Unlike most parishes, St. John the Baptist Italian Catholic Church isn’t subject to geographic boundaries. Since 1898, the church has served the Italian community throughout Columbus. To this day, Roman Catholic Italian Americans come from throughout central Ohio to worship, and portions of the mass are still delivered in their native language.

“That church is very dear as a point of immigration,” said Granville resident Landa Masdea Brunetto, a member of the church since 2000. “The Catholics know that’s the place to go, and that’s very heartwarming.” It’s fitting, then, that the church — located at 720 Hamlet St. — is the home of the Columbus Italian Festival, an annual celebration of that nation’s food and culture.