Nativity of Our Lord

What Nativity of Our Lord does

Nativity of Our Lord is a Catholic parish in the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood of Saint Paul, Minnesota, founded on September 7, 1922 by Archbishop Dowling with Fr. Terrence Moore as its founding pastor. Operating under the canonical authority of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, the parish serves more than 1,700 registered families with a comprehensive program of Catholic worship, sacraments, faith formation, and community outreach. Its physical footprint centers on a Gothic church dedicated April 16, 1939 (consecrated in 1988) at 1938 Stanford Avenue, adjacent to the parish school, and a Parish Center in the renovated Lannan Center at 1900 Wellesley Avenue.

The parish operates two wholly-owned educational subsidiaries: Nativity School, a K-8 Catholic school serving approximately 800 students (the $15 million renovation of which was completed in August 2008), and the Nativity Early Learning Center, which has served more than 200 families since opening in September 1990. Additional programmatic assets include a Perpetual Adoration Chapel (since April 1994) with more than 300 committed adorers, a music ministry anchored by the Sitzmann Organ, multiple youth programs (Steubenville St. Paul, Totus Tuus, Extreme Faith Camp), and outreach partnerships with St. Vincent de Paul and Loaves & Fishes.

Revenue is generated through a diversified mix of weekly offertory and an annual Stewardship pledge program (in place since 1982), school tuition and registration fees, capital campaigns (including the 2022 Centennial Campaign), targeted giving funds (School General Fund, Forward With Faith, School Scholarship), gifts of stock and planned-giving vehicles, and event revenue (notably the annual Nativity County Fair, held since 1975). Marketing and distribution combine in-person Mass and sacramental services with a digital channel stack: an eCatholic parish website, weekly 'Tidings' email newsletter, social media (Facebook, X, Instagram), livestreamed liturgies, online giving through Vanco, and FORMED for digital faith-formation content. Leadership is provided by Pastor Fr. Rolf Tollefson (7th pastor, since July 2023), Parochial Vicar Fr. Jason Asselin (since July 2024), and Parish Business Administrator Tim Nelson (appointed 2024), alongside a lay-leadership structure of Board of Directors, Finance Council, School Advisory Council, Pastoral Council, and Endowment Subcommittee.

Name

Nativity of Our Lord

Legal name

Nativity of Our Lord

Website

https://nativitystpaul.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1922

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nativity of Our Lord is a Catholic parish in Saint Paul, Minnesota, serving more than 1,700 families with Mass, sacraments, faith formation, and community outreach, and operating Nativity School (~800 K-8 students) and an Early Learning Center (200+ families) on its Macalester-Groveland campus.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Parish Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (81311), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Support Services (611710)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based (Religious) K–12 Schools (EDAJABAC), Faith-Based Childcare Centers (EDACAAAN)

Keywords

• Catholic parish services
• Catholic K-8 education
• Sacramental preparation
• Faith formation programs
• Youth ministry programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Parish Offertory (Tithes and Offerings): Weekly and special collection donations from parishioners during Mass, including Sunday offertory, holy day collections, and special fundraising appeals. The parish also conducts an annual Stewardship pledge program formalizing commitments from donors.
2. School Tuition and Fees: Revenue from Nativity School (approximately 800 students K-8) and the Early Learning Center (serving 200+ families), including tuition, registration fees, and related educational services.
3. Capital Campaigns and Special Giving: Periodic capital campaigns such as the Centennial Campaign for building improvements (stained glass windows, parish center upgrades) and targeted giving programs including the School General Fund, Forward With Faith, and School Scholarship funds.
4. Gifts of Stock and Planned Giving: Donor contributions of appreciated securities and planned giving vehicles, part of long-term development strategy.
5. Event Revenue: Revenue from parish events including the annual Nativity County Fair and other community fundraisers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Nativity of Our Lord is a Catholic parish that provides liturgical worship services (Mass, Confession, Perpetual Adoration), the seven Catholic sacraments, K-8 Catholic education through Nativity School, early childhood education through the Early Learning Center, faith formation for all ages, youth and young adult ministry, pastoral care, and outreach ministries to vulnerable populations. It operates as a nonprofit religious organization under the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, serving more than 1,700 registered families in the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood of St. Paul, Minnesota.

