Opera Don Orione

What Opera Don Orione does

Opera Don Orione is the operating name of the Piccola Opera della Divina Provvidenza, a Catholic religious congregation founded in 1892 by Saint Luigi Orione (1872-1940). It is an Italian-domiciled, privately organized ecclesiastical entity headquartered in Rome, Italy, that delivers charitable, educational, healthcare, and pastoral services free of charge to beneficiaries, funded entirely through donations and charitable contributions. The organization does not operate as a commercial enterprise: it has no products, software, or technology stack; no pricing model; and no disclosed revenue.

The congregation serves vulnerable populations — the poor, sick, disabled, children, elderly, and marginalized communities — through a globally federated network of provinces, vice-provinces, and delegations spanning Italy, Poland, Spain, Albania, Romania, Ukraine, Belarus, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Venezuela, Mexico, Haiti, Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin, Cameroon, Morocco, Mozambique, Madagascar, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen, India, Philippines, Indonesia, Timor, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Iran, Israel, Palestine, and Eritrea. It operates schools (600+ students in Madagascar, 280 children in Kenya), youth oratories (90+ children in Beira within one week of opening), parishes, care facilities for the disabled and elderly (Piccolo Cottolengo), social-assistance programs (1,000+ daily beneficiaries in São Paulo), and disaster-relief operations (200+ displaced flood victims in Porto Alegre, May 2024; 5,000 kg of food distributed in La Guaira, Venezuela, June 2024). Healthcare is delivered through agreements with Brazil's Unified Health System (SUS) for autism and physiotherapy services.

The organization is governed by a Director General and General Council elected every six years at the General Chapter (most recently P. Tarcísio Gregório Vieira elected June 2022 for 2022-2028), with the broader Orionine Charismatic Family including the Piccole Suore Missionarie della Carità (women's branch), the Movimento Laicale Orionino (lay movement), the Istituto Secolare Orionino, the Fondazione Don Orione, and the Ex Allievi association. Distribution of services occurs through this federated provincial structure rather than through any commercial channel; communications are handled via the donorione.org website, the bimonthly 'Don Orione Oggi' magazine, and the quarterly 'Messaggi di Don Orione' publication. The entity has no parent company, no subsidiaries, no funding rounds, no patents, and no commercial partnerships.

Name

Opera Don Orione

Legal name

Piccola Opera della Divina Provvidenza

Website

https://donorione.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1892

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Opera Don Orione (Piccola Opera della Divina Provvidenza) is an Italian Catholic religious congregation founded in 1892 that delivers free charitable, educational, healthcare, and pastoral services through a globally federated network of provinces and delegations across 30+ countries, funded entirely by donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious and Charitable Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

SIC

Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE), Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA), Faith-Based Healthcare Ministries (Hospitals, Clinics, Medical Missions) (BPAGAJAH), Faith-Based & Mission Service Programs (EDAIAGAI)

Keywords

• Charitable congregation
• Religious education
• Pastoral care
• Social assistance
• Care facilities

Headquarters

HQ city

Rome

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Piccola Opera della Divina Provvidenza (Opera Don Orione) is a Catholic religious congregation that operates charitable, educational, and pastoral works across multiple countries. Its core activities include running schools and oratories, managing care facilities for disabled and elderly persons (Piccolo Cottolengo), providing disaster relief, and staffing parishes. Services are delivered free of charge to beneficiaries and funded through donations.

Product overview

Opera Don Orione (Piccola Opera della Divina Provvidenza) is a Catholic religious congregation and charitable organization founded by San Luigi Orione. The organization operates charitable works including schools, healthcare facilities (Piccolo Cottolengo), oratories, parishes, and social services across multiple countries worldwide. Their digital presence consists of informational websites and publications including 'Don Orione Oggi' (a bimonthly magazine) and 'Messaggi di Don Orione' (quaderni of history and spirituality). They also provide formation materials, liturgical texts, and spiritual resources for their community. The organization does not offer technology products or software services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Movimento Laicale Orionino (MLO): Lay movement within the Orionine Charismatic Family, formally approved as Public Association of Lay Faithful on November 20, 2017
• Piccole Suore Missionarie della Carità
• Istituto Secolare Orionino

Products and services

• Schools (Elementary and Middle Schools)
• Piccolo Cottolengo (Care Facilities for Disabled and Elderly)
• Oratorio Dom Orione (Youth Oratories)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1000 people helped daily through various social projects in São Paulo, Brazil
• +4 more outcomes

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, core and minor.

• Caritas of Porto Alegre and São PaulosupportingOthersCaritas dioceses of Porto Alegre and São Paulo provided humanitarian aid to support the displaced people helped by Orionini following the devastating floods in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil in May 2024.
• Arcidiocesi di BeiracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Orionini community in Beira, Mozambique operates within the Archdiocese of Beira, approximately 1,200 kilometers from Maputo. The community was invited by Archbishop Claudio Dalla Zuanna to establish presence in the diocese and works in collaboration with the local Church.
• Sistema Sanitario Unificato (Venezuela)supportingOthersThe Piccolo Cottolengo Paranaense and Piccolo Cottolengo Joinvilense in Brazil work through agreements with the Unified Health System (SUS) to provide services to people with autism spectrum disorders and physiotherapy services.
• Padri Somaschi (Congregation of Saint Francis of Assisi)minorOthersThe community house in Beira, Mozambique was established on land purchased by the Congregation from the Padri Somaschi (Somascans).
• Pontifical Lateran UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCardinal Pizzaballa gave a lecture titled 'Caratteri e criteri di una pastorale della pace' at the Istituto pastorale Redemptor Hominis of the Pontifical Lateran University as part of the study program in Peace Sciences and International Cooperation.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Salesians of Don Bosco: Catholic religious congregation operating global schools, youth oratories, parishes, and missions with comparable structure of provinces and a special focus on poor and at-risk youth across 130+ countries.
• Camillians (Order of Ministers of the Infirm): Catholic religious order dedicated to healthcare and care of the sick, comparable in running care facilities and hospices with religious-vowed members globally.
• Little Sisters of the Poor: Catholic congregation specifically dedicated to elderly care across 30+ countries, with comparable model of running residential care facilities (parallel to Piccolo Cottolengo).
• Comboni Missionaries: Catholic congregation specifically focused on missions in Africa, with comparable small community structure, parish service, schools, and charitable works for marginalized populations.

Broad incumbents

• Franciscan Friars (Order of Friars Minor): Major Catholic mendicant order with global parishes, missions, schools, and charitable ministries serving the poor and marginalized, with a parallel multi-branch family model.
• Fidei Donum (Pontifical Mission Societies): Vatican organization supporting Catholic missions worldwide, analogous in mobilizing donations and priestly personnel for mission territories in the global south.
• Caritas Internationalis: Global Catholic humanitarian confederation coordinating disaster relief, social services, and charitable works across dioceses, with which Opera Don Orione partners on flood and earthquake response.
• Jesuits (Society of Jesus): Larger Catholic religious order running a global network of schools, universities, parishes, and social ministries with analogous province-based governance and special vow of fidelity to the Pope.
• Catholic Relief Services: US-based Catholic humanitarian agency operating in 100+ countries with disaster relief, healthcare, and education programs—comparably positioned in mission and geographic reach.

Others

• AVEPro (Association of Volunteers for Education): Italian Catholic voluntary associations supporting missionary work; while smaller and less formalized, they share the donor-supported, mission-focused model with Opera Don Orione.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/OrioneEducation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/opera-don-orione

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Opera Don Orione