VISITATION B.V.M. CHURCH

What VISITATION B.V.M. CHURCH does

Visitation B.V.M. Church is a Roman Catholic parish located at 2646 Kensington Avenue in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on Christmas Day 1872 as St. Cecilia Church and renamed Our Lady of the Visitation in 1876 when it moved to its current location, the parish has served the local community for over 150 years and celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2022-2023. The parish is operated under the spiritual oversight of the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province (C.Ss.R.) and currently serves under Pastor Rev. Frank Mulvaney, C.Ss.R., with Associate Pastors Rev. Joseph Dionne, C.Ss.R. and Rev. Huyen Nguyen, C.Ss.R.

The parish delivers weekly worship services in three languages (English, Spanish, and Vietnamese), administers sacraments including Baptism and Reconciliation, and runs religious education programs coordinated by Director Sandra Velez and Assistant Director Vicente Valentin. Beyond direct ministry, Visitation operates an affiliated Catholic school (est. 1883, currently led by Principal Tricia Cox) and partners with Catholic Social Services to operate the Community Center at Visitation (est. 2003), which provides social services and community programming for Kensington residents. The parish is currently conducting a $3.5 million Capital Campaign over a 3-year pledge period to fund façade and spire rehabilitation and school roof repairs.

The organization's revenue model is not publicly disclosed and consists primarily of weekly parish collections, school tuition, donations, and dedicated capital campaign pledges. The parish has no proprietary technology, no digital product, and no AI/ML capabilities; its only technology footprint is a website hosted by John Patrick Publishing Company and an online bulletin system. Distribution is exclusively in-person at the physical church location, with a single rectory at 2625 B Street used for sacramental appointments. Customer segmentation is narrow: the entire addressable market is Kensington neighborhood residents, which the parish itself describes as one of the most poverty-stricken neighborhoods in the nation.

Name

VISITATION B.V.M. CHURCH

Legal name

Visitation B.V.M. Church

Website

https://visitationbvm.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1872

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Visitation B.V.M. Church is a 150-year-old Roman Catholic parish in Kensington, Philadelphia, offering trilingual (English, Spanish, Vietnamese) Mass, sacraments, religious education, an affiliated school, and a community center serving local residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services (Roman Catholic Parish)

NAICS

Religious Organizations (813110)

akta.pro primary industry

Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL)

Keywords

• Roman Catholic parish
• Worship services
• Religious sacraments
• Religious education
• Parish community outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

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 channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Visitation B.V.M. Church is a Roman Catholic parish that conducts weekly Mass in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese, administers sacraments such as Baptism and Reconciliation, delivers religious education programs, and operates an affiliated Catholic elementary school (Visitation BVM School) and a community center that provides social services to Kensington residents. The parish is also currently running a $3.5 million capital campaign to restore its façade, spires, and the school roof over a three-year pledge period.

Product overview

Visitation B.V.M. Church is a Roman Catholic parish offering worship services and community programs. The church provides weekly Mass in three languages (English, Spanish, and Vietnamese), administers sacraments (baptism, confession), and operates Visitation BVM School (est. 1883) and the Community Center at Visitation (est. 2003). A current Capital Campaign seeks $3.5M for building restoration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Trilingual Weekly Mass Services Weekly Catholic Mass services offered Saturday at 5:00 pm (English, Lower Church) and five Sunday services: 8:00 am Spanish (Lower Church), 9:30 am English (Lower Church), 10:00 am Spanish (Upper Church), and 11:00 am Vietnamese (Lower Church). Open to parishioners and walk-in community members in the Kensington neighborhood.
• Sacraments Catholic sacramental ministry including Holy Baptism (celebrated monthly in English and Spanish, with godparent eligibility rules and age-based requirements) and Reconciliation (Confessions on Saturdays 4-5 pm or by appointment), administered to parishioners and families in the parish catchment area.
• Religious Education Program Parish faith formation program directed by the Director of Religious Education (Sandra Velez) and Assistant Director (Vicente Valentin), supporting catechesis, sacramental preparation, and the R.C.I.A. process (coordinated by Tom Boylan) for parish children and adults.
• Visitation BVM School Parish-affiliated Catholic elementary school (K-8) established in 1883, currently led by Principal Tricia Cox, serving Kensington families and historically enrolling up to 900 students.
• Community Center at Visitation Community center opened in 2003 by Catholic Social Services, operating out of the parish campus to provide social services, resources, and community engagement programming for Kensington residents.
• Spanish-Language Parish Ministries Parish ministry groups and activities serving Spanish-speaking congregants, including Cursillos de Cristiandad, Grupo de Adolescentes, Grupo de Jovenes Adultos, and Las Damas del Sagrado Corazon.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Redemptorists of the Baltimore ProvincecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe church is served by priests of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (C.Ss.R.), including Pastor Rev. Frank Mulvaney, C.Ss.R. and Associate Pastors Rev. Joseph Dionne, C.Ss.R. and Rev. Huyen Nguyen, C.Ss.R.
• Sisters of the Holy ChildminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginally administered the school when it opened in 1883 with 900 students.
• Sisters of Saint JosephminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTook over stewardship of the school in 1911 and have profoundly influenced the growth and development of the school community.
• Catholic Social ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOpened the Community Center at Visitation in 2003 to serve and engage the community, providing resources and services for Kensington residents.
• John Patrick Publishing CompanyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProvides website design, hosting, and online bulletin publication services for the parish.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Others

• Catholic Social Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia: Archdiocesan agency that operates Visitation's Community Center at Visitation since 2003. A closely aligned partner organization that delivers social services in Kensington and reflects how Catholic institutions extend parish mission through affiliated bodies.

Direct peers

• Old St. Joseph's Church: Philadelphia's oldest Catholic parish, located in an urban setting with historic preservation needs and a ministry to a diverse urban population. Comparable to Visitation in combining historic-institution status with active community programming.
• St. Patrick Church: Historic urban Catholic parish in Philadelphia with a long-standing ministry to immigrant communities. Comparable to Visitation in serving a demographically diverse urban congregation with sacramental and community programs.
• Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish: Philadelphia Catholic parish with strong Hispanic ministry and Spanish-language programming, comparable to Visitation's trilingual Mass schedule and Kensington-area outreach to Spanish-speaking residents.
• St. Malachy Church: A historic urban Catholic parish in central Philadelphia also served by the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province. Most directly comparable to Visitation BVM in order affiliation, urban ministry context, and trilingual/immigrant community service.

Broad incumbents

• Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul: Mother church of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, operating at a much larger scale as the seat of the local ordinary. Provides a broader-incumbent comparison point for Catholic ministry scale, sacramental programming, and capital stewardship in the same city.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/vizo.philly
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/visitation-bvm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 VISITATION B.V.M. CHURCH