Product overview

Nativity of Our Lord is a Catholic parish in St. Paul, MN, offering religious and community services rather than a technology product. Its digital presence consists of a parish website powered by eCatholic, which provides access to mass schedules, online giving, faith formation programs, youth ministry, and parish communications. The parish also operates affiliated educational institutions including Nativity School and an Early Learning Center, each with separate websites.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nativity School: Catholic school with approximately 800 students in grades K-8, highly-regarded institution serving the parish and broader community.
• Nativity Early Learning Center

Products and services

• Catholic Worship (Mass) Services
• Sacramental Preparation and Reception
• Nativity School (K-8)
• Nativity Early Learning Center
• Faith Formation Programs
• Youth Ministry and Summer Programs
• Perpetual Adoration Chapel
• Online Liturgies (Livestream)

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

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Archdiocese of Saint Paul and MinneapoliscoreOthersNativity of Our Lord is a parish within the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, operating under the authority of the Archbishop. The parish follows archdiocesan guidelines, participates in archdiocesan initiatives (including the Catholic Services Appeal and Reclaiming Sundays campaign), and its priests are assigned through the archdiocese.
• Nativity School and Holy Rosary Parish PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 1980, Nativity School has maintained a partnership with Holy Rosary parish, likely for shared educational resources or collaborative programs.
• Companions of ChristminorOthersPriestly community with a house at Holy Spirit church in St. Paul. Fr. Jason Asselin, who began as Parochial Vicar at Nativity in July 2024, is exploring joining this priestly community that lives in community. This is a housing/priestly formation arrangement.
• St. Vincent de Paul SocietyminorOthersParish hosts a conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society providing outreach and human dignity services to those in need, part of the parish's Outreach/Human Dignity ministry.
• Loaves & FishesminorOthersParish participates in the Loaves & Fishes program, a community food ministry providing meals to those in need, under the parish Outreach/Human Dignity ministry.
• ONE LICENSEminorOthersMusic reprint and streaming license (#A-703908) obtained from ONE LICENSE permitting the parish to reprint, podcast, and stream music used in liturgies and events.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Chesterton Academy: Network of small Catholic classical high schools expanding across the U.S., comparable as faith-based schools targeting Catholic families seeking integrated formation. Represents an emerging alternative for families graduating from K-8 parish schools like Nativity.

Direct peers

• Church of the Holy Rosary: Catholic parish in St. Paul that has maintained a partnership with Nativity School since 1980; comparable as a same-archdiocese Catholic parish with worship, sacraments, and faith formation programs, and directly linked through the school partnership.
• Cathedral of Saint Paul: The mother church of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, a large Catholic parish in St. Paul offering worship, sacraments, formation, and community ministries comparable to Nativity of Our Lord. Directly comparable in faith formation, school presence, and parish-scale programming within the same archdiocese.
• Basilica of Saint Mary: Major Catholic parish in Minneapolis within the same archdiocese, with comparable weekend Mass schedule, formation programs, and parish-scale operations. Functions as a direct peer in terms of faith formation offerings, sacramental programming, and community ministry portfolio.
• Highland Catholic School: Parish-affiliated K-8 Catholic school in St. Paul with comparable enrollment scale, tuition model, and faith-integrated curriculum. Directly comparable as a Catholic elementary school serving families in the same metro.
• Church of Saint Peter: Catholic parish in the same St. Paul metro area offering Mass, sacraments, faith formation, and community outreach with comparable parish scale. Directly comparable in worship, formation, and outreach programming within the same archdiocese.

Broad incumbents

• Cretin-Derham Hall: Larger Catholic co-ed K-12 school in St. Paul within the Archdiocese; comparable in faith-based education model and archdiocesan alignment, though it operates at a broader scale than Nativity's K-8 offering and serves a wider geographic draw.

Others

• eCatholic: Parish website and communication platform powering nativitystpaul.org; comparable as an enabling technology provider that delivers Mass schedules, online giving integration, and parish communications comparable to peers' digital infrastructure.
• FORMED: Catholic digital content platform used by Nativity to provide faith formation content to parishioners; comparable as an ecosystem partner offering formation and study programming that supplements the parish's in-person offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NativityStPaul
• Facebookfacebook.com/NativityStPaul
• Instagraminstagram.com/nativitystpaul
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nativity-of-our-lord-saint-paul

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Nativity of Our Lord