Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose

What Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose does

The Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose (legal name: Congregation of the Queen of the Holy Rosary) is a Catholic religious congregation headquartered at a Motherhouse campus in Fremont, California, founded in 1876 by Mother Maria Pia Backes and three Sisters arriving from Brooklyn. The congregation operates a diversified portfolio of ministries across California, Arizona, and Mexico, including K-12 Catholic education (66 affiliated or sponsored schools over 150 years), spiritual formation (Center for Education and Spirituality), restorative justice (PREP in Los Angeles), migrant accompaniment (KINO Border Initiative), media ministry (Wordnet TV), and the Dominican Sisters School of Music. It also stewards the Marywood conservation easement (150 acres in the Santa Cruz Mountains), the largest remaining grove of mission-era olive trees in California, and a Care of Creation program with solar, beekeeping, and community garden operations.

The underlying technology stack is modest and mission-aligned: a PageCloud-hosted website at msjdominicans.org, a Shopify-based event ticketing and registration platform at ces-event.myshopify.com for CES programming, Constant Contact for email newsletters, and DonorPerfect for online giving. Infrastructure investments include a 2017 solar installation offsetting ~65% of Motherhouse power usage at the LEED Gold certified St. Joseph Residence and Dominican Center, plus a Santa Clara University-engineered solar-powered well-water irrigation system for the community garden. Communications extend to Facebook and YouTube channels.

The business model is nonprofit donation-based. Revenue streams include voluntary donations (primary, processed via the online giving portal and including legacy gifts such as bequests, donor-advised funds, and IRAs), Holiday Boutique sales (handmade crafts, olive oil, honey, with 10% to local/global relief), School of Music tuition, Motherhouse space rentals, ticketed CES events, and Foundation grants. Governance is provided by the Congregational Prioress (currently Sister Celeste Marie Botello, OP, 11th Prioress General since 2022) with a binational Provincial Council for Mexico led by Sister Angelina Rodríguez Galván, and membership in the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR, ~300 congregations).

Name

Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose

Legal name

Congregation of the Queen of the Holy Rosary

Website

https://msjdominicans.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1876

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose is a Catholic religious congregation headquartered in Fremont, California, operating since 1876 across California, Arizona, and Mexico. It delivers Catholic education, spiritual formation, restorative justice, migrant accompaniment, and social services, funded primarily by donations, with affiliated schools and ministry partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Education and Social Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Continuing Care Retirement Communities (623311)

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), Faith-Based / Nonprofit Assisted Living Providers (HLADABAH)

Keywords

• Catholic religious congregation
• Spiritual formation programs
• Catholic education ministry
• Social justice services
• Music education lessons

Headquarters

HQ city

Fremont

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Mission Advancement: The primary revenue stream is voluntary donations from friends, benefactors, and the public, processed through an online giving portal (interland3.donorperfect.net). The Mission Advancement and Communications Office manages these contributions, which support care for Sisters in the Care Center and retirement, ministries in Mexico, education programs, formation and leadership training, and care for creation. Legacy gifts (bequests, donor advised funds, appreciated stocks, IRAs) are a noted vehicle.
2. Holiday Boutique Sales: The annual Holiday Boutique sells handmade crafts, olive oil, honey, and other goods produced by or associated with the Sisters. Proceeds support care of Senior Sisters, with 10% dedicated to local and global relief.
3. School of Music Lessons: The Dominican Sisters School of Music, located in Fremont, CA, provides private instruction in piano, violin, viola, cello, flute, and guitar. Revenue supports the school's operations and the music education program.
4. Space Rental at the Motherhouse: Organizations may reserve space at the Motherhouse campus (auditorium, Dominican Atrium, Arts Activity Rooms, Wellness Room, Dominican Center, outdoor areas). The venue hosts events for the Sisters and for local Church and civic communities, generating rental income.
5. Foundation Grant-Making: The Dominican Sisters' Foundation provides grants to support ministries, welfare, and education. Applications are accepted via fillable forms. The Foundation serves as both a funding mechanism for the Congregation's own ministries and a grant-making body for external beneficiaries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose are a Catholic religious congregation offering spiritual formation, Catholic education, music instruction, social justice services (immigration accompaniment, restorative justice), care for their aging Sisters, and care-of-creation sustainability programs. Named offerings available to external audiences include private music lessons (piano, violin, viola, cello, flute, guitar) at the Dominican Sisters School of Music, retreat days and workshops through the Center for Education and Spirituality (CES), tuition assistance for inner-city Catholic schools via Vision of Hope, Motherhouse facility rentals, the annual Holiday Boutique sale of handmade goods and olive oil, and Catholic prayer cards.

