church in 2018.
Since coming into the Church, Joseph finished a Bachelors in Philosophy at Franciscan University. The Lord has also baptized his musical gifts. He has led masses, holy hours, music for retreats, released an album, and even led worship internationally through pilgrimages to Medjugorje and Lisbon / Fatima. He has worked and volunteered in numerous ministries, and is currently completing a Masters in Catechetics and Evangelization at his alma mater.
Joseph and Mary met in Steubenville after college through the intercession of St. Joseph and the help of a local family. They knew early on they were called to marriage, and entered engagement after 6 months of dating. They were married on June 27th, 2024 on the feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.