Wheaton Franciscans

What Wheaton Franciscans does

Wheaton Franciscans is a Catholic religious congregation and the St. Clare Regional Community (U.S. Region) of the international Franciscan Sisters, Daughters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (FCJM). Founded in 1860 by Mother Clara Pfaender and headquartered at 26W171 Roosevelt Road in Wheaton, Illinois, the organization is a private non-profit community of vowed sisters, covenant companions, partners, and friends committed to Franciscan spirituality in the tradition of St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi. Its mission centers on prayer, worship, formation, and Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) ministries covering care of creation/eco-justice, social justice, and peace and nonviolence.

The congregation operates through three wholly-owned entities: Wheaton Franciscan Sisters Corporation (facilities/maintenance), White Violet Center for Eco-Justice (environmental ministry), and Tau Center (retreat and spirituality programs including Seasonal Pause, Forest Therapy, SoulCollage, Dream Work, and Enneagram workshops). Wheaton Franciscans maintains a network of 14+ named social-justice ministry partners across housing, healthcare, refugee resettlement, food security, and women-and-children services, including New Moms, Tri City Health Partnership, Quinn Center, Casa Esperanza, Catholic Charities, Housing Forward, DuPage Habitat for Humanity, and Loaves & Fishes Community Services.

The business model is non-commercial: spiritual services, retreats, and chapel access are offered freely to participants; the organization is sustained by donations, retreat-program contributions, and parent-congregation support rather than product sales. There are no commercial products, no pricing models, no disclosed revenue, and no technology products. Distribution runs through the Wheaton campus, YouTube livestream masses, a Spotify podcast, social channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), an email newsletter, and in-person/regional retreat events. Headcount is in the 11-50 range, and the 2026 Jubilee Celebration honors six Jubilarians (including Sisters with 60-70 years of commitment) while welcoming nine new Covenant Companions, signaling an active community renewal cycle within a mature 165-year-old congregation.

Name

Wheaton Franciscans

Legal name

Wheaton Franciscans

Website

https://wheatonfranciscan.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1860

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wheaton Franciscans is a Catholic religious congregation and the U.S. Region of the international FCJM Franciscan sisters, founded in 1860 and based in Wheaton, Illinois. It provides spiritual ministry, retreats, and Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) social and eco-justice programs to its vowed sisters, covenant companions, and partner communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious and Spiritual Community Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Religious Orders & Monastic Communities (Monasteries, Convents) (BPAGAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG), Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL)

Keywords

• Religious community life
• Catholic spiritual services
• Social justice ministry
• Retreat spirituality programs
• Eco-justice advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Wheaton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Wheaton Franciscans is a Catholic religious congregation that delivers spiritual community life through in-person and livestreamed Masses, prayer services, retreats, the Franciscan Way of Life formation program, and Tau Center spirituality workshops, alongside Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) ministries that address social and environmental justice needs through partner organizations.

