St. Augustine University Parish

What St. Augustine University Parish does

St. Augustine University Parish (DBA: Pioneer Catholic) is a Catholic personal parish under the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin, established in 1973 by Bishop O'Donnell to serve the Catholic community at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. Its roots trace to a 1954 Newman Union and 1959 Newman Club at Platteville State College. The parish delivers sacramental services (Mass, Confession, Eucharistic Adoration), intentional discipleship, spiritual formation, OCIA sacramental preparation, Bible studies, mission trips to multiple international and domestic locations, and a weekly sung Compline service. It partners with FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) under a relationship active since 2014, embedding missionaries on campus for evangelization.

The organization's revenue model relies on three streams: (1) a multi-tier capital campaign ("Building Christ's Presence") funding a new church and student center, accepting one-time gifts and pledges from $100 to $5,000+ with monthly, quarterly, or annual billing; (2) ongoing ministry donations at $25-$100/month tiers with recurring billing on the 5th or 20th; and (3) a Rosary Club membership subscription at $49/month (plus $100, $200, $1,000 tiers) bundled with a custom Pioneer Catholic Rosary. Donations are processed via Blackbaud; the website is hosted on eCatholic. An affiliated subsidiary, Newman Heights, operates collegiate-gothic student apartments (2BR and 4BR units) near campus, providing rental income and integrated residential ministry. There is no proprietary technology, app, API, or AI component — operational technology is limited to standard nonprofit SaaS tools.

The parish is staffed by approximately 12-15 people including a Pastoral Administrator (Fr. Eric Nielsen), a Campus Minister/Team Director, four additional Campus Ministers, two FOCUS missionaries, and a development team (Director of Development, Director of Operations, Director of Annual Fund & Newman Heights Apartments, Development Assistant). The organization operates from a single location at 135 S Hickory Street, Platteville, WI, with Masses temporarily relocated to St. Mary's during the current capital construction project. It markets via Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and its website (pioneercatholic.org). Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

St. Augustine University Parish

Legal name

St. Augustine University Parish

Website

https://pioneercatholic.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

St. Augustine University Parish (Pioneer Catholic) is a Catholic personal parish under the Diocese of Madison serving UW-Platteville students, faculty, and administration through sacramental ministry, FOCUS missionary outreach, formation programs, and student housing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Campus Ministry

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Educational Support Services (6117), Religious Organizations (81311)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Operators Of Nonresidential Buildings (6512)

akta.pro primary industry

Campus Spiritual & Religious Life (EDALAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Catholic campus ministry
• Spiritual formation programs
• Sacramental services
• Student religious community
• Faith formation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Platteville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Capital Campaign Donations: Building Christ Presence capital campaign accepting one-time gifts and pledges with monthly, quarterly, or annual payment options for construction of new church and student center.
2. Ministry Donations: Ongoing mission and ministry donations accepted at $25, $50, $75, $100 or other amounts, with option for monthly recurring gifts processed on day 5 or day 20 of each month.
3. Rosary Club Subscription: $49/month membership subscription supporting campus ministry with perks including custom-designed Pioneer Catholic Rosary.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

St. Augustine University Parish provides Catholic campus ministry services to UW-Platteville students, faculty, and administration, including sacramental offerings (Mass, Confession, Eucharistic Adoration), intentional discipleship, spiritual formation, Bible studies, mission trips, OCIA sacramental preparation, and student housing through Newman Heights. The parish operates as the official Catholic Newman Center for UW-Platteville, doing business as Pioneer Catholic, and partners with FOCUS missionaries for campus outreach.

Product overview

St. Augustine University Parish operates as a single unified ministry offering campus ministry services to UW-Platteville students. The core offerings include Campus Ministry Programs (Masses, Confessions, Adoration, retreats), FOCUS missionary outreach, OCIA sacramental preparation, Bible Studies, Mission Trips, Compline services, and the Rosary Club. Supporting facilities include Newman Heights student housing, and fundraising programs include the Capital Campaign and Rosary Club subscription membership ($49/month). The organization is affiliated with eCatholic for website services and Blackbaud for donation processing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Campus Ministry Programs

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFOCUS is a campus outreach program pursuing college students with intentionality and love. FOCUS missionaries work closely with the campus ministry team to invite students into growing relationship with Jesus and the Catholic faith. Partnership active since 2014. Missionaries lead Bible studies, Varsity Catholic, SEEK conference, and mission trips to Ecuador, Haiti, Washington DC, Peru, and Taiwan.
• Aquinas Institute of DubuqueminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVisiting priests from Aquinas Institute of Dubuque coordinated Masses at the Cunningham house starting in 1970 during Fr. Phil Krogman's tenure.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• St. Paul's Catholic Newman Center (UW-Stevens Point): Catholic parish and Newman Center serving UW-Stevens Point students in central Wisconsin. Runs an essentially identical operating model: weekly Masses, campus ministers, FOCUS missionaries, Bible studies, and student housing — comparable in scale and geography.
• Newman Catholic Center (University of Iowa): Newman Catholic Center at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. Directly comparable Catholic parish and campus ministry serving a Big Ten student body with FOCUS missionaries, student housing, retreats, and sacramental programs.
• St. Paul's Catholic Student Center (UW-Madison): A Catholic campus ministry and parish serving UW-Madison students in Madison, WI. Operates the same Newman-style model of Masses, sacraments, Bible studies, FOCUS missionaries, and student housing — a direct functional and geographic peer to St. Augustine.
• St. Thomas More Catholic Chapel and Center (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign): Catholic parish and Newman Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Same operational model — campus ministers, FOCUS missionaries, Mass, Confession, Bible studies, and student housing — for a comparable Big Ten student body.
• St. Mary's University Parish (UW-Eau Claire): Catholic parish and Newman Center serving UW-Eau Claire students in western Wisconsin. Direct peer within the same state ecosystem, providing sacraments, campus ministry, and student housing to a similar-sized state university student body.

Others

• Diocese of Madison: The Catholic diocese that established and oversees St. Augustine as a personal parish. Functions as the governing religious authority and source of priest staffing, analogous to a parent body rather than a competitor.

Broad incumbents

• FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students): National Catholic campus outreach organization that partners with St. Augustine (and hundreds of other universities) by placing FOCUS missionaries on campuses. Functions as the broader incumbent platform in this space that supplies the missionary staffing model St. Augustine has integrated since 2014.
• The Catholic Center at Marquette University: Catholic campus ministry embedded within Marquette University, a Catholic institution. Broader incumbent that combines parish and university functions and is represented on St. Augustine's Advancement Council, making it institutionally adjacent.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@pioneercatholic
• Facebookfacebook.com/st.augustineparish.newman
• Instagraminstagram.com/uwppioneercatholic
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/st-augustine-university-parish

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 St. Augustine University Parish