The Loretto HOME Mission Base in London was a house in Twickenham next to St. Mary’s University. It was founded in October 2020 as has been a place of community, prayer, radical hospitality and discipleship.
GOODBYE LORETTO HOME LONDON
In July 2020, the Loretto HOME came as a surprise, and since then this place has become a home for many, a House of Prayer & Worship, a place of Encounter where people feel like “coming home” to the Father’s Heart. We are so grateful for the beautiful stories God has been writing with this place in the last three years. We have heard stories of people being transformed by the beautiful presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, people feeling strengthened through God’s presence during worship, people finding community through friendship over a cup of tea, and people feeling encouraged to step into their purpose and new adventures in life. Someone wrote “The HOME has become not just a house of prayer, but a home of prayer”. We are grateful how Jesus was “at home” there and how He invited all in the house to sit at His table and be family. People not living in the house could feel welcome and part of a larger community.
After running the HOME for 3 years we took the difficult decision in summer 2023 to close down, following God's will.
As Loretto, we will continue to build a Christ-centred community, with a heart for radical hospitality, a desire for personal encounter with Jesus, and a call to make disciples
Loretto HOME is a place of ONGOING PRAYER filled with people desiring to make worship a lifestyle. People are invited to join in our rhythm of prayer, which is the basis of our mission. The HOME is a House of Prayer as we see prayer as the engine of everything we do. We want to foster a desire for spending time in the presence of God. In His presence we are invited to listen to His Voice, find rest and be healed.
"One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, togaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock” (Psalm 27:4-5)
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Loretto HOME is a place of whole-life DISCIPLESHIP where young people are invited to follow Jesus. Filled with the Holy Spirit, we want to grow as followers of Christ, and be a “Lifestyle Witness”. The discipleship journey includes intentional community life, prayer life, Follow Me Discipleship Programme, retreats and mission.
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).
Loretto HOME is a place of RADICAL HOSPITALITY where people feel welcome, loved and cared for as we seek the face of God and encounter Him personally, we invite others in to experience the joy and goodness of God. We want people to experience God’s love in the love we share
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." (Matthew 25:35-36)
“Living in community is unlike anything I’ve done before, I love that there is an unspoken understanding that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, I’ve never had that in another living situation. It’s been a real home to me this past year and has given me the space to grow in self-knowledge, in how to be a better friend and a better disciple of Christ. It has been the best year of my life and the biggest year of growth for me too. I know I’ll look back on this time incredibly fondly and that I probably won’t have the blessing of living with the Blessed Sacrament again, which has been the heart of this transformation in me”
- Amy (2021-2023)
“This year has been full of joy and transformation. I wasn't a Catholic when I moved in but within weeks of living in the community, I decided to take that step and say yes to the fullness of the Catholic faith. My love for the sacraments and Church continues to grow as well as my love for my housemates and people in the community. God has taught me much this year, one being that we are called to see joy in all situations, to see and appreciate the ways God forms us in the challenges. Recently I’ve been challenged to embrace change and see it as an opportunity. This is a year I won’t forget and will forever treasure it."
- Izzy (2021-2022)
