Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington

What Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington does

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington is a non-profit ecclesiastical organization established in 1940, serving Catholics across Washington, D.C. and five Maryland counties (Montgomery, Prince George's, Calvert, Charles, St. Mary's) through a network of 139+ parishes under the canonical authority of the Holy See. The Archdiocese is led by Archbishop Robert Cardinal McElroy (installed 2025, succeeding Cardinal Wilton Gregory) and operates with 472 employees across central offices and parish-level administration. Its service portfolio centers on sacramental and pastoral ministry, the ADW Catholic Schools network, the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) athletics program, campus ministry at 9 universities, the Center for Deaf Ministries in Landover Hills, and a broad set of specialized programs (marriage preparation, young adult ministry, pro-life initiatives, mental health ministry, veterans support, migration pastoral care, blindness awareness). Wholly-owned operating subsidiaries include Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, ADW Catholic Schools, CYO, and St. Ann's Center for Children, Youth and Families.

The Archdiocese's underlying technology footprint is a portfolio of third-party SaaS tools rather than proprietary platform infrastructure: parish management via ParishSoft, online giving integrations across FaithDirect, GiveCentral, ParishSoft, and OSV Online Giving; communication via Flocknote; and child-protection compliance via VIRTUS Online. Its public-facing digital surface includes adw.org (with a Spanish mirror at adw.org/es), the Sunday TV Mass broadcast on WDCW-50 and YouTube, and social media presence across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Content products include the Celebrate! newsletter, El Pregonero Spanish-language weekly newspaper, The Source video series, the Find the Perfect Gift Advent initiative, and the Light is On confession campaign. No public API, no proprietary software products, and no AI/ML capabilities are disclosed.

The revenue model is donation-based rather than transactional. Income streams include voluntary parish tithes and offerings (collected through online giving platforms at the parish level), the Annual Catholic Services Appeal fundraising campaign, Mass intentions (typically $10 per request), and modest unit-priced sales (e.g., Saint Joseph Sunday Missal at $7 suggested donation). Distribution is direct-to-congregant via the parish network, supplemented by campus ministry sites, the TV Mass broadcast for homebound faithful, and digital channels. The Archdiocese serves six primary customer segments: Parishioners and Families; Young Adults (18-35); College and University Students; Persons with Disabilities and the Deaf Community; Immigrants, Migrants, and Refugees; and Engaged and Married Couples. Financial reports are published but consolidated revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington

Legal name

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington

Website

https://adw.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1940

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington is a non-profit ecclesiastical organization operating 139+ parishes across Washington, D.C. and five Maryland counties, delivering sacramental ministry, Catholic education, social services, and specialized pastoral programs to parishioners, families, students, and vulnerable populations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (81311), Religious Organizations (813110)

akta.pro primary industry

Denominational & Ecclesiastical Governance Bodies (Dioceses, Synods, Conferences) (BPAGAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Catholic Broadcasting (MPABALAB), Theological Universities & Pontifical Universities (EDAHAKAD), Faith-Based Healthcare Ministries (Hospitals, Clinics, Medical Missions) (BPAGAJAH)

Keywords

• Catholic pastoral services
• Catholic K-12 education
• Youth athletics programs
• Parish network operations
• Religious social outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Parish Tithes and Offerings: Voluntary donations from parishioners during weekly Mass collections, supported by online giving platforms including FaithDirect, GiveCentral, and ParishSoft.
2. Annual Catholic Services Appeal: Annual fundraising campaign supporting archdiocesan programs and services across all ministries.
3. TV Mass Saint Joseph Sunday Missal Sales: Sale of pocket-sized missals for TV Mass viewers at $7 suggested donation per copy.
4. Mission Mass Intentions: Mass intentions and donations supporting mission priests in mission dioceses, with $10 donation per Mass requested.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington delivers Catholic pastoral care, sacramental ministry, and faith formation across 139+ parishes in Washington, DC and surrounding Maryland counties. It operates a Catholic K-12 school system, a CYO youth athletics program, a televised Sunday Mass, and various outreach ministries including Black Catholic History, campus ministry, and protection programs such as VIRTUS. The organization is supported by a substantial real estate portfolio (371 buildings valued at $391M) and reports annual revenue of approximately $77.1M (2023).

Product overview

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington is a ecclesiastical organization serving parishes across Washington D.C. and five Maryland counties. Its public-facing product portfolio is organized as a platform of pastoral programs and church services rather than a technology product suite. Core offerings include the Parish & Mass Finder (searchable directory of 100+ parishes with filters for language and schedule), the Sunday TV Mass (weekly broadcast on WDCW-50 and YouTube), a Catholic Schools network (adwcatholicschools.org), and the CYO Sports & Youth Ministry. Supporting programs include young adult ministry (25+ communities), campus ministry at 10 universities, deaf and disabilities ministries (Center for Deaf Ministries, St. Francis of Assisi Deaf Catholic Church, ASL-interpreted Masses, blind awareness), mental health and veterans ministries, life-affirming initiatives (pro-life grants, pregnancy centers, Project Rachel), marriage and family life programming, Small Christian Communities, The Source video series, Find the Perfect Gift Advent initiative, the Light is On confession campaign, the 2026 Pastoral Plan, the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage 2026, child protection compliance (VIRTUS training), and the Missions Office. A notable publication is El Pregonero, a Spanish-language weekly newspaper. Online giving integrations (FaithDirect, ParishSoft, GiveCentral, OSV) are operated by individual parishes rather than as a unified archdiocesan giving product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• El Pregonero: Official newspaper/publication of the Archdiocese
• El Pregonero DC

Products and services

• Sunday TV Mass Weekly televised broadcast of the Catholic Sunday Mass for parishioners who are homebound, hospitalized, or otherwise unable to attend Mass in person, distributed via TV and online channels.
• Parish Finder Online locator tool that helps Catholics find a parish in the Archdiocese by geography, supporting sacramental registration, Mass attendance, and parish community engagement.
• Catholic Schools (K-12 system) Archdiocesan system of Catholic elementary and secondary schools providing faith-integrated K-12 education; tuition-based; reported ~$21.6M school revenue in 2023.
• CYO Athletics Catholic Youth Organization athletics program providing organized youth sports and formation for students attending Catholic and participating schools; reported ~$10.6M revenue in 2023.
• Black Catholic History Ministry Archdiocesan ministry dedicated to research, preservation, and education around the history and contributions of Black Catholics in the Washington region.
• Campus Ministries Pastoral and faith-formation programs serving Catholic students at colleges and universities across the Archdiocese of Washington's territory.
• VIRTUS Protection Program Child-protection awareness, training, and screening program used across Archdiocesan parishes, schools, and ministries to ensure safe environments for children and vulnerable adults.
• Online Giving / Parish Contributions Digital donation platform enabling parishioners and donors to contribute weekly offertory, special appeals, and major gifts to the Archdiocese and its parishes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 400+ parish leaders engaged in synodal dialogues between March and October 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

28 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCatholic campus ministry at Kay Spiritual Life Center, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington DC
• The Catholic University of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampus ministry services, 620 Michigan Ave. NE, Washington DC - one of three Catholic universities in the Archdiocese
• Georgetown UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampus ministry services, 37th and O Streets NW, Washington DC - Jesuit university with significant Catholic presence
• Howard UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNewman Club campus ministry, 2401 6th St. NW, Washington DC
• Gallaudet UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampus ministry at Ely Center, 800 Florida Ave. NE, Washington DC - university serving Deaf and hard of hearing students
• George Washington UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNewman Center campus ministry, 2210 F St. NW, Washington DC
• St. Mary's College of MarylandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampus ministry services, 47950 Mattapany Road, St. Mary's City, MD
• Trinity Washington UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampus ministry services, 125 Michigan Ave. NE, Washington DC
• University of MarylandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCatholic Student Center, 4141 Guilford Drive, College Park, MD
• Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of WashingtoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides housing, medical care and counseling to expectant mothers as well as direct assistance to families in need; co-sponsor of community resource programs
• Potomac Community Resources, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit providing 35 therapeutic recreational, social and respite care programs serving 400 members with developmental disabilities; replication model for community resource partners
• Brookland Community ResourcesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity resource partner providing services to persons with developmental differences
• Prince George's Community ResourcesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity resource partner serving Prince George's County area
• Southern Maryland Community ResourcesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity resource partner serving Southern Maryland area
• Upcounty Community ResourcesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity resource partner serving upcounty Montgomery County area
• Gabriel NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPro-life pregnancy center network supported by the Office of Life Issues, providing confidential helplines, mentorship, maternal health care
• Centro TepeyaccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPro-life pregnancy center serving the Hispanic community, supported by the Office of Life Issues
• Rosaria Communities, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerModel organization for creating group homes for persons with disabilities on parish property
• St. Jerome's Counseling ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMental health counseling services referred to individuals seeking support
• Anchor Mental HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMental health counseling program through Catholic Charities
• St. Luke's InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMental health and counseling services provider referred to individuals
• United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Catholic Church body providing resources for National Migration Week, Catholic Home Missions, and various initiatives
• Justice for ImmigrantscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSCCB initiative to educate about Church teaching on migration and advocate for immigration reform
• Catholic Relief ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for World Refugee Day and global solidarity resources
• Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate ConceptioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocation for Sunday TV Mass production; host for National Eucharistic Pilgrimage 2026 events
• FaithDirectcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline giving platform integrated across many Archdiocese parishes
• GiveCentralcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline giving platform used by many parishes for donations and campaign support
• ParishSoftcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorParish management and online giving platform used across multiple parishes

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Episcopal Diocese of Washington: Mainline Protestant diocese operating parishes and ministries across the same Washington DC region; comparable in scale, denominational governance model, and community-based programming, though theologically distinct.
• Diocese of Arlington: Suffragan Catholic diocese covering northern Virginia, structurally identical to ADW as a Roman Catholic diocese, with overlapping regional service area in the Washington DC metropolitan market.

Direct peers

• Archdiocese of Baltimore: Original U.S. Catholic see and the metropolitan archdiocese for the Baltimore province, of which Washington is a suffragan; near-identical canon law structure, parish/school ministries, and regional service area in the same Mid-Atlantic market.
• Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles: Largest U.S. Catholic archdiocese by population, operating parishes, schools, and a major Spanish-language broadcasting operation directly comparable to ADW's El Pregonero and TV Mass outreach.
• Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston: Northeast U.S. metropolitan Catholic archdiocese operating parishes, schools, and charitably-funded ministries under the same Roman Catholic governance model as Washington.
• Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York: Largest U.S. Catholic archdiocese serving New York City and surrounding counties under identical ecclesiastical structure (archdiocese/diocese of the Roman Catholic Church); directly comparable governance, parish network, schools, and ministries model.
• Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago: Large Midwestern Catholic archdiocese with parallel parish network, Catholic schools, charitable subsidiary (Catholic Charities), and TV/media ministry comparable to ADW's footprint.

Others

• Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception: Largest Catholic church in North America, physically located within ADW's territory and the production site of ADW's Sunday TV Mass; a key strategic partner and the most prominent Catholic pilgrimage/destination venue in the region.
• Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington: Wholly-owned charitable subsidiary of ADW providing housing, medical care, counseling, and food security; directly comparable to Catholic Charities affiliates of other Catholic archdioceses in service mix and funding model.
• United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB): National coordinating body of which ADW is a member; provides Migration Week, Home Missions, and policy resources used by the Archdiocese, making it a structural peer in governance and resource distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WashArchdiocese
• YouTubeyoutube.com/washarchdiocese
• Facebookfacebook.com/adw.org
• Instagraminstagram.com/washarchdiocese
• TikToktiktok.com/@washarchdiocese
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/archdiocese-of-washington

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington