Carmelitas Descalzos

What Carmelitas Descalzos does

Carmelitas Descalzos (full legal name: Carmelitas Descalzos Provincia Ibérica) is a regional province of the Order of Discalced Carmelites (Ordo Carmelitarum Discalceatorum, OCD), a Catholic religious order founded in 16th-century Spain by St. Teresa of Ávila. The Province operates from its Casa Provincial headquarters at Plaza de España, 14, Madrid, and serves Catholic faithful across the Iberian Peninsula (Spain, Portugal), West Africa (Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso) and Latin America (Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela). Its functional activities span contemplative monastic life, parish ministry, Catholic K-12 education through a five-school network, missionary work, formation programs, and publishing via Editorial Monte Carmelo and two journals (Monte Carmelo since 1900, Teresa de Jesús since 1982). The Province also supports the Secular Order (OCDS) of lay Discalced Carmelites and engages with cofradías, hermandades, and academic institutions such as Universidad de Salamanca.

The underlying operating model is non-commercial and community-led rather than technology-driven. The Province generates no productized revenue; its operating base is funded by voluntary donations, parish stipends, school fees, and magazine/book sales. Distribution runs through physical communities (parishes, monasteries, schools) supplemented by a digital surface (ocdiberica.com, Twitter/X, Facebook) used for spiritual content, news, and event promotion. Core 'technology' consists of a long-running publishing infrastructure (Editorial Monte Carmelo, founded 1904) and event-driven formation programs rather than software platforms. There are no AI/ML capabilities, no app or API products, and no proprietary technology stack beyond standard web publishing.

Customer segments are constituency-based rather than commercial: Catholic faithful and parishioners seeking sacraments and spiritual direction; students and families enrolled in OCD schools; lay members in OCDS formation; and pilgrims/devotees of the Virgin of Carmel and the Holy Scapular tradition. Governance is canonical, exercised by the Provincial Superior (currently P. Francisco Sánchez Oreja, OCD) under the authority of the Generalate in Rome, with safe-environment protection delegates appointed across Spain, the South American vicariate, and the West African delegation.

Name

Carmelitas Descalzos

Legal name

Carmelitas Descalzos Provincia Ibérica

Website

https://ocdiberica.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Carmelitas Descalzos (Provincia Ibérica) is a Spanish Catholic religious province of the Discalced Carmelites operating monasteries, parishes, five K-12 schools, publishing, and missionary works across the Iberian Peninsula, West Africa, and Latin America. It serves Catholic faithful, students, and lay Secular Order (OCDS) members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services / Catholic Ministry

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (813110)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA), Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE), Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD), Denominational & Ecclesiastical Governance Bodies (Dioceses, Synods, Conferences) (BPAGAJAB), Seminaries (Graduate Theology & Ministry) (EDAHAKAA), Denominational & Community Periodicals (Church Magazines, Diocesan/Temple Newsletters) (MPAJAHAI)

Keywords

• Catholic religious order
• Catholic education
• Spiritual formation
• Religious publishing
• Pastoral ministry

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Voluntary donations and tithes: As a Catholic religious order, Carmelitas Descalzos operates primarily through voluntary donations from faithful, tithes, and contributions from parish services. The order does not operate on a commercial revenue model.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Carmelitas Descalzos Provincia Ibérica is a Catholic religious order that delivers spiritual services including contemplative prayer, sacraments, and pastoral care through its network of parishes and monasteries. It operates five Catholic schools across Spain, runs missionary parishes in West Africa and Latin America, and publishes spiritual magazines and books through Editorial Monte Carmelo. The organization also supports the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites (OCDS) for lay members pursuing Carmelite formation.

Product overview

Carmelitas Descalzos operates primarily as a religious/spiritual organization rather than a technology company. Its main offerings are publications including the bimonthly magazine 'Revista Teresa de Jesús' (published since 1982, covering Teresian and Carmelite spirituality) and the triannual magazine 'Revista Monte Carmelo' (established 1900, covering Carmelite studies and history). Associated with these publications is Editorial Monte Carmelo, a publishing house that publishes both Carmelite and broader spiritual content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Revista Teresa de Jesús A bimonthly Spanish-language magazine dedicated to the life, work, and spirituality of Saint Teresa of Jesus and Carmelite spirituality, published since December 1982. Located at the birthplace of Saint Teresa in Ávila and targeted at readers interested in Teresian and Carmelite spirituality.
• Revista Monte Carmelo The oldest continuously published religious magazine in Spain, established in 1900. Currently published three times per year with approximately 600 annual pages covering Carmelite history, spirituality, and key figures. Directed by P. Alfonso Ruiz and targeted at scholars and readers of Carmelite studies.
• Editorial Monte Carmelo Publishing house founded in 1904 alongside the Monte Carmelo magazine, initially focused on Order authors but has expanded to broader spiritual content dissemination. Publishes books and journals on Carmelite history, spirituality, and Teresian studies for purchase by the general public.
• OCD Schools Network (Red de Colegios OCD) Network of five Catholic schools providing education from kindergarten to secondary level across Spain: El Carmel (Amorebieta), Sant Joan de la Creu (Lleó), Sant Joan de la Creu (Medina del Campo), Verge del Carme (Còrdova), and El Liceu (San Fernando). Provides academic education integrated with Christian formation and Teresian spiritual values.
• Parish and Sanctuary Ministry Parishes and sanctuaries under OCD administration provide sacraments, Mass, spiritual direction, and pastoral care to Catholic faithful across Spain, with extensive coverage in Andalusia (more than 600 hermandades, cofradías, and parishes celebrate the Virgin of Carmen).
• West Africa Missionary Program Missionary parishes and formation programs operated in Ivory Coast (including the parish of San Luis de Gonzaga in Gonzagueville, celebrating 25 years of Carmelitan presence in 2026) and Burkina Faso (Dédougou, location of the School of Faith formation program). Includes the Centro San Padre Pío under the West Africa Delegation Provincial Santa Teresa Benedicta de la Cruz.
• South American Vicariate Ministries Pastoral and formation ministries in the Vicariate of Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay, providing sacraments, spiritual direction, and safe-environment protocols to OCD communities in Latin America.
• OCDS Secular Order Formation Program Formation program for lay members of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites (Orden del Carmen Seglar — OCDS), providing theological formation, lay ministry training, and spiritual accompaniment. Includes OCDS communities in Cádiz and Murcia (with canonical erection of Murcia in June 2026).

