Obra de Maria

What Obra de Maria does

Obra de Maria, legally known as Comunidade Eis Aí Tua Mãe – Obra de Maria, is a private nonprofit Catholic religious community founded in 1990 and headquartered at Condomínio Obra de Maria, BR 408, Km 100, in São Lourenço da Mata, Pernambuco, Brazil (CNPJ 00.303.435/0001-05). The organization is governed by religious leadership and operates without external institutional investors, parent company, or subsidiaries. Its core activities span Catholic worship and sacramental services (delivered through its own ordained priests and deacons), vocational discernment programs, organized pilgrimages (Peregrinações), spiritual retreats (including the recurring "Enchei-vos" series), large-scale community events (most notably the 2025 Congresso Obra de Maria nos EUA in the United States), and charitable social action programs distributing donated food, cleaning supplies, and hygiene materials to beneficiaries.

The revenue model is entirely donation-based. Obra de Maria accepts in-kind donations of food (Alimentos), cleaning supplies (Material de Limpeza), and personal hygiene materials (Higiene Pessoal) at physical locations, alongside financial contributions via bank deposit and transfer, and volunteer labor contributed by community members. No goods or services are sold and no pricing structure exists; the organization is sustained by its distributed donor and volunteer base across Brazil and the Brazilian diaspora in the US. There is no published revenue, headcount, or audited financial data, and the operating scale is signaled only by qualitative indicators: 35 years of continuous operation, a headquarters plus regional community hubs (Montes Claros), recurring event cadence, and ordination of internal clergy.

Distribution is delivered through a central community campus, regional sub-communities, large event venues (convention centers), and a multi-channel organic social presence on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Threads. The organization runs a formal events calendar and an active news publishing cadence on its WordPress-based website. There is no proprietary technology platform, no mobile app, no API, and no enterprise software component — the underlying "technology" is a standard web property plus human-operated event logistics. Customer/member segments are a long tail of Catholic faithful, pilgrims, retreat seekers, and beneficiaries of social action — with no institutional customers, named enterprise logos, or grant funding anchors disclosed in the source material.

Name

Obra de Maria

Legal name

Comunidade Eis Aí Tua Mãe – Obra de Maria

Website

https://obrademaria.com.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Obra de Maria is a Brazilian nonprofit Catholic religious community founded in 1990, serving Catholic faithful and social action beneficiaries through worship services, pilgrimages, retreats, vocational formation, charitable donations, and large-scale community events in Brazil and the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Community Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (81311)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE), Religious Retreats & Spiritual Wellness Travel Agencies (THAKAHAM)

Keywords

• Catholic community services
• Religious community programs
• Catholic social action
• Christian pilgrimages retreats
• Vocational discernment support

Headquarters

HQ city

Recife

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations (In-Person): Acceptance of physical donations including food (Alimentos), cleaning supplies (Material de Limpeza), and personal hygiene materials (Higiene Pessoal) delivered in-person at community locations.
2. Financial Contributions: Bank deposits and transfers accepted as financial contributions to support community operations, social works, and mission activities.
3. Volunteering Services: Community members offer their time and skills to support activities and community projects, contributing non-monetary value to the organization.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Obra de Maria is a Catholic religious community that provides spiritual guidance, organized worship, and pastoral care to its members across multiple locations in Brazil and at international events in the United States. It also operates charitable social action programs accepting donations of food, cleaning supplies, and personal hygiene materials, and organizes pilgrimages, retreats, vocational discernment support, and large-scale Catholic events such as congresses and ordination ceremonies. All offerings are delivered free of charge and supported by community donations, financial contributions, and volunteer time.

Product overview

Obra de Maria (Comunidade Eis Aí Tua Mãe) is a Catholic religious community founded in 1990, based in São Lourenço da Mata/PE, Brazil. The organization operates as a unified service offering centered on Catholic spirituality and community engagement, providing religious services, social action programs, pilgrimages, retreats, and events. The portfolio includes community gatherings, vocational support, social outreach accepting material and financial donations, and organized pilgrimage programs across Brazil and internationally (including events in the United States).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Religious Community Services
• Social Action Programs (Ação Social)
• Pilgrimages (Peregrinações)
• Retreats (Retiros)
• Catholic Event Management (Congresses, Ordinations, Enchei-vos)
• Vocational Support

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 indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Faithlife (Logos Bible Software): Faith-based technology and content platform serving Christian communities with digital tools. Relevant as enabler/adjacent to religious communities lacking digital infrastructure, illustrating where Obra de Maria could build digital engagement.
• Catholic Relief Services: International Catholic humanitarian agency that channels donations into social programs. Comparable as a donation-driven Catholic organization, though operating globally and not community-led.

Direct peers

• Focolare Movement: International Catholic lay movement with communities worldwide running retreats, social projects, and gatherings. Comparable for combining Catholic spirituality, organized community life, and ongoing social action.
• Canção Nova: Brazilian Catholic community and media ministry that runs large-scale Catholic events, pilgrimages, retreats, and operates TV/web media channels — directly comparable to Obra de Maria's event-led, donation-funded Catholic community model.
• Comunidade Shalom: Brazilian Catholic community with consecrated life, social works, and evangelization events. Operates similarly to Obra de Maria as a vocation-centered Catholic community with retreats, pilgrimages, and donation-funded missions.

Regional players

• Archdiocese of Olinda and Recife: Catholic diocesan authority in the same metropolitan region as Obra de Maria's Pernambuco headquarters. Comparable as a Catholic institution running regional parishes, retreats, and sacramental ministry in the same geography.

Broad incumbents

• Hillsong Church: Global Christian community with major conferences, large-scale events, and organic social media growth. While Protestant rather than Catholic, it is structurally comparable as a multinational community-led religious organization with event-driven GTM.
• Caritas Brasileira: Brazilian Catholic humanitarian organization that runs social action and accepts donations of food, hygiene, and funds. Comparable on the donation-driven social action and Catholic identity dimensions, though service-oriented rather than community-led.
• Knights of Columbus: Large Catholic fraternal organization with international membership, charitable programs, and major events. Relevant as a scaled Catholic community network with fundraising and social action programs analogous to Obra de Maria's 'Braço Forte' contributions.

Emerging players

• Comunidade Católica Kerygma: Brazilian Catholic community with retreats, formation, and social projects. Comparable in operating model to Obra de Maria as a Brazilian Catholic community running events, retreats, and formation programs funded by member contributions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@obrademariaoficial?si=3fGq1XikKEBC91he
• Facebookfacebook.com/Obrademariaoficial
• Instagraminstagram.com/obrademariaoficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/obra-de-maria

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Obra de Maria