common cathedral

What common cathedral does

common cathedral is a Boston-based nonprofit religious ministry operating under the legal entity Ecclesia Ministries Inc., founded in 1996 by Rev. Debbie Little as an outdoor worship community on Boston Common. The organization's mission is to build community, provide spiritual care, and bridge the gap between unhoused and housed individuals, with chronically unhoused adults as its primary served population and youth/partner congregations as secondary segments.

common cathedral delivers five core programs at no cost to participants: (1) Sunday Worship held weekly at the Brewer Fountain on Boston Common, offering scripture reflection, prayer, communion, and shared meals; (2) BostonWarm, a weekly day center rotating between Emmanuel Church (15 Newbury Street, winter) and Old West Church (131 Cambridge Street, summer) that serves 50+ guests per day with hot meals and relationship building; (3) CityReach, an overnight urban outreach program begun March 1996 for youth aged 14+ and young adults, offered up to 8 times per academic year; (4) common art, a weekly art program founded in 1999 serving 40-50 artists per session; and (5) Can We Talk..., a monthly trauma-informed listening program hosted at Roxbury Presbyterian Church's Social Impact Center. Programs rely on a network of 30 partnering congregations across New England for volunteer labor, meal preparation, and physical hosting. There is no proprietary technology platform; distribution is entirely in-person.

The organization's business model is donation-funded with no monetization of services. Revenue consists of one-time, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual contributions from individuals, congregations, and organizations, processed through PayPal and by check. common cathedral employs approximately 8 staff members plus an 8-member Board of Directors. Recent leadership changes include the October 2024 addition of Tali Anisfeld as Common Art Program Director and the Fall 2025 return of Rev. Cristina Rathbone as Executive Director.

Name

common cathedral

Legal name

Ecclesia Ministries Inc.

Website

https://commoncathedral.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

common cathedral is a Boston-based nonprofit religious ministry (legal entity Ecclesia Ministries Inc.) founded in 1996 that serves chronically unhoused individuals and partnering congregations through five core in-person programs: Sunday worship, BostonWarm day center, CityReach youth outreach, common art, and Can We Talk trauma-informed listening.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Faith-Based Community Outreach Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Religious Organizations (81311)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Outdoor worship services
• Homeless ministry programs
• Community arts programming
• Urban outreach services
• Trauma-informed healing

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston, Massachusetts

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Organization relies on donations from individuals, congregations, and organizations. Accepts one-time, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual donations through PayPal. Also accepts check donations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

common cathedral is a community ministry that runs five interconnected programs serving unhoused and housed individuals in Boston: an outdoor Sunday worship service on Boston Common, a weekly BostonWarm day center offering meals and relationship building, the CityReach overnight urban outreach program for youth, the common art weekly art program for unhoused and low-income individuals, and the Can We Talk... monthly trauma-informed listening sessions.

Product overview

common cathedral is a community ministry organization that operates multiple interconnected programs serving unhoused and housed individuals in Boston. The organization offers five core programs: Sunday Worship (outdoor church service on Boston Common), BostonWarm (day center for meals and relationship building), CityReach (overnight youth outreach), common art (weekly art program), and Can We Talk... (monthly healing/listening sessions). Together these programs bridge the gap between unhoused and housed community members through spiritual care, community building, and practical support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• common cathedral Sunday Worship Outdoor worship service held every Sunday at the Brewer Fountain on Boston Common, offering scripture reflection, prayer, communion, and shared meals to unhoused and housed individuals together. 30 partnering congregations regularly join for worship and provide lunch services.
• BostonWarm Weekly day center program focused on relationship building, leadership development, and providing healthy meals to guests experiencing homelessness, operating Fridays 8am-12pm at rotating Boston churches (Emmanuel Church in winter, Old West Church in summer).
• CityReach Overnight urban outreach program for youth (14+) and young adults from churches of any denomination, providing first-hand experience of homelessness through street ministry, hospitality, food and clothing distribution, and reflective sessions. Offered up to 8 times per academic year, starting Friday evening and ending Saturday afternoon.
• common art Weekly art program providing space, materials, and supportive relationships for unhoused and low-income individuals to engage in artistic expression including drawing, painting, sculpting, and crafts; 40-50 artists participate weekly.
• Can We Talk... Monthly trauma-informed peer-to-peer listening and encouragement program on the third Friday of each month at the Roxbury Presbyterian Church Social Impact Center, offering storytelling and creative expression rooted in the Cory Johnson Program for Post-Traumatic Healing framework.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 6,000 hot and healthy meals served annually at programs
• +3 more outcomes