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

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• Editorial MíriamminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Collaboration for the publication of a book collecting the most beautiful images of the Virgin of Carmel for the 775th anniversary of the Scapular.
• Convento del Santo Ángel (Sevilla)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Collaborating monastery for the publication celebrating the 775th anniversary of the Holy Scapular.
• Consejo Local de Hermandades y Cofradías (San Fernando)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Joint organization of the exhibition 'Panis Vitae de Jesús Sacramentado' dedicated to Sister María Cristina de Jesús Sacramentado.
• Comisión del Corpus Christi (San Fernando)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Co-organizers with OCD communities of the exhibition on Sister María Cristina de Jesús Sacramentado.
• Confraternity of Nuestra Señora del Carmen de Extramuros (Valladolid)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Joint organization of San Juan de la Cruz commemoration in Valladolid during the Sanjuanist Jubilee.
• Confraternity of Santo Sepulcro (Valladolid)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Participation in San Juan de la Cruz commemoration events organized at San Benito el Real church.
• Universidad de SalamancacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration in the inauguration of the Chair 'Alba de Tormes y la Mística Española' - an academic initiative to promote the study of Spanish mysticism and the legacy of St. Teresa of Jesús and St. John of the Cross.
• Fundación Casa de AlbacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint initiative with Universidad de Salamanca and the Iberian Province of OCD for the Cátedra 'Alba de Tormes y la Mística Española' promoting Spanish mystic heritage.
• Provincia de San Joaquín de NavarramajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration as co-sponsors of 'Llama de amor viva' - an ambitious scenic tribute to St. John of the Cross. Joint participation in Sanjuanist Jubilee Year celebrations.
• Fundación Misión TeresianamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerP. Jon Korta from Province of San Joaquín de Navarra presented the evolution and objectives of the Misión Teresiana Foundation. The OCD schools network expressed intent to integrate the Foundation's pastoral lines into educational projects.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Cáritas Española: Official Catholic charity of the Spanish Bishops' Conference; comparable as a major Catholic nonprofit in Spain relying on donations and a multi-region operational footprint, providing a relevant benchmark for nonprofit scale and revenue model.
• Order of Preachers (Dominicans) - Provincia de Hispania: Dominican Province of Hispania runs parishes, student residences, schools and the San Esteban theological publishing tradition, overlapping with OCD Iberica on educational, publishing and parish ministry dimensions.
• Augustinian Province of Spain (OSA): Operates parishes, schools and missions in Spain, Latin America and Africa; structurally analogous to OCD Iberica as a mendicant-missionary order with a multi-country provincial footprint and education presence.
• Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans) - Provincia de San Juan Bautista: Another major mendicant Catholic order active in Spain, Latin America and West Africa, running parishes, schools and missionary stations under a similar provincial governance model. Comparable as a fellow apostolic/educational religious order.
• Salesians of Don Bosco - Province of Santiago el Mayor: Largest Catholic K-12 and vocational education network in Spain; comparable to OCD Iberica's five-school network, with a similar reliance on tuition revenue and lay staff within a religious province structure.
• Society of Jesus (Jesuits) - Province of Spain: Largest Catholic male religious order worldwide; the Spanish Province operates parishes, schools (e.g., Colegio San Ignacio), universities and publishing houses, making it the closest large-scale structural peer to OCD Iberica across mission, education and publishing.

Direct peers

• Opus Dei - Spain: Personal prelature operating extensive Catholic formation, education (e.g., centros IESE, CEU) and retreat work in Spain and Latin America; directly comparable as a Spanish-based Catholic organization running schools, formation programs and media.
• Diocese of Ávila: Diocese where St. Teresa founded the first Discalced Carmelite convent; shares the Province's spiritual heritage, manages cofradías of the Virgin of Carmen and provides the canonical/ecclesiastical counterpart for OCD Iberica's parish and sanctuary ministry.

Emerging players

• EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network): Global Catholic media network combining publishing, broadcasting and digital content; comparable to OCD Iberica's Monte Carmelo and Editorial Monte Carmelo publishing arm as a Catholic content and formation platform with donation-supported revenue.
• Legionaries of Christ - Regnum Christi in Spain: Active Catholic order running schools, universities and formation programs in Spain; comparable as a newer, growth-oriented religious education provider competing for similar Catholic families and donors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ocdiberica
• Facebookfacebook.com/Carmelitas-Descalzos-Ib%C3%A9rica-OCD-792175767498115
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carmelitas-descalzos

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Carmelitas Descalzos