Gesu Parish

What Gesu Parish does

Gesu Parish is a Jesuit-sponsored Catholic parish located at 1145 W. Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on the Marquette University campus. Founded in 1894 (with parish roots tracing to 1849 via St. Gall's Church) and separately incorporated as an Archdiocesan Parish in 1994, it operates as one of six Jesuit ministries in Milwaukee under the spiritual sponsorship of the Society of Jesus and the ecclesiastical authority of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The parish serves central-city Milwaukee residents, the Marquette University community, families with children, and international mission partners (notably SS. Simon and Jude Parish in Haiti under a twinning relationship established in 2002).

The parish delivers liturgical services (Saturday vigil and three Sunday Masses plus daily Mass), the seven sacraments, faith formation programs for children, youth, and adults (including OCIA), Ignatian spirituality retreats, music ministry anchored by a Schantz pipe organ rebuilt in 2011, and social-justice outreach through St. Vincent de Paul, Haiti Ministry, and ecumenical coalitions like Central City Churches and Common Ground. Its technology footprint is modest: an eCatholic website, Pushpay online giving, Flocknote email, YouTube livestream, and accessibility features including a T-coil hearing loop. Recent capital activity includes a completed Upper Church interior renovation under the 'Together for Gesu' campaign and a $14.6 million Gesu Senior Housing affordable-housing development in Detroit's University District (36 units, completion targeted early Fall 2027), financed via LIHTC, City of Detroit HOME funds, Bank of America construction financing, Independent Bank permanent mortgage, and CREA tax credit equity.

Revenue is generated entirely through voluntary contributions: weekly and online donations via Pushpay, sacramental offerings, Mass stipends, special collections, and ministry-specific funds. No fees are charged for regular Mass or most sacraments. The organization employs between 1 and 10 staff, including a Pastor, Associate Pastor, and functional directors for Operations, Christian Formation, Music, Liturgy, Advancement, and Facilities.

Name

Gesu Parish

Legal name

Gesu Parish

Website

https://gesuparish.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1894

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Gesu Parish is a Jesuit-sponsored Catholic parish on the Marquette University campus in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, delivering Mass, sacraments, faith formation, and social-justice ministries to neighborhood residents and the university community since 1894.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Catholic Parish Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (81311)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Campus Spiritual & Religious Life (EDALAHAI)

Keywords

• Catholic parish services
• Sacramental ministry
• Faith formation programs
• Ignatian spirituality retreats
• Jesuit liturgical worship

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Parish Donations and Tithes: The primary revenue stream comes from voluntary donations and tithes from parishioners, collected through weekly envelopes, monthly coupons, and online giving via Pushpay platform.
2. Mass Offerings and Special Collections: Donations for specific purposes including wedding deposits and fees, funeral services, Mass offerings, vigil lights, memorial donations, and special holy day offerings.
3. Ministry and Program Support: Parishioners contribute to various ministry-specific funds including St. Vincent de Paul Society, Haiti Ministry, Church Art & Environment, and Child and Teen Ministry tuition.
4. Government and Foundation Funding (Gesu Senior Housing): The Gesu Senior Housing project in Detroit received financing including $1.53 million in City of Detroit HOME funding, Low-Income Housing Tax Credits from MSHDA, construction financing from Bank of America, permanent mortgage from Independent Bank, and tax credit equity from CREA.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Gesu Parish is a Jesuit-sponsored Catholic parish providing liturgical worship services (weekend and daily Mass, Reconciliation), the seven sacraments (Baptism, Confirmation, First Eucharist, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick), faith formation programs for children, youth, and adults, OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults), Ignatian spirituality retreats and discernment programs, music ministry, and social justice outreach including Haiti twinning, St. Vincent de Paul, and health ministry programs. The parish serves central city Milwaukee residents, the Marquette University community, and families seeking sacramental preparation and Catholic education.

Product overview

Gesu Parish is a Jesuit-sponsored Catholic parish located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on the Marquette University campus. The parish offers religious services including Mass celebrations, sacraments (Baptism, Confirmation, Reconciliation, First Eucharist, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick), and various formation programs for children, youth, and adults. The parish also operates multiple ministries including Human Concerns, Music Ministry, Haiti Ministry (twinning with SS. Simon and Jude Parish in Haiti), and Ignatian Spirituality retreats. Online giving is available through Pushpay.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Weekly and Daily Mass Services Liturgical Catholic Mass celebrations held at the Upper and Lower churches of the Church of the Gesu, including Saturday Vigil Mass (5:30 PM), Sunday Masses (8:00 AM, 10:30 AM, 6:00 PM), and Daily Mass Monday-Friday (7:00 AM, 12:05 PM, 5:30 PM). Open to parishioners, neighborhood residents, and the Marquette University community, with Sunday Mass livestreamed on YouTube.
• Reconciliation (Confession) Sacramental Reconciliation held Monday-Friday 11:30 AM-12:00 PM and Saturdays 4:45-5:30 PM in the Lower Church. Provided for parishioners and visitors seeking the sacrament of Penance. Not available on Holy Days or holidays.
• Sacramental Celebrations The seven Catholic sacraments including Baptism, Confirmation, First Eucharist, First Reconciliation, Marriage (Weddings), Anointing of the Sick, and Holy Orders. Provided for parishioners and Catholic families in the Milwaukee area.
• Child, Family, and Youth Faith Formation Christian Formation program for children in K3 through 8th grade and youth in grades 9-12. Includes sacramental preparation (Baptism, First Eucharist, First Reconciliation, Confirmation) and ongoing religious education. Directed by Johannah Lee.
• OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) Becoming Catholic program for adults inquiring about or preparing to enter the Catholic Church through Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. Includes inquiry process and formation for catechumens and candidates.
• Adult Formation Ongoing adult faith formation opportunities for parishioners, including spiritual growth, scripture study, and continuing Catholic education.
• Weddings at Gesu Wedding liturgy celebrations including preparation, music coordination, and ceremony at the Church of the Gesu for engaged couples seeking Catholic marriage.
• Funerals Catholic funeral services and Mass of Christian Burial for parishioners and their families, coordinated through the parish office.
• Music Ministry Music program featuring cantors, choirs, organ, and instruments for weekend Masses, Holy Days, and parish celebrations. Includes the John Weissrock Organ Concert Series, Wedding Music Information, and Cantors/Songleaders program. Built around the Schantz pipe organ rebuilt in 2011.
• Haiti Ministry (Twinning with SS. Simon and Jude Parish) Twinning relationship with SS. Simon and Jude Parish in Mon Opital, Haiti established in 2002. Provides noon meals for 600+ school children, health clinic support, school cooking staff salaries, water supplementation, food for elderly, and capital project assistance. Over 40 Gesu parishioners have visited Haiti in support of the program.
• Ignatian Spirituality Programs Programs rooted in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola including the Novena of Grace, Ignatian Discernment, Retreats, the Examen Prayer, and the Spiritual Exercises. Includes 500th Anniversary celebration programming.
• Ministry of Care Pastoral care program providing communion visits to homebound parishioners who cannot attend Mass in person, coordinated by the Director of Liturgy.
• Human Concerns and Social Justice Ministries Social justice outreach including St. Vincent de Paul Society, Respect Life, Health Ministry, Justice Education, Faith-Based Organizations partnerships, and Social Justice initiatives addressing needs of older adults, families, and people in need in the neighborhood.
• Online Giving Digital donation platform powered by Pushpay enabling recurring tithes, one-time gifts, and special collections. Supports weekly envelopes, monthly coupons, and online parish giving.
• Gesu Senior Housing (Detroit) Affordable senior housing development providing 36 apartments for low-income Detroit seniors, combining renovation of the historic 1938 Gesu Parish Center with new construction in the University District neighborhood.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 40 Gesu parishioners have visited Haiti since twinning began in 2002
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

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.