Product overview

The Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose offer a diverse portfolio of spiritual, educational, and social service programs. Core offerings include the School of Music providing private music instruction; the Center for Education and Spirituality (CES) offering retreats and workshops; Vision of Hope supporting eight under-resourced Catholic schools; and the Religious Studies Library with 20,000 books. Social ministries include PREP (restorative justice re-entry program), KINO Border Initiative (migration support), and Care of Creation initiatives including olive cultivation, beekeeping, and community gardening. The organization also operates the Dominican Sisters Foundation, manages Motherhouse campus facilities for events, and provides Wordnet media ministry programming. These programs are interconnected through the Congregation's mission to serve the young, poor, and vulnerable through education, spiritual formation, and justice advocacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vision of Hope: Founded in 1995 to ensure quality, affordability, and vibrant future for eight of their poorest elementary schools in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Oakland.
• Center for Education and Spirituality (CES)
• Dominican Sisters Foundation

Products and services

• Dominican Sisters School of Music A music school offering private and group lessons in piano, violin, viola, cello, flute, and guitar. Curriculum covers instrument technique, music theory, solo and chamber music repertoire, and performance preparation for competitions, auditions, and music festivals. Located at the Motherhouse in Fremont, CA.
• Center for Education and Spirituality (CES)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $9.6 million distributed to eight inner-city Catholic schools since 2004, including $5.4 million in tuition assistance
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Land Trust of Santa Cruz CountyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017In 2017, the Dominican Sisters finalized a conservation easement with the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County preserving their 150-acre Marywood property in the Santa Cruz Mountains from development. The agreement involved extensive negotiations with state agencies, university researchers, and regional conservation groups, and includes construction of a wildlife tunnel for greater motorist and animal safety.
• KINO Border InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose partner with the KINO Border Initiative, a bi-national ministry in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico that accompanies migrants and deportees. Sister Carol Monzon, OP served for an extended period in the ministry, preparing meals and witnessing the community of support that includes a clinic, lawyers, social workers, skill-building programs, and volunteers. The Sisters also support the ministry through advocacy and prayer.
• Santa Clara University School of EngineeringminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUndergraduates from Santa Clara University School of Engineering designed the solar-powered pump and gravity flow system that delivers well water to the community garden's drip irrigation system at the Motherhouse — an energy-efficient infrastructure project completed as a collaborative academic-community effort.
• Archdiocese of Los Angeles — PREPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister Mary Sean Hodges, OP participates as the Dominican representative in the Partnership for Re-Entry Program (PREP), a restorative justice ministry of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. PREP's goals include transforming individuals to become productive members of society, reducing jail and prison populations, and making the community safer and stronger.
• Wordnet Productions / Wordnet TVminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister Jeanne Harris, OP serves as Communications Specialist for Wordnet Productions, a Catholic television ministry founded in 1978 by Father Michael Manning, SVD. Wordnet's mission is to bring God's Word to all and to tell stories of God working through the poor. WNTV (Wordnet TV) delivers programming 24/7 globally via smart TVs and devices.
• Sociedad del Divino Verbo (Divine Word Missionaries)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWordnet Productions, the Catholic television ministry where Sister Jeanne Harris, OP serves, was founded by Father Michael Manning of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), an international missionary community with 6,000 members serving in 72 countries.
