St. Mary's Catholic Center

What St. Mary's Catholic Center does

St. Mary's Catholic Center is a non-profit Catholic parish and campus ministry founded in 1904, operating under the Diocese of Austin from 603 Church Avenue in College Station, Texas, immediately adjacent to Texas A&M University. It serves the estimated 17,000 Catholic students at Texas A&M (approximately 25% of the student body) and the broader community at Blinn College and the RELLIS campus, with typical weekend Mass attendance of 3,700 (rising to 4,500 on home football weekends) and 250 at daily Mass. The ministry operates through sacramental services (daily Mass, confession, adoration, marriage prep, OCIA), formation programs (retreats, FOCUS Bible studies, John 15 freshmen ministry, Pescadores Hispanic ministry, Grad Connect, Athletes Bible studies, Corps of Cadets small groups, The Pursuit), and pastoral counseling under Director Amanda Kapchinski, with an 11-50 employee staff and 8 FOCUS missionaries from a strategic partnership with the Fellowship of Catholic University Students.

The organization funds its operations through a diversified non-profit revenue model: voluntary tithes and offerings, the Living Faith Society annual giving program, the John Paul II Legacy Society planned giving program (bequests, IRA rollovers, charitable gift annuities, donor-advised funds), a multi-year new church capital campaign with naming tiers, program fees for retreats and marriage prep (e.g., $350 St. Mary's marriage prep, $100/couple Water to Wine), and merchandise sales (t-shirts, books). A new church facility was ceremonially groundbreaking in May 2021 and dedicated in July 2023, materially expanding capacity. The technology stack is intentionally minimal: a Squarespace-based website (aggiecatholic.org), a mobile application on iOS and Android, a Flocknote email newsletter, and standard online payment processing — there is no proprietary technology, AI/ML capability, or data flywheel.

Distribution is anchored by the physical College Station location, with Sunday Masses at 8:45am, 11:00am, 1:00pm (Spanish), and 6:00pm, supplemented by the mobile app and weekly email for engagement. Reported outcomes include 67 Confirmations and 45 OCIA conversions in the prior year, 1,600 annual retreat participants, 93 Aggie priests produced across the ministry's history, 18 women in religious life, 56 Aggie men currently in priestly or brother formation, and a record 60-student summer OCIA cohort. Leadership is led by Pastor Fr. Will Straten '00 and a director-level staff across liturgy, annual giving, OCIA, pastoral counseling, SMYRT youth retreats, and sacramental records.

Name

St. Mary's Catholic Center

Legal name

St. Mary's Catholic Center

Website

https://aggiecatholic.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1904

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

St. Mary's Catholic Center is a non-profit Catholic parish and campus ministry founded in 1904 that serves Texas A&M and Blinn College students through Mass, sacraments, retreats, and formation programs, funded by tithes, planned giving, and program fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Campus Ministry

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Campus Spiritual & Religious Life (EDALAHAI)

Keywords

• Catholic campus ministry
• Faith formation programs
• Sacramental preparation services
• Spiritual retreat programs
• Religious education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

College Station, Texas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: Voluntary donations from attendees at Mass services and through the Living Faith Society annual giving program. Recurring and one-time gifts support ongoing ministry operations.
2. Planned Giving and Endowments: Bequests, IRA charitable rollovers, beneficiary designations, donor-advised funds, and charitable gift annuities. The John Paul II Legacy Society recognizes planned giving donors.
3. New Church Campaign: Capital campaign for new church construction with naming opportunities ($100,000, $50,000, $25,000 gift tiers) and general donations.
4. Program and Activity Fees: Fees for retreats (Silent Retreat deposits $100, Men's Spring Break Trip $300), marriage prep classes ($350), Water to Wine ($100/couple), chastity groups ($50), parking permits (from $200), and various ministry dues.
5. Merchandise Sales: Sale of Aggie Catholic branded merchandise including t-shirts, onesies, and hardcover books ($25).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

St. Mary's Catholic Center is a Catholic parish and campus ministry that delivers sacramental services (Mass, Confession, Adoration), faith formation programs (OCIA, Marriage Prep, Bible studies), spiritual retreats, pastoral counseling, and community ministries to college students at Texas A&M University, Blinn College, and RELLIS campus. It also sells branded merchandise and runs capital campaigns to support its ministry operations and new church facility.

Product overview

St. Mary's Catholic Center is a campus ministry offering faith formation programs and community services primarily for Texas A&M and Blinn College students. Its main digital product is the St. Mary's App, a mobile application available on iOS and Android that enables students to stay connected, access event information, and engage with the faith community. The organization offers a comprehensive portfolio of ministry programs including various retreats (Silent Retreat, Men's Retreat, Women's Retreat, Necesito De Ti, Aggie Awakening, Senior Outbound, Busy Students Retreat, Triduum Retreat), community groups (John 15 for freshmen, FOCUS Bible Studies, Pescadores for Hispanic students), sacramental preparation programs (OCIA, Marriage Prep, Natural Family Planning), counseling services, music ministry, and service/mission opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• St. Mary's Mobile App Mobile application available on iOS App Store and Google Play that helps students stay connected, learn about upcoming events, access Mass times, and engage with the St. Mary's faith community.
• Retreat Programs Multi-day Catholic spiritual retreat programs including Silent Retreat, Men's Retreat, Women's Retreat, Aggie Awakening, Senior Outbound, Busy Students Retreat, Triduum Retreat, and Necesito De Ti. Open to Texas A&M and Blinn College students for fees such as Silent Retreat deposits ($100) and Men's Spring Break Trip ($300).
• OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) Formation program that prepares non-Catholic students and adults to become Catholic through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, including the largest summer OCIA class with 60 enrollments.
• Marriage Preparation Classes Catholic marriage preparation classes including St. Mary's class ($350), Prepare & Enrich assessment ($50), and the Water to Wine 7-week marriage prep series ($100 per couple). Designed for engaged couples seeking the sacrament of marriage.
• FOCUS Bible Studies and Small Groups Small-group Bible studies and discipleship groups facilitated by FOCUS missionaries, equipping students to live out missionary discipleship. Includes the recent Lenten 'Jesus is Lord' series that drew over 1,000 student participants.
• Pastoral Counseling Services Licensed Professional Counseling services provided through the Director of Pastoral Counseling, integrating clinical mental health support with Catholic pastoral care for students.
• Aggie Catholic Merchandise Branded Aggie Catholic merchandise including adult t-shirts priced at $15 (sizes SM to 3X) and hardcover books priced at $25.
• Parking Permits Parking permits for the 2025-2026 academic year sold from $200, with options for School Year and Fall Semester.
• SMYRT Youth Retreat Team St. Mary's Youth Retreat Team (SMYRT) that ministers to younger youth through retreats; pricing tiered by group size (20-40 retreaters $500; 41-70 $600; 71-100 $700).
• John 15 Freshman Ministry Program Freshman-specific Catholic ministry program at St. Mary's with $50 per student dues covering materials and ongoing small group support.

Quantifiable outcome

• 17,000 estimated Catholics at Texas A&M (25% of student population) regularly attend or are connected to St. Mary's
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles2 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.

• FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFOCUS sends 8 full-time missionaries to partner with St. Mary's in Catholic Campus Ministry. Missionaries primarily spend time in discipleship relationships, forming students and leading transformative Bible studies. They share daily life with students and frequent prayer and the sacraments, equipping students to live out missionary discipleship with Jesus during and after college. FOCUS missionaries organize mission trips and outreach events.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• St. Paul's University Catholic Center: Catholic parish and campus ministry serving the University of Wisconsin-Madison, providing Mass, sacraments, formation programs, retreats, and student community. Comparable in mission, scale, and parish-with-university structure to St. Mary's.
• Catholic Student Center at Texas Christian University: Catholic campus ministry serving TCU students in Fort Worth, providing Mass, formation, retreats, and student community. Comparable in mission and ministry structure, though at a smaller private Texas university.
• St. Austin Catholic Parish: Catholic parish serving the University of Texas at Austin community, offering student-focused ministries, retreats, OCIA, and sacramental preparation. A particularly close Texas-based comparator for St. Mary's at a large public flagship university.
• St. Mary's Catholic Parish & Student Center (Purdue): Catholic parish and student center serving Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, with Masses, Bible studies, retreats, and student outreach. Comparable scale, structure, and name to St. Mary's Catholic Center at Texas A&M.
• St. Thomas More Catholic Center & Parish: Catholic parish and campus ministry serving the University of Florida in Gainesville with Mass, sacraments, retreats, and student formation. Operates an analogous parish-plus-campus-ministry model at a large public SEC university, making it one of the closest direct comparables.
• University of Notre Dame Campus Ministry: Catholic campus ministry serving Notre Dame students through residence halls, Masses, and formation programs at the preeminent US Catholic university. While at a private Catholic institution, the parish-anchored ministry model is directly comparable and represents a benchmark for vocation outcomes.

Broad incumbents

• FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students): National Catholic collegiate evangelization organization that partners with St. Mary's by placing 8 full-time missionaries on campus. Operates across more than 200 US universities, providing the broader ecosystem and missional framework within which St. Mary's operates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/aggiecatholic
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aggiecatholic

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 St. Mary's Catholic Center