• MHT Housing, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2026Construction partner for Gesu Senior Housing project - a $14.6 million affordable housing development in Detroit's University District. MHT Housing joined Mayor Sheffield and Gesu Parish Detroit representatives to celebrate construction start. Project involves renovating historic Gesu Parish Center building and constructing new affordable housing.
• Marquette UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGesu Parish is located within Marquette University campus. The parish is sponsored by the Society of Jesus and serves the university community alongside neighborhood residents. The parish administrative offices are located at 1210 W. Michigan St. adjacent to campus.
• SS. Simon and Jude Parish (Mon Opital, Haiti)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTwinning relationship established in 2002. Gesu provides noon meals for 600+ school children, health clinic support, school cooking staff salaries, water supplementation, food for elderly, and capital project assistance. Over 40 Gesu parishioners have visited Haiti.
• Central City ChurchesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEcumenical collaboration of churches along Wisconsin Avenue serving material and spiritual needs of older adults, families, and people in need. Gesu supports with monetary contributions, volunteers, and board participation.
• Common GroundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBroad-based community organization addressing Greater Milwaukee's social issues. Gesu is a founding member with congregations from Catholic, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Episcopal, and UCC denominations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Marquette University: Jesuit university on whose campus Gesu Parish operates. Shares sponsorship through the Society of Jesus and overlaps with the parish in student ministry, faculty/staff congregation, and Ignatian identity.
• St. Gall's Parish (historical predecessor): Historical predecessor of Gesu Parish dating to 1849 when Bishop Henni built St. Gall's Church, which Gesu later absorbed. Listed as a relational/lineage peer rather than an active operating peer.
• SS. Simon and Jude Parish (Mon Opital, Haiti): Twin parish partnered with Gesu since 2002, receiving meals for 600+ school children, health clinic support, and capital project assistance. A mission partner rather than a competitor, but useful for comparing parish-to-parish international mission structures.

Regional players

• Basilica of St. Josaphat (Milwaukee): Historic Catholic basilica in Milwaukee serving a comparable inner-city parish community. Comparable in heritage architecture, fund-raising needs, and community ministry focus, though not Jesuit-sponsored.
• Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist (Milwaukee): Mother church of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee serving the city center. Comparable in downtown Milwaukee parish context, historic facility, and diocesan mission orientation.

Direct peers

• Old St. Patrick's Church (Chicago): Large, historic urban Catholic parish in downtown Chicago with comparable mission to draw young professionals and city dwellers, an active music and arts ministry, and a strong digital fundraising operation. Comparable in scale and community-led GTM.
• Cathedral of St. Paul (St. Paul, MN): Historic Catholic cathedral in the Upper Midwest with substantial heritage architecture, multiple Masses, and active formation programs. Comparable in regional positioning, building scale, and parish service model.
• St. Francis Xavier College Church (St. Louis): Jesuit parish at Saint Louis University, comparable to Gesu in its Jesuit sponsorship, university campus location, Ignatian spirituality programming, and student-focused formation. Directly comparable Catholic parish model.
• St. Patrick's Parish (Milwaukee): Jesuit-sponsored Catholic parish in downtown Milwaukee, operating under the same Wisconsin Province of the Society of Jesus as Gesu. Shares governance, sponsorship, and ministry model, making it the most directly comparable Jesuit parish peer.
• Holy Name Cathedral (Chicago): Mother church of the Archdiocese of Chicago and a large, established urban Catholic parish with multiple weekend Masses, extensive formation programs, and a heritage building. Operates at a larger scale but with similar institutional parish structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCs8O7ic0hXqTPy_kmrZf-zw/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/gesuparishmilwaukee
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gesu-parish
• Instagraminstagram.com/gesumke1

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Gesu Parish