• International Dominican Commission on Peace and JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Sisters participate in the North American Dominican Promoters of Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation, which encourages all members of the Dominican Family to embrace the Dominican charism of searching for and preaching truth. This is augmented by Dominican presence at the United Nations in New York, Geneva, Nairobi, and Vienna.
• Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Dominican Sisters are members of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, which represents nearly 300 congregations of Catholic sisters across the United States. LCWR issues public advocacy statements on behalf of its members on issues including nonviolence, immigration, racial justice, and care for creation.
• Sciabica's California Olive OilminorOthersThe Sisters' extra virgin olive oil is pressed and bottled by Sciabica's California Olive Oil. The oil is shared with friends and sold each year at the Dominican Sisters' annual Holiday Boutique.
• Ohlone PeoplecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Motherhouse grounds are sacred land where the Ohlone people lived for generations. The original 334 olive trees on the property were planted by the Ohlone people under the direction of Franciscan friars. The Sisters recognize this Indigenous heritage as foundational to the land they occupy.
• Dominican Sisters Federation USAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Sisters collaborate with the Dominican Sisters Federation USA and the Dominican Leadership Conference in advocacy efforts, including opposition to human trafficking, through their Non-Governmental Organization affiliations and inter-congregational partnerships.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sisters of Mercy of the Americas: One of the largest U.S. Catholic women's religious congregations with comparable education (multiple sponsored universities), healthcare, and social service ministries. Similar operational scale and mission focus on serving the poor and vulnerable.
• Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa: Wisconsin-based Dominican congregation with similar ministries in education, arts (Sinsinawa Art Gallery comparable to Dominican Center), pastoral work, and care of creation. Operates a Motherhouse with assisted living—same Dominican charism and operational structure.
• Maryknoll Sisters: Catholic women's mission congregation with established presence in Mexico and Latin America (overlapping Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose's Province of Mexico). Similar focus on the poor, migrants, and justice advocacy abroad.
• Adrian Dominican Sisters: A large Dominican women's religious congregation with similar education, healthcare, arts, and social justice ministries. Operates the Dominican Life Center with assisted living and continuing care for aging Sisters, and runs its own sponsored schools—directly comparable in mission structure and operational scope to Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose.
• Dominican Sisters of Peace: Dominican women's congregation formed through merger in 2009, with explicit commitments to immigration ministry, anti-trafficking advocacy, and parish social ministry. Highly comparable on immigration advocacy (KINO Border Initiative partnership equivalent) and active justice work.
• School Sisters of Notre Dame: International Catholic women's congregation with strong education, social justice, and spiritual formation focus. Operates schools in the Americas and beyond, with active vocation ministry and care for aging Sisters—directly comparable in operational model.
• Religious of the Sacred Heart (RSCJ): Catholic women's religious congregation with globally distributed education mission (Network of Sacred Heart Schools), social justice advocacy, and retreat/spiritual formation programming. Comparable international scope and education-anchored ministry.
• Dominican Sisters of San Rafael: California-based Dominican congregation with overlapping geographic territory, K-12 school affiliations, social justice advocacy, and retreat ministry. Comparable in scale, California presence, and Dominican charism.
• Immaculate Heart Community: California-based Catholic women's religious community headquartered in Los Angeles with active ministries in education, retreat work, and immigration/justice advocacy—directly overlapping the geographic and ministry footprint.
• Dominican Sisters of Hope: Dominican women's congregation with sponsored ministries in education, healthcare, and retreat/spiritual formation. Operates a continuing-care retirement community for aging Sisters, directly comparable in operational model to the Motherhouse campus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/msjdominicans
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@msjdominicans
• Xx.com/dominicansofmsj

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose