St. Thomas Aquinas Parish

What St. Thomas Aquinas Parish does

St. Thomas Aquinas Parish is a Catholic religious non-profit organization serving the city of Palo Alto, California, operating as a single canonical parish under the Diocese of San Jose with three worship sites: St. Thomas Aquinas Church (est. 1901, historic landmark), St. Albert the Great Church (est. 1961), and Our Lady of the Rosary Church (est. 1959). The parish traces its institutional heritage to the 1769 Portola expedition and was consolidated in its current form in 1987 through the merger of six predecessor parishes. It serves a multi-generational congregation through weekly Mass (in English, Spanish, and Latin), all seven Catholic sacraments, faith formation programs from PreK through adult, OCIA initiation, youth and young adult ministry (STAY), Hispanic ministry, senior outreach, and homebound pastoral care, and it co-sponsors St. Elizabeth Seton School (PreK-8) with the Daughters of Charity.

The parish operates with approximately 11 staff members including a pastor, parochial vicar, deacon, faith formation director, youth minister, wedding/funeral coordinator, office administrator, pastoral home ministry lead, and two maintenance personnel. Its technology stack is built on commodity church-sector SaaS: eCatholic for website content management, ParishSoft for online giving and parish administration, Mailchimp for digital bulletins, and Universal Church Directories for photo scheduling. There are no proprietary technology assets or API offerings.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid model of recurring tithes and offerings (in-person and via ParishSoft), annual faith formation fees ($150 base + $25 per additional household member), one-time memorial garden plaque sales ($350), and professional service fees for weddings, quinceañeras, and funerals. The parish publishes annual reports but does not publicly disclose detailed financials. It distributes services through in-person worship at three sites, online giving/registration platforms, pastoral home visits, and the co-sponsored school.

Name

St. Thomas Aquinas Parish

Legal name

St. Thomas Aquinas Parish

Website

https://paloaltocatholic.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

St. Thomas Aquinas Parish is a Catholic non-profit parish serving the city of Palo Alto, California through three worship sites, sacramental and faith formation programs for all ages, Hispanic ministry, and co-sponsorship of a PreK-8 Catholic school.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG)

Keywords

• Catholic parish services
• Faith formation programs
• Sacramental preparation
• Religious education
• Catholic worship services

Headquarters

HQ city

Palo Alto

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Weekly and special collection donations from parishioners during Mass celebrations
2. Online Giving: Digital donations through ParishSoft platform for regular tithes, special offerings, and one-time gifts
3. Faith Formation Fees: Registration fees for faith formation programs: $150 + $25 for additional household members
4. Memorial Garden Plaques: Memorial plaque sales for deceased loved ones in the Memorial Garden at St. Thomas Aquinas Church: $350 per plaque
5. Sacrament Fees: Fees for wedding ceremonies, quinceañera celebrations, and funeral services coordination

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

St. Thomas Aquinas Parish provides Catholic worship services, all seven sacraments, faith formation programs (PreK through adult), youth and young adult ministry, Hispanic-language ministry, and pastoral care across three church sites in Palo Alto, CA. The parish also co-sponsors St. Elizabeth Seton School, a PreK-8 Catholic school. Operations are supported by an eCatholic website platform, ParishSoft online giving, and digital bulletins.

Product overview

St. Thomas Aquinas Parish offers a comprehensive suite of Catholic faith services and programs centered around three worship sites (St. Thomas Aquinas Church, St. Albert the Great Church, and Our Lady of the Rosary Church) in Palo Alto, CA. The parish provides Mass services in multiple languages, sacrament preparation programs, faith formation for all ages from PreK through adults, and specialized Hispanic ministry programs. Related services include online giving through ParishSoft, youth and young adult ministries, and the affiliated St. Elizabeth Seton School. The parish website, powered by eCatholic, serves as the primary digital hub for registrations, donations, and parish communications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mass Services
• Sacrament Preparation
• Faith Formation Programs
• Hispanic Ministry Programs (Catecismo)
• Youth Ministry (STAY)
• Young Adult Ministry
• Online Giving
• St. Elizabeth Seton School
• Memorial Garden Plaques
• Parish Funerals Coordination
• Pastoral Home Ministry

