Catholic Journeys

What Catholic Journeys does

Catholic Journeys is a privately held, 100% Catholic-owned and operated pilgrimage tour company founded in 2004 and headquartered at 631 Saint Charles Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana. The company sells all-inclusive guided group pilgrimages to Catholic holy sites across more than 35 countries — anchored by the Holy Land, Rome/Italy, Medjugorje, Fatima, Lourdes, Guadalupe, Poland, Spain, and increasingly Latin America (Cuba, Peru), Asia (Vietnam, India), and cruise itineraries. Each tour package bundles airfare, 4-star accommodations, ground transportation, meals, a Roman Catholic priest offering daily Mass, and Roman Catholic (not generically Christian) guides, with the company positioning its priest-on-staff and denominational authenticity as the core differentiator versus secular and ecumenical competitors.

The technology stack is modest: a Checkfront-powered online booking system supports 24/7 self-serve reservations, complemented by phone-based inside sales (800-715-6670) staffed during Central Time business hours. Pricing is per-person based on double occupancy, with a $500 deposit, no credit card fees, land-only options, single-room supplements, and a price-match guarantee. Average ticket size ranges from approximately $1,699 (Medjugorje) to $6,500 (premium Holy Land + Jordan/Petra itineraries), with bookings currently being accepted for both 2026 and 2027 departures. Revenue is generated almost entirely from one-time pilgrimage transactions, with a small secondary stream from travel insurance referral commissions via Travel Insured International. The customer base is highly distributed: individual Catholic pilgrims (primary segment) and parish/church groups (secondary), with no disclosed enterprise contracts.

The go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer via the catholicjourneys.com website, email newsletter, and phone, augmented by a parish/group channel offering free planning tools. Distribution is augmented by organic content marketing — a blog featuring monthly Medjugorje apparition messages — and event-driven campaigns tied to the Catholic liturgical calendar (Easter, Jubilee 2026, Marian feast days). The operating team is small (only named staff are Marcelle and Jacie, with Jimmy Hyland serving as the experienced pilgrimage operator with 40+ years in the trade), the company has raised no institutional capital, and ownership remains entirely in private Catholic hands.

Name

Catholic Journeys

Legal name

Catholic Journeys

Website

https://catholicjourneys.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Catholic Journeys is a 100% Catholic-owned pilgrimage tour company founded in 2004 and headquartered in New Orleans, selling all-inclusive guided group tours to Catholic holy sites in 35+ countries — anchored by the Holy Land, Rome, Medjugorje, Fatima, Lourdes, and Guadalupe — to individual Catholic pilgrims and parish groups, with current bookings open through 2027.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Tourism / Catholic Pilgrimage Tours

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152), Tour Operators (561520), Travel Agencies (56151)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Christian Pilgrimage & Holy Land Tour Operators (THAKAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pilgrimage Packages (Air-Inclusive) Tour Operators (THAKAHAK), Pilgrimage Packages (Land-Only) Tour Operators (THAKAHAJ), Pilgrimage & Faith-Based Multi-Day Tour Operators (THAKADAH), Faith-Based Group Travel (Church/Mosque/Temple) Organizers (THAKAHAH), Religious & Sacred Sites Tours (THAJAAAF), Culinary Walking & Market Tours (THAJAGAA)

Keywords

• Catholic pilgrimage tours
• Religious travel
• Holy Land tours
• Marian shrine pilgrimages
• Guided faith tours

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Pilgrimage Tour Packages: All-inclusive pilgrimage tour packages combining airfare, accommodations, ground transportation, guided tours, meals, and Catholic priest services. Revenue earned as one-time transaction per pilgrim. Upsell opportunities include travel insurance, single room supplements, pre/post stay hotels, and business class upgrades.
2. Travel Insurance: Referral commission from Travel Insured International for pilgrimage travel insurance offered as optional add-on to bookings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Catholic Journeys sells all-inclusive escorted Catholic pilgrimage tour packages to holy sites worldwide, bundling airfare, 4-star accommodations, ground transportation, meals, professional Catholic guides, and a Roman Catholic priest who offers daily Mass. The company offers 50+ tour itineraries across the Holy Land, Europe, the Americas, and Asia, with specialized formats including Marian shrine tours, walking pilgrimages, cruise pilgrimages, and culinary Foodies tours. Pricing is per-person with a $500 deposit, no credit card fees, single room supplements, and land-only options for self-arranged air travel.

