The Spiritans

What The Spiritans does

The Spiritans (legally: The Spiritans – British Province, Congregation of the Holy Spirit; formerly known as the Holy Ghost Fathers) is a Roman Catholic Religious Congregation headquartered at 60 Hoole Road, Chester, United Kingdom, originally founded in 1703 by Claude Poullart des Places with Francis Libermann as a co-founder figure. The British Province maintains 5 religious communities (Bickley, Carfin, Chester, Higher Broughton, Lower Kersal) and operates a network of 12 UK parishes spanning Archway, Birmingham, Brockley, Charlton, Clayton/Ancoats, Glasgow, Motherwell, New Barnet, Smethwick, South Norwood, West Bromwich, and Walsall/West Bromwich. Its core mission work falls into three operational pillars: parish-based spiritual and sacramental service to Catholic communities; the REVIVE refugee and asylum-seeker support project (established 2002) operating as an independent wholly owned charitable initiative; and youth ministry through the Just Youth programme and Spiritan Youth Centre in the North West of England. The organization's technology footprint is minimal and limited to a content-managed public website (spiritans.co.uk), a members-only portal, and standard third-party donation infrastructure.

There are no technology products in the commercial sense; rather, the Spiritans deliver religious, charitable, and pastoral services funded through donations, Gift Aid, legacies, and a Spiritan Lottery (£24 per number per year, with prizes of £200/£100/£50 drawn monthly). The go-to-market motion is community-led, driven by parish presence, volunteer engagement, vocational recruitment, and word-of-mouth through Catholic community networks, with JustGiving and Givealittle serving as the primary digital fundraising channels. The British Province is part of a wider global Congregation operating in over 60 countries with more than 3,000 professed and lay associate Spiritans, and it is governed under canon law with a Provincial leadership structure rather than a corporate ownership model, registered as a charity in both England and Wales (No. 227350) and Scotland (SCO11294).

Name

The Spiritans

Legal name

The Spiritans – British Province, Congregation of the Holy Spirit

Website

https://spiritans.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1703

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Spiritans is the British Province of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, a Roman Catholic religious congregation founded in 1703 that operates UK parishes, communities, refugee support (REVIVE), and youth ministry programmes, funded through donations, Gift Aid, a subscription lottery, and legacies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious and Community Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (81311), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Religious Orders & Monastic Communities (Monasteries, Convents) (BPAGAJAC), Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE)

Keywords

• Catholic mission services
• Refugee support services
• Youth ministry programmes
• Parish pastoral services
• Charitable fundraising

Headquarters

HQ city

Chester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Gifts: Primary revenue stream from donations by benefactors in the UK and overseas. Accepts one-time and recurring donations via JustGiving, Givealittle, phone, and mail. All donations can be Gift Aided by UK taxpayers.
2. Spiritan Lottery: Subscription lottery for the education of missionaries. Drawn monthly at Chester community. Prizes: £200 (1st), £100 (2nd), £50 (3rd). Subscription rate: £24 per number per year.
3. Legacies and Wills: Gifts in Wills are described as extremely important for carrying on missionary work. Three main ways: Residuary gift, pecuniary gift, or specific piece of property.
4. Mission and Parish Support: Ongoing formation and education of Spiritans, youth evangelisation projects, and development work supported by donor contributions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Spiritans (Congregation of the Holy Spirit) is a Catholic religious congregation founded in 1703 by Claude Poullart des Places in Paris. The congregation operates parishes across the UK, delivers the REVIVE project to support refugees and asylum seekers, runs youth ministry through the Just Youth programme and the Spiritan Youth Centre, publishes Missionwide magazine, and sustains its mission through donations, lottery subscriptions and legacy giving. It maintains a Provincial Office in Chester and is a registered charity in England & Wales and Scotland.

Product overview

The Spiritans operate a faith-based charitable organization offering a portfolio of services centered on Catholic mission work, refugee support, and youth ministry. Core offerings include an online donation platform and lottery for fundraising, the REVIVE refugee project (established 2002), the Just Youth programme for youth evangelization, the Spiritan Youth Centre, and a network of UK parishes. Additional services include the Missionwide magazine publication, prayer request submissions, and volunteer opportunities. The organization is a registered charity in England and Wales (No. 227350) and Scotland (SCO11294).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• REVIVE Refugee Project A pastoral and practical support programme for refugees and asylum seekers, offering drop-in services, advocacy and community care in the North West of England and Scotland.
• Just Youth Programme A youth ministry programme engaging young people in faith formation, outreach, retreats and community activities.
• Spiritan Youth Centre A dedicated centre for youth ministry activities, gatherings and formation work for young people.
• UK Parish Network A network of Catholic parishes staffed and supported by Spiritan priests across the United Kingdom, delivering Mass, sacraments and parish community life.
• Missionwide Magazine A Spiritan publication providing news, formation content and updates on the congregation's mission and ministries.
• Spiritan Prayer Request Service A service that allows individuals and supporters to submit prayer intentions which are then prayed for by the Spiritan community.
• Spiritan Lottery A recurring lottery subscription product through which supporters enter a regular draw to raise funds for the Spiritans' mission work.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• JustGivingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJustGiving platform used for online donations and fundraising. The Spiritans use their JustGiving page (justgiving.com/holyspiritbritishprovince) for receiving charitable donations from benefactors. This is a primary channel for donor engagement.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Mill Hill Missionaries: St Joseph's Missionary Society of Mill Hill, a Catholic missionary congregation headquartered in the UK with global mission work. Comparable as a UK-based Catholic missionary society with international reach similar to the Spiritans.
• Franciscan Friars (Order of Friars Minor): British Province of the Franciscan order, a Catholic religious order running parishes, retreat centres, and social outreach. Comparable as a UK Catholic religious order with parish and community presence.
• Passionists: British Province of the Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ, a Catholic religious order running parishes, retreat centres, and parish missions in the UK. Comparable as a Catholic religious congregation with parish-based ministry.
• Society of African Missions (SMA): Catholic missionary society with a strong UK and Irish presence focused on African mission work. Comparable to Spiritans' missionary identity, lay associate model, and parish-based support structure.
• Jesuits in Britain: British Province of the Society of Jesus, a Catholic religious order running parishes, schools, retreat houses, and social justice initiatives in the UK. Directly comparable as a Catholic religious congregation serving UK parishes and communities through ordained members.
• Marist Fathers: Society of Mary, a Catholic religious congregation with UK parishes and international mission work. Comparable as a Catholic missionary religious order with parish and community footprint.
• Salesians of Don Bosco: UK Province of the Salesians, a Catholic religious congregation focused on youth ministry, schools, and parish work. Highly comparable to Spiritans' Just Youth and parish network given shared Catholic religious order structure and youth-orientation.
• Missionary Society of St Columban: Catholic missionary society with UK presence focused on overseas missions and justice/peace advocacy. Comparable to Spiritans' missionary orientation and lay associate involvement.
• English Dominican Fathers: English Province of the Order of Preachers, a Catholic preaching and teaching religious order with UK parishes and formation houses. Comparable as a Catholic religious congregation operating in the UK.

Broad incumbents

• CAFOD: Catholic Fund for Overseas Development, the official overseas development and relief agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. Comparable as a major Catholic UK charitable organization, though broader in scope and focused on international aid rather than parish ministry.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/holy-ghost-fathers

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries2 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 The Spiritans