Society of the Divine Word

What Society of the Divine Word does

The Society of the Divine Word (SVD) is a private, non-profit Roman Catholic religious order of priests and brothers, founded in 1875 by St. Arnold Janssen in Steyl, Netherlands, and headquartered operationally in Techny, Illinois (Chicago Province). It is the largest Roman Catholic missionary order in the world, numbering more than 6,000 missionaries who serve in parish ministry, schools, formation programs, and mission postings across 20+ countries on five continents (North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Africa). The Chicago Province—primary subject of the website data—employs 137 administrative staff and operates through sub-entities including Divine Word College seminary in Epworth, Iowa, and the Chicago Province Archives. The order is governed by a Superior General and Council at the Generalate in Rome, with regional provinces (Chicago, Western, Southern, Australia, etc.) coordinating local operations; its assets are held communally under canon law rather than corporate law.

The Society's product surface is non-technological and consists of pastoral services: Catholic missionary assignments, vocational discernment and seminary formation, Bible resources (Lectio Divina, reflections), and SVD Partners in Mission spiritual formation materials for lay supporters. Its revenue model is entirely donation-driven, with three primary streams: unrestricted monetary gifts to the Development office, Gregorian Masses and Mission Mass League stipends, and charitable gift annuities that the Society has offered for more than 100 years, providing guaranteed lifetime income to donors in exchange for mission-supporting gifts. The go-to-market motion is community-led, relying on parish networks, vocations outreach, the SVD Partners program, and volunteer service opportunities rather than traditional sales or marketing channels.

The organization co-operates mission territories with two sister congregations also founded by St. Arnold Janssen—the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters (Blue Sisters) and the Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters (Pink Sisters)—forming an integrated three-congregation ecosystem. Digitally, the Society maintains a content website (divineword.org), Instagram, Pinterest, and an external donations portal (divinewordgifts.org), supplemented by the Divine Word Alumni Association and a digitized Archives platform. Pricing is voluntary; revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Society of the Divine Word

Legal name

Society of the Divine Word

Website

https://divineword.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1875

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Society of the Divine Word is the world's largest Roman Catholic missionary order of priests and brothers, founded in 1875 and serving Catholic faithful, discerning vocations, and underserved global communities through parish ministry, seminary formation, and donation-supported missions across 20+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Missionary Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Religious Orders & Monastic Communities (Monasteries, Convents) (BPAGAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD), Seminaries (Graduate Theology & Ministry) (EDAHAKAA), Ministerial Training Institutes (Clergy Formation) (EDAHAKAE), Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG)

Keywords

• Catholic missionary work
• Religious order formation
• Seminary education
• Pastoral ministry services
• Charitable gift annuities

Headquarters

HQ city

Techny

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 Giving: The organization accepts monetary gifts from the public to support apostolate work, young missionaries in their studies, and older missionaries in retirement. Donors can support through development programs and mission centers.
2. Charitable Gift Annuities: The Society of the Divine Word has offered charitable gift annuities for more than a hundred years, providing guaranteed income for life to donors while supporting missions.
3. Gregorian Masses and Mission Mass League: Offering of Mass intentions for donors who support the mission work financially.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Society of the Divine Word (SVD) is a Roman Catholic religious order of priests and brothers that provides missionary and pastoral ministry services worldwide, including parish assignments, formation and seminary education at Divine Word College, spiritual resources (Bible Reflections, Lectio Divina), and vocation discernment programs. It sustains its mission through a Development Office that accepts monetary gifts, offers charitable gift annuities (for more than 100 years), Gregorian Masses, and the Mission Mass League.

