Basilica of the Sacred Heart

What Basilica of the Sacred Heart does

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart is the University Church of the University of Notre Dame and the mother church of the Congregation of Holy Cross in the United States. It is a non-profit religious institution, not a commercial entity, owned and operated through Notre Dame's Campus Ministry. Founded with the consecration of the Reliquary Chapel and other apsidal chapels on August 15, 1888, it maintains a 19th-century physical plant that includes stained-glass windows and a relic collection documented as early as 1832. Its single physical site is at 101 Basilica Drive, Notre Dame, Indiana, and it is staffed by a small core team of approximately 8 employees, supplemented by Holy Cross priests, Campus Ministry staff, volunteer tour guides, and choirs.

The institution's product is the delivery of Catholic liturgical and pastoral services. Core offerings include daily and weekend Mass (with live streaming and CatholicTV broadcast), confessions, structured prayer opportunities (Rosary, Vespers, Stations of the Cross), sacraments, and guided tours of the Basilica and museum. A seven-choir music ministry — including the Magnificat Choir, Liturgical Choir, Folk Choir, Basilica Schola (Renaissance polyphony), Community Choir, Coro Primavera (Spanish), and Voices of Faith Gospel Choir — underwrites the liturgical program. The Basilica also operates the annual Liturgy Alive! composition competition, awarding a $3,500 prize for new sacred choral works premiered on site. Distribution occurs physically on the Notre Dame campus and digitally via live streams, the CatholicTV broadcast, and an online Mass Intention request system processed through shop.nd.edu.

The Basilica's revenue model is donation-based. There is no commercial pricing; admission is free. Monetary inflows come from voluntary donations via the university's giving portal and Mass stipends set at a suggested minimum of $10 per intention, per the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend guidelines. Customers are segmented into a primary University of Notre Dame community (students, faculty, staff), the Congregation of Holy Cross religious community, and a non-paying general public that includes visitors, pilgrims, and game-weekend attendees. Strategic partners include the Congregation of Holy Cross, the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Notre Dame Campus Ministry, and CatholicTV.

Name

Basilica of the Sacred Heart

Legal name

Basilica of the Sacred Heart

Website

https://basilica.nd.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1888

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart is the University Church of Notre Dame and the mother church of the Congregation of Holy Cross in the United States. It delivers Catholic Masses, sacraments, prayer services, tours, and choral music to students, faculty, religious, and the broader public, supported by donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services / Catholic Church Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (813110)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL)

Keywords

• Catholic liturgical services
• Religious worship services
• Campus ministry services
• Sacred choral music
• Religious pilgrimage services

Headquarters

HQ city

Notre Dame

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Offerings: The Basilica accepts donations through the University of Notre Dame giving portal. Parishioners and visitors can make financial contributions to support the Basilica's operations and ministry.
2. Mass Stipends: Mass intention requests are processed for a suggested donation of at least $10 (per Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend guidelines). Holy Cross priests offer Masses for living and deceased intentions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic church that serves as the University Church of the University of Notre Dame and the mother church for the Congregation of Holy Cross in the United States. It provides daily and weekend Mass celebrations, confessions, sacramental services, prayer opportunities (Rosary, Vespers, Stations of the Cross), music through seven choirs, self-guided and guided tours, Mass intention services, and an annual composition competition.

Product overview

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart is the University Church of Notre Dame and mother church for the Congregation of Holy Cross in the United States. The institution offers a unified portfolio of Catholic liturgical and spiritual services, centered around daily and weekend Mass celebrations (with live streaming via CatholicTV), sacramental confessions, and structured prayer opportunities (Rosary, Vespers, Stations of the Cross). Supporting these core services are seven Basilica Choirs providing liturgical music across multiple languages and traditions, a Mass Intention Request system, guided tours of the Basilica and museum, and the Liturgy Alive! annual composition competition. The institution operates as a religious hospitality organization rather than a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Magnificat Choir: The Notre Dame Magnificat Choir sings at the Saturday Vigil Mass during the academic year at the Basilica.
• Liturgical Choir
• Folk Choir
• Basilica Schola
• Community Choir
• Coro Primavera
• Voices of Faith Gospel Choir

Products and services

• Mass Celebrations Daily and weekend Mass services held at the Basilica, including daily Mass (Monday-Friday at 11:30 a.m.), Saturday Vigil Mass (5:00 p.m.), and Sunday Masses (10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. during summer). Some Masses are broadcast live via CatholicTV. Open to the Notre Dame community and the public, with free admission.
• Confessions Sacrament of Reconciliation offered daily at 11:00 a.m. and on weekday evenings during academic summer sessions at 4:45 p.m. for students, faculty, staff, and visitors seeking Catholic confession at the Basilica.
• Basilica Choirs Seven choirs serving the Basilica's liturgical music needs: Magnificat Choir (Saturday Vigil Mass), Liturgical Choir (Sunday 10 a.m. Mass), Folk Choir (Sunday noon Mass), Basilica Schola (unaccompanied sacred choral music with focus on Renaissance polyphony), Community Choir (summer and Christmas Eve Masses), Coro Primavera (Spanish-language services), and Voices of Faith Gospel Choir (special prayer services). Open to campus and community members.
• Prayer Opportunities Structured prayer offerings including daily Rosary at the Grotto (6:45 p.m. year-round), Sunday Vespers (7:15 p.m. during academic year), and Stations of the Cross on Fridays during Lent (7:15 p.m.), for students, faculty, staff, and visitors.
• Basilica Tours Self-guided and scheduled group tours of the Basilica and its museum, with volunteer tour guides available Monday-Friday 9-11 a.m. and 1-4 p.m., and Sundays 1-3 p.m. Virtual Google tours are also available for remote visitors. Free admission.
• Mass Intention Requests Online request system for Mass intention cards honoring living or deceased loved ones, processed through the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. A customized card is mailed to the designated recipient, and Masses are offered by Holy Cross priests, with a suggested donation of $10 per intention.
• Reliquary Collection The Reliquary Chapel at the Basilica contains 19th-century stained-glass windows and relics dating back to 1832, with certificates of validity housed in the Basilica's sacristy. The collection is available for exploration via an online catalog and through the museum component of the Basilica tours.
• Liturgy Alive! Composition Competition Annual composition competition fostering new choral music for Catholic Mass, awarding a $3,500 prize for the winning entry, which is premiered at the Basilica. Open to composers submitting original sacred choral works.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Congregation of Holy CrosscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Basilica serves as the mother church for the Congregation of Holy Cross in the United States. Holy Cross priests celebrate Masses and administer sacraments at the Basilica.
• Diocese of Fort Wayne-South BendcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend provides guidelines for Mass stipends and processes letters of suitability for visiting priests and deacons who wish to celebrate sacraments at Notre Dame.
• Notre Dame Campus MinistrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampus Ministry works with the Basilica to serve students' spiritual needs and offers two special Mass intention cards (for living and deceased) to honor loved ones.
• CatholicTVminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCatholicTV broadcasts the Basilica's Sunday Mass live at 10:00 a.m. ET, extending the reach of the Basilica's worship services to a national and international audience.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• St. Patrick's Cathedral (New York): A historic Catholic cathedral/basilica in New York City offering daily Masses, tours, and a heritage music program. Directly comparable as a landmark Catholic worship and tourism destination.
• CatholicTV: A Catholic television network that broadcasts the Basilica's Sunday Mass. Comparable as a Catholic broadcast distribution platform and a content-sharing partner in Catholic worship media.
• Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception: The largest Catholic church in North America, located in Washington, D.C. It is a directly comparable Roman Catholic basilica serving as a national worship and pilgrimage site, with similar liturgical, tour, and heritage functions.
• The Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes (Notre Dame): An adjacent Marian prayer site on the Notre Dame campus, also operated by Campus Ministry. Comparable as a co-located Catholic worship and pilgrimage destination serving the same community.
• Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels: The mother church of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, offering daily Masses, music ministry, and public tours. Comparable as a modern Catholic cathedral serving as both a worship and civic landmark.

Others

• Choristers Guild: A nonprofit organization supporting children's and youth choral music ministry in churches. Comparable as an ecosystem participant in Catholic and sacred choral music programming.
• Society for Catholic Liturgy: A Catholic organization promoting the renewal of sacred liturgy. Comparable as an ecosystem participant that engages Catholic worship institutions in shared liturgical and music programming.
• University of Notre Dame Campus Ministry: The parent department within which the Basilica operates, providing campus-wide faith programming. Comparable as the institutional ecosystem that funds and staffs the Basilica's operations.

Regional players

• Holy Cross College: A Holy Cross-sponsored institution adjacent to Notre Dame. Comparable as a fellow Congregation of Holy Cross institution sharing mission, regional footprint, and institutional ties in the South Bend area.

Broad incumbents

• EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network): The largest Catholic media network in the world, producing religious broadcasting content including daily Mass. Comparable as a Catholic broadcasting entity, though it operates at vastly greater scale and across many channels.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NDBasilica
• Facebookfacebook.com/NDBasilica
• Instagraminstagram.com/ndbasilica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/basilica-of-the-sacred-heart

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Basilica of the Sacred Heart