Product overview

Wheaton Franciscans is a Catholic religious community belonging to the St. Clare Regional Community of the international Franciscan Sisters, Daughters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (FCJM). The organization does not offer commercial products or services; it operates as a spiritual community providing ministry, justice initiatives, spirituality programs, and community services. Its digital presence consists of a website (wheatonfranciscan.org) and social media channels for communication purposes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sunday Mass and Livestream Services Liturgical worship services held weekly at the Wheaton campus chapel and broadcast on YouTube for individuals and remote participants seeking Catholic Mass participation.
• Tau Center Spirituality Programs Retreat and workshop programming including Seasonal Pause, Forest Therapy, SoulCollage, Dream Work, and Enneagram workshops offered to individuals seeking spiritual formation at the Tau Center.
• Franciscan Way of Life Formation Structured spiritual formation process that accompanies individuals in living the Franciscan way of life through prayer, learning, service, and reflection.
• Weavings Spiritual Reflections Monthly written reflections authored by the community that provide spiritual nourishment and formation content for readers of the website and newsletter subscribers.
• JPIC Social Justice Ministries Collaborative social and environmental justice programming delivered with partner organizations on housing, refugee resettlement, healthcare, food security, women and children's services, and care of creation, serving low-income and marginalized communities in the U.S. Midwest.
• Prayer Request Service Service that receives prayer requests from individuals and prays for their intentions through the community's intercessory prayer practice.
• Covenant Companions Membership Lay commitment pathway through which individuals become Covenant Companions of the community, sharing in Franciscan spiritual life alongside the vowed sisters.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• New MomscoreOthersCollaborator serving young mothers (ages 24 and under) and their children for over 38 years. Located in Oak Park, IL. Wheaton Franciscans feature New Moms as part of their Women and Children ministry focus.
• Tri City Health PartnershipcoreOthersOnly free medical and dental clinic serving low-income, uninsured residents of the Tri-City area (Saint Charles, IL). Featured as Health and Dental collaborator.
• Quinn Center (QCC) of St. Eulalia ChurchcoreOthersPrincipal social outreach ministry founded in 2010, serving Maywood, IL. Focuses on youth programming and building projects as part of Women and Children collaboration.
• Casa Esperanza Community CentercoreOthersFounded in 1994 at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Melrose Park, IL. Provides comprehensive services to achieve stable outcomes for community members. Refugees and Immigrants collaborator.
• Catholic Charities Archdiocese of ChicagocoreOthersFeatured as Refugees and Immigrants collaborator with the Loom Project providing refugee resettlement services for 44+ years.
• Housing ForwardcoreOthersSojourner House Program serving Maywood, IL. Mission to transition people from housing crisis to housing stability, serving nearly 2,000 individuals. Health and Dental collaborator.
• DuPage Habitat for HumanitycoreOthersBelieves that ALL people have the right to a decent place to live. Featured as Refugees and Immigrants collaborator for housing advocacy.
• Nativity Jesuit AcademyminorOthersFounded in 1993 in Milwaukee, WI, as a Catholic, high-performing school responding to demand for quality education. Women and Children collaborator.
• Loaves & Fishes Community ServicescoreOthersAnti-poverty, hunger-relief organization in Aurora, IL with mission to provide healthy food and supportive services. Health and Dental collaborator.
• Fox Valley Food for HealthminorOthersServes individuals in Kane County diagnosed with serious health conditions by providing nutritious food. Health and Dental collaborator in Geneva, IL.
• Conservancy for Healing and HeritageminorOthersDedicated to conserving and developing 36 acres including a healing garden in Franklin, WI. Care of Creation collaborator.
• Catholic Charities-Archdiocese of MilwaukeeminorOthersFounded in 1920 with mission to provide service to those in need and advocate for justice. Refugees and Immigrants collaborator.
• Unlocking CommunitiesminorOthersU.S. non-profit working toward fair, sustainable, inclusive economy in Haiti. Care of Creation collaborator.
• Orfanato FCJM St. ClaraminorOthersMission in Timor Leste Indonesia supported through the congregation's international connections. Other Purposes collaborator.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Hearts: Direct peer as they share the Franciscan charism and operate as a US-based congregation of Franciscan sisters with social justice and education ministries.
• Sisters of Mercy of the Americas: Comparable Catholic women's religious congregation with a comparable profile of social justice ministries, healthcare heritage, and aging membership demographics.
• Sisters of St. Joseph: Catholic religious congregation with similar regional US structure, justice ministries, and parallel challenges around aging membership and the post-Vatican II transition.
• Benedictine Sisters of Chicago - St. Scholastica Monastery: Midwest-based monastic women's religious community with similar retreat ministry, contemplative life emphasis, and shrinking post-Vatican II membership challenges.
• Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Iowa-based Catholic women's congregation with parallel JPIC commitments, education/social justice ministries, and a similar scale of vowed members and ministries.
• School Sisters of Notre Dame: International Catholic women's congregation with comparable education and social justice ministries, and similarly navigating aging membership in their US province.
• Adrian Dominican Sisters: Catholic women's religious congregation with a parallel mission focus on social justice, eco-justice, and the Integrity of Creation, and a similar governance structure with elected leadership teams.
• Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods: Midwest-based Catholic women's congregation with parallel retreat/ministry portfolio, aging membership demographics, and active digital outreach efforts.

Broad incumbents

• Catholic Charities USA: National umbrella network representing many of Wheaton Franciscans' partner organizations (e.g., Catholic Charities Chicago). Acts as a broad incumbent in faith-based social services and advocacy, with parallel partner network dynamics.

Others

• Tau Ministries: Adjacent spirituality and retreat ministry providing programs similar to Wheaton Franciscans' Tau Center offerings (retreats, spiritual direction, contemplative programs).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wheatonfran
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCsh_Cz_xpwoJ1hk1hlm_FoQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/WheatonFranciscans
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wheaton-francsicans
• Instagraminstagram.com/wheatonfranciscans

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Wheaton Franciscans