Product overview

Catholic Journeys is a 100% Catholic owned and operated pilgrimage tour company serving pilgrims for over 20 years. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of religious pilgrimage tours across global destinations including Holy Land/Israel, Europe (Italy, Rome, Poland, France, Spain, Medjugorje, Fatima, Lourdes), Americas (Mexico, Cuba, Peru), Asia (Vietnam, India), and walking pilgrimages (Camino de Santiago, St. Olav Way). The core offering consists of guided group pilgrimages with Catholic priests who offer daily Mass, professional Catholic guides, 4-star accommodations, and comprehensive tour packages including airfare. The company also offers specialized Foodies Tours that combine culinary experiences with faith pilgrimages for groups of 15-25 pilgrims, as well as cruise-based pilgrimage options. Tours range from single-region focused trips to multi-destination combinations, with pricing from approximately $1,699 to $7,500 per person depending on destination and duration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Holy Land Pilgrimages and Israel Tours

Quantifiable outcome

• Daily Mass at sacred shrines
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• 206 Tours: Long-established Catholic pilgrimage tour operator offering guided pilgrimages to the Holy Land, Rome, Medjugorje, Fatima, Lourdes, and other Catholic shrines, with priest-led daily Mass. Directly competes with Catholic Journeys for the same U.S. Catholic pilgrim customer on overlapping destinations and itineraries.
• Verso Travel: Catholic pilgrimage tour company offering small-group trips to the Holy Land, Italy, Medjugorje, and Fatima with daily Mass and priest accompaniment. Directly competes for faith-driven leisure pilgrims seeking authentic Catholic-led tours.
• Peter's Way Tours: Catholic pilgrimage specialist offering Holy Land, European shrine, and Marian apparition tours with Mass and Catholic guides. Targets the same practicing Catholic demographic as Catholic Journeys with comparable pricing and priest-led group departures.
• Select International Tours: Catholic pilgrimage tour operator offering Holy Land, European shrine, and Medjugorje trips with priest chaplains and daily Mass. Targets similar parish and individual Catholic customers as Catholic Journeys with escorted group itineraries.
• Unitours: Catholic pilgrimage tour operator running escorted group pilgrimages to Holy Land, Italy, Shrines of Europe, and Marian sites with priest chaplains. Closely comparable to Catholic Journeys on product, customer, and priest-led value proposition.
• Catholic Travel Centre: Catholic-focused tour operator marketing pilgrimage packages to the Holy Land, Italy, Medjugorje, and other Marian sites, with priest accompaniment. Competes head-to-head with Catholic Journeys for individual Catholic pilgrims and parish groups on similar air-inclusive itineraries.
• Pilgrimages for Catholics (Holy Cross Fathers): Priest-led Catholic pilgrimage program run by the Congregation of Holy Cross, featuring Holy Land and Marian shrine tours. Comparable to Catholic Journeys on the priest-led, Catholic-identity value proposition and core destination set.

Broad incumbents

• Collette: Large, established escorted tour operator offering faith-based and cultural itineraries including Holy Land and European religious tours as part of a broader global catalog. Overlaps with Catholic Journeys on destination and tour-style but is not Catholic-specialized.
• Insight Vacations: Premium escorted tour operator under The Travel Corporation offering faith-based and cultural itineraries to the Holy Land and European Catholic shrines. Competes for higher-spending religious travelers but does not focus exclusively on Catholic pilgrimage with priest-led daily Mass.
• Globus Family of Brands (Globus / Cosmos): Major escorted-tour brand offering religious-themed itineraries (Holy Land, Fatima, Lourdes, Medjugorje) alongside its general Europe and worldwide tour portfolio. Comparable on destination and tour mechanics but lacks Catholic-exclusive positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/catholic-journeys
• Facebookfacebook.com/catholicjourneys
• Xx.com/cath_journeys

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Catholic Journeys