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

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Emmanuel Church (15 Newbury Street)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary hosting partner for BostonWarm day center (winter) and common art program. Provides physical space for multiple weekly programs.
• Old West Church (131 Cambridge Street)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSummer hosting partner for BostonWarm day center program when weather permits outdoor activities.
• Roxbury Presbyterian Church Social Impact CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with common cathedral to host Can We Talk trauma-informed healing program sessions on third Fridays.
• 30 Partnering CongregationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurches from across New England that participate in Sunday worship, bring lunch services, and support various programs with volunteers and resources.
• Unbound Visual ArtsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Fall 2022 virtual art gallery 'Hope in the Unseen' featuring common art community members.
• Mama O's Bakery (Rachael Oluokun)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner providing support for common art program in Ashland, MA.
• Wish Dish (Jeanie Gruber)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner supporting common art program in Stow, MA.
• Massachusetts State HouseminorStrategic or Co-development Partnercommon art members exhibited their work at the Massachusetts State House in March 2003 and again in 2013.
• United NationsminorStrategic or Co-development Partnercommon art members exhibited their work at the United Nations in 2014.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• The Outdoor Church of Cambridge: Outdoor, inclusive Christian worship community serving unhoused and housed individuals in the Cambridge/Boston area. Operates with a similar congregational model and is directly referenced in common cathedral's Senior Associate Minister's bio, indicating operational overlap.

Broad incumbents

• Pine Street Inn: Boston's largest nonprofit provider of shelter, housing, and street outreach for unhoused individuals. Serves a comparable population in the same Boston geography but operates at much greater scale and scope, including permanent supportive housing.
• Rosie's Place: Boston-based nonprofit providing emergency shelter, meals, and support services specifically for women experiencing homelessness and poverty. Comparable mission of dignity-centered service and meal provision in Boston.
• Boston Rescue Mission: Faith-based nonprofit in Boston providing meals, shelter, and recovery services to unhoused and disadvantaged individuals. Comparable religious-mission orientation and Boston geography.
• Heading Home: Massachusetts-based nonprofit providing emergency shelter, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing for individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Comparable target population and Boston geography, but with a housing-first rather than ministry-led approach.

Others

• MANNA (Cathedral Church of St. Paul): Faith-based community ministry founded by common cathedral's current Executive Director. Directly comparable ministry model offering meals, spiritual care, and community building to vulnerable populations.
• St. John the Evangelist Church (Bowdoin Street): Boston church whose ministers helped found the common art program in 1999. Directly comparable faith-based community engagement model and historic operational partner.

Emerging players

• Dwelling Place (Woburn, MA): Massachusetts soup kitchen and community support organization referenced in common cathedral's Senior Associate Minister bio. Similar faith-rooted, community-led model for serving unhoused individuals, though operating in a different Boston suburb.
• Gloucester Grace Center: Massachusetts-based homeless services center co-founded by a member of common cathedral's deacon team. Comparable faith-rooted day center model operating in a different Boston-area community.

Regional players

• Episcopal Migration Ministries / Neighbor to Neighbor: National Episcopal network co-launched by common cathedral's Executive Director, focused on accompaniment of asylum seekers. Comparable faith-led service model with national rather than Boston-centric reach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/common-cathedral

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about common cathedral