Product overview

The Society of the Divine Word Chicago Province operates primarily as a religious missionary organization rather than a technology product company. The organization's website serves as an informational and engagement platform offering: (1) the main Chicago Province website containing news, vocations information, and ways to get involved; (2) the Divine Word Alumni Association for former members; (3) Divine Word College in Epworth, Iowa for seminary formation; (4) SVD Partners in Mission program for supporters; (5) Development services including charitable gift annuities and donation programs; (6) Archives preserving the province's history; and (7) Bible resources for spiritual development. The organization is the world's largest Roman Catholic order focused on missionary work, with over 6,000 missionaries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Divine Word College Seminary Formation Seminary and formation program in Epworth, Iowa that educates and forms candidates for priesthood and brotherhood within the Society of the Divine Word, preparing them for cross-cultural missionary assignments worldwide.
• Charitable Gift Annuities Program Financial giving program offering donors guaranteed income for life in exchange for charitable contributions that support the Society's missionary work, active missionaries, and retired missionaries.
• Gregorian Masses and Mission Mass League Catholic Mass intention program where supporters can request Masses for particular intentions (including Gregorian Masses - a series of 30 consecutive Masses for the deceased) to support the Society's apostolate work and missionaries.
• SVD Partners in Mission Program Community engagement program that invites Catholic supporters to partner with the Society of the Divine Word in its missionary work, offering spiritual inspiration, formation resources, and ongoing engagement content.
• Bible Resources and Spiritual Formation Spiritual formation offerings including Bible reflections, Lectio Divina prayer guides, and Bible partner resources for spiritual growth and scriptural study, accessible through the Chicago Province website.
• Chicago Province Archives Archive service that preserves and provides access to the historical records, collections, policies, and digital resources of the Chicago Province of the Society of the Divine Word for researchers and visitors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serving across multiple continents through provincial structures
• +1 more outcomes

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

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Holy Spirit Missionary SisterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister religious congregation also founded by St. Arnold Janssen. The two congregations work together in mission territories worldwide, with Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters serving women and girls in missions while SVD priests and brothers serve the broader community.
• Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters (Pink Sisters)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContemplative branch of sisters founded by St. Arnold Janssen who pray day and night for the active missionaries. They provide spiritual support for the Society's work worldwide.
• Divine Word CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeminary and formation institution in Epworth, Iowa where SVD candidates receive education and formation for priesthood and religious life.
• Society of the Divine Word - GeneralatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe global headquarters of the Society of the Divine Word located in Rome, which governs and coordinates the worldwide missionary work of the order.
• Society of the Divine Word - Western ProvinceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional province in the United States serving the western region, part of the broader SVD network.
• Society of the Divine Word - Southern ProvinceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional province in the United States serving the southern region, part of the broader SVD network.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Augustinians (Order of Saint Augustine): A Catholic religious order of priests and brothers with parish, educational, and missionary ministry worldwide. Comparable to SVD in male religious order structure, formation pathways, and global pastoral presence.
• Dominicans (Order of Preachers): A Catholic religious order of priests and brothers with a long-standing preaching, educational, and missionary mission. Comparable to SVD in male religious order structure, formation requirements, and global pastoral footprint.
• Benedictines (Order of Saint Benedict): A Catholic monastic order of priests and brothers known for communal prayer, work, and hospitality with monasteries worldwide. Comparable to SVD as a male Catholic religious order with monastic community structure and global institutional presence.
• Jesuits (Society of Jesus): The largest Catholic religious order of priests and brothers globally, with a parallel missionary and educational mission including universities, parishes, and global missions. Directly comparable as a male Catholic religious order with international missionary deployment and formation infrastructure.
• Carmelites (Order of Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel): A Catholic religious order of priests and brothers with contemplative-missionary identity and global presence. Comparable to SVD in male religious order structure, formation, and pastoral mission.
• Salesians of Don Bosco: One of the largest Catholic religious orders of priests and brothers, with a strong missionary and educational mission focused on youth and underserved communities globally. Comparable to SVD in scale, male religious order structure, and global missionary deployment.
• Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers (Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America): A U.S.-based Catholic missionary society of priests and brothers focused on overseas mission work in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Directly comparable to SVD in missionary charism, male religious membership structure, and U.S. provincial headquarters.
• Franciscans (Order of Friars Minor): A major Catholic men's religious order with a global presence, missionary history, and provincial structures. Comparable to SVD as a large Catholic order of priests and brothers engaged in pastoral and missionary work worldwide.

Broad incumbents

• Catholic Relief Services: The official overseas humanitarian agency of the U.S. Catholic Church, operating across mission territories where SVD serves. Comparable to SVD in Catholic institutional identity, donor base overlap, and operational footprint in the Global South, though it is a lay-led aid agency rather than a religious order.
• United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB): The canonical assembly of Catholic bishops in the U.S. that coordinates missionary and pastoral activity nationally. Comparable to SVD as a Catholic institutional actor with jurisdiction over Catholic missions in the U.S., though it operates at the diocesan/episcopal level rather than as a religious order.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/accounts/login/?next=/svdchicago
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/society-of-the-divine-word

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Society of the Divine Word