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves entire city of Palo Alto as single parish in Diocese of San Jose
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Diocese of San JosecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1981St. Thomas Aquinas Parish is part of the Diocese of San Jose, created in 1981. The parish operates under diocesan authority and guidelines while maintaining local parish identity and governance. The diocese provides liturgical directives, priestly assignments, and pastoral oversight.
• St. Elizabeth Seton SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1978Parish co-sponsors St. Elizabeth Seton School (PreK-8th grade) formed from merger of St. Thomas Aquinas School and St. Albert's School in 1978. School serves as key youth ministry pipeline.
• Daughters of CharitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of St. Elizabeth Seton School along with the Diocese of San Jose. The Daughters of Charity provide Catholic educational mission alignment and Vincentian charism integration for the school.
• St. Vincent de Paul SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParish collaborates with St. Vincent de Paul Society for Sandwich Squad ministry and Thanksgiving/Christmas giving programs to serve the poor and homeless.
• Human Concerns Committee PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParish Human Concerns Committee partners with LifeMoves/Opportunity Center, Catholic Worker House, Ecumenical Hunger Program, St. Francis of Assisi Church in East Palo Alto, Lions Club International Foundation, and Soles4Souls for charitable service programs.
• Local Funeral HomesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with Spangler Mortuary (Mountain View), Alta Mesa Funeral Home (Palo Alto), and Cusimano Family Colonial Mortuary (Mt. View) for funeral coordination services.
• Catholic Cemeteries of Diocese of San JoseminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReferral partnership for burial services at Gate of Heaven Cemetery (Los Altos) and Calvary Cemetery (San Jose).

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• St. Timothy Parish: Catholic parish in Mountain View, CA within the Diocese of San Jose, serving a comparable mid-Peninsula demographic. Similar multi-program structure including faith formation, youth ministry, and outreach, making it a directly comparable operational peer.
• St. Lucy Parish: Catholic parish in Campbell, CA within the Diocese of San Jose. Comparable mid-sized parish with faith formation, school, and ministry programs serving a similar Northern California suburban demographic.
• St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Parish: Catholic parish in Los Altos, CA in the Diocese of San Jose serving an adjacent affluent Peninsula community. Comparable scale, similar multi-program faith formation, school co-sponsorship, and historical parish structure make it a strong demographic and operational peer.
• Most Holy Trinity Parish: Large Catholic parish in San Jose within the same Diocese of San Jose with multi-site worship, school, faith formation K-8, and Hispanic ministry. Closest diocesan peer in scale and program mix to St. Thomas Aquinas Parish.
• St. Patrick's Proto-Cathedral Parish: Historic Catholic parish in San Jose within the Diocese of San Jose with a long-established heritage comparable to St. Thomas Aquinas. Similar traditional Mass offerings, faith formation, and sacramental programming make it a strong heritage-structure peer.
• St. Dominic Parish: Catholic parish in Menlo Park, CA within the same Diocese of San Jose that assumed the Stanford Catholic Community formerly served by St. Thomas Aquinas. Most directly comparable peer given overlapping geography, similar affluent Bay Area Catholic demographic, and shared diocesan structure.

Broad incumbents

• Diocese of San Jose: Ecclesiastical parent and governing authority of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish. Provides priestly assignments, liturgical directives, and diocesan-wide programs; not a direct peer but the structural incumbent that defines operating context.
• Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County: Faith-based nonprofit providing social services across Santa Clara County. Overlaps with St. Thomas Aquinas' Human Concerns Committee work (LifeMoves, EHP, Sandwich Squad) but operates at a much larger, county-wide scale with professional staff.
• Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph: Diocesan cathedral and mother church of the Diocese of San Jose. Operates on a much larger scale with broader regional reach and broader portfolio of ministries; comparable only at the parish/worship-services level but as a wide-incumbent Catholic organization in the same diocese.

Emerging players

• St. Elizabeth Seton School: PreK-8 Catholic school co-sponsored by St. Thomas Aquinas Parish with the Diocese of San Jose and Daughters of Charity. Listed as a subsidiary of the parish in the data; included as a peer because it is the parish's primary youth formation feeder and operates an adjacent educational business model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/paloalto_catholic_sta
• Facebookfacebook.com/162526967136282

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about St. Thomas Aquinas Parish