St Joseph Monastery

What St Joseph Monastery does

St Joseph Monastery is a Catholic Benedictine women's monastic community founded in 1879 in Creston, Iowa, and based in Tulsa, Oklahoma since 1892. It operates as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit and is led by a Prioress elected by the community — currently Sister Julia Marie Roy, who took office on July 1, 2025. The community's core activities are spiritual rather than commercial: communal prayer following the Liturgy of the Hours, a structured Formation Program for women discerning monastic vocation (spanning aspirancy through scholastic stages to perpetual profession), directed spiritual retreats, one-on-one spiritual direction, an Oblates program for lay affiliates, and a monastery library open to visitors. There is no proprietary technology product; the service portfolio is delivered in person at the Tulsa campus and, since COVID-19, partially through a virtual retreat (St Enda 100-Day Retreat).

Revenue is generated through three streams: charitable donations (the primary funding source, directed to funds such as retirement, building and grounds, or general operations); retreat fees, notably the Lectio Divina Retreat at $250 per registrant plus an optional $150 housing fee (capped at 12 participants per session); and volunteer services supporting monastery operations. Marketing is entirely community-led via parish referrals, the website, the Monastic Minute newsletter, and a Facebook Oblates page — no paid advertising is used. Headcount is approximately 10 (described as a 'small, tightly-knit community').

The organization is currently mid-transition: in April 2026 the sisters agreed to sell their 14.67-acre Tulsa property (independently appraised at $35 million) to Monte Cassino School for $20 million, representing a $15 million legacy gift, with closing expected in spring 2028 subject to Vatican approval. Governance of Monte Cassino School was transitioned to its Board of Directors, and the community has broken ground on a new monastery in Skiatook, Oklahoma, where they will relocate around spring 2028.

Name

St Joseph Monastery

Legal name

Saint Joseph Monastery

Website

https://stjosephmonastery.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1879

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

St Joseph Monastery is a Catholic Benedictine women's monastic community in Tulsa, Oklahoma, founded in 1879. It offers spiritual retreats, formation programs, and lay-affiliate services, funded primarily by donations and modest retreat fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious and Spiritual Retreat Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (813110)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG), Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL)

Keywords

• Benedictine monastic life
• Spiritual retreat programs
• Religious formation services
• Spiritual direction ministry
• Contemplative prayer services

Headquarters

HQ city

Tulsa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, St Joseph Monastery relies on charitable donations from supporters. Contributions may be directed to specific funds such as retirement fund, building and grounds fund, or general operating expenses. This is the primary source of operational funding.
2. Retreat Fees: The monastery charges fees for retreat programs including the Lectio Divina Retreat at $250 registration fee plus optional $150 housing fee. These fees help cover program costs and accommodation.
3. Volunteer Services: Volunteers assist with various monastery operations including visiting sisters in healthcare, meal preparation, car washing, and mailings, though no formal volunteer fee structure exists.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

St Joseph Monastery operates a Catholic Benedictine monastic community that delivers spiritual formation, contemplative retreats, spiritual direction, and prayer services to laypeople and women discerning religious vocation. Its core sellable offerings include the Lectio Divina Retreat, the St Enda 100-Day Virtual Retreat, private/group retreat accommodations, one-on-one spiritual direction, a multi-stage monastic Formation Program, and an Oblates lay affiliate program.

Product overview

St Joseph Monastery operates as a Catholic Benedictine monastic community offering a portfolio of spiritual formation services rather than a technology product platform. The core offerings include the Lectio Divina Retreat program and St Enda Virtual Retreat for contemplative prayer education, spiritual direction services for personal guidance, and a structured Formation Program for women called to monastic life. Supporting programs include the Oblates Program for lay affiliates, a library resource for visitors, and daily community prayer services. These services are delivered through the monastery's physical location and have recently expanded through virtual offerings like the St Enda 100-Day Retreat developed during the COVID-19 period.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lectio Divina Retreat A directed contemplative retreat program teaching sustained Lectio Divina from the early monastic tradition, including teachings on discernment, prayer tools, and contemplative methods based on John Cassian's writings. Participants register for a session capped at 12 attendees at $250 per person.
• St Enda 100-Day Virtual Retreat A 100-day virtual retreat built on John Cassian's writings on contemplative life, delivered via audio files structured around four phases of renunciation in the spiritual journey. Created during the COVID-19 lockdown to extend retreat access beyond the physical monastery.
• Private and Group Retreats

Quantifiable outcome

• Hundreds of retreatants have experienced the Lectio Divina Retreat since its inception in 2010
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Monte Cassino SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 April 2026The Benedictine Sisters of Saint Joseph Monastery have agreed to sell their 14.67-acre property to Monte Cassino School for $20 million. This follows the sisters' decision to transition governance of the school to its Board of Directors. The sisters have operated the school since 1926, with Monte Cassino leasing the property since the early 1990s. The $15 million difference between appraised value ($35M) and sale price represents the sisters' legacy gift to ensure the school's long-term sustainability. The sisters are building a new monastery in Skiatook and will move around spring 2028. Final Vatican approval expected from the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• St. Benedict's Monastery: A Benedictine women's monastery in St. Joseph, Minnesota, the motherhouse of the largest community of Benedictine women in the U.S. Comparable as a fellow active Benedictine women's monastery offering formation, retreats, and Oblate programming.
• Mount Saint Benedict Monastery: Benedictine women's monastery in Crookston, Minnesota offering retreats, spiritual direction, and Oblate programs — directly analogous in mission, structure, and program mix to St Joseph Monastery.
• Benedictine Sisters of Virginia: Benedictine women's community in Bristow, Virginia following the Rule of St. Benedict with vocation formation, retreats, and Oblate programs — directly comparable in ministry mix and congregational model.
• St. Mary's Monastery: Benedictine women's monastery in Petersham, Massachusetts operating the same Rule of Saint Benedict, with formation, retreats, and Oblate affiliations — a near-mirror peer for program portfolio and community structure.
• Our Lady of Guadalupe Monastery: Benedictine women's monastery in Farnham, New York with vocation discernment, retreats, and an Oblate program — a closely matched peer in terms of women's Benedictine community, Rule-based life, and external ministry.
• St. Scholastica Monastery: Benedictine women's monastery in Duluth, Minnesota offering retreat hospitality, spiritual direction, and an Oblate program under the Rule of St. Benedict — directly comparable in retreat ministry and lay affiliate structure.

Broad incumbents

• Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani: Trappist (Cistercian) monastery in Kentucky offering retreats and a renowned spiritual legacy; comparable as a U.S. monastic community running retreat hospitality under a Rule-based contemplative life, though male and Cistercian rather than Benedictine.
• Monastery of the Holy Spirit: Trappist monastery in Conyers, Georgia with a well-developed retreat house and gift shop operations — a comparable operating-model peer for monastic retreat hospitality, although male and Cistercian in tradition.

Regional players

• Mount Angel Abbey: Benedictine monastery in St. Benedict, Oregon known for its seminary, library, and retreat ministry — a U.S. Benedictine monastic peer operating retreats and Oblate programs under the Rule of St. Benedict, though male.

Others

• St. Walburg Abbey: The Bavarian motherhouse from which St Joseph Monastery traces its 1852 founding; comparable as the founding congregation and continuing Benedictine referent, though geographically and jurisdictionally distinct.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/st-joseph-monastery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Joseph Monastery