St. Michael the Archangel Parish & Catholic School

What St. Michael the Archangel Parish & Catholic School does

St. Michael the Archangel Parish & Catholic School is a non-profit Catholic parish and affiliated school operating in Schererville, Indiana, under the Diocese of Gary. The parish was established in 1874 by German Catholic pioneers and currently serves approximately 2,000 families through six weekly Masses, Saturday Confessions, Wednesday Eucharistic Adoration, sacramental preparation, and over 40 ministries spanning education, worship, parish life, peace and social justice, and stewardship. The affiliated St. Michael Catholic School, founded on September 16, 1900 and operating at 16 W. Wilhelm Street, provides Pre-K through 8th grade Catholic education to roughly 400 students with an average class size of 18 and a student-teacher ratio under 12:1, supported by SMART Boards in every classroom, two computer labs with 55 desktops and 3D printers, Chromebooks, and the RenWeb/FACTS school management platform.

The organization's revenue model is multi-stream and donation-driven rather than commercial. Income sources include recurring parish tithes and EFT online giving, tuition and fees for the school (with Indiana Choice Scholarship acceptance), annual capital campaigns (Our Lasting Legacy raised over $3.5M; the G.I.F.T. Campaign raised $2M for Phase I school HVAC completed Summer 2025), event-based fundraising such as the Mega Raffle ($100/ticket, $100,000 in prizes), the Music Ministry Gala, Howl 2 the Moon, and Grapes Mash & Hops tasting event, plus facility rental of St. Patrick Hall (with an Indiana State Liquor License). Go-to-market is community-led, relying on word-of-mouth, social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), school tours, weekly bulletins, and online giving and application portals.

Leadership is ecclesiastical and operational, led by Pastor Rev. Martin J. Dobrzynski, Associate Pastor Rev. Zachary Glick, two Permanent Deacons, Principal Michelle Biscan, and a small lay staff (21 total listed employees) covering finance, communications, music, faith formation, facilities, and school administration. The organization holds no parent company, no venture backing, and is canonically tied to the Diocese of Gary; financial figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

St. Michael the Archangel Parish & Catholic School

Legal name

St. Michael Parish

Website

https://stmichaelparish.life

Company type

Private

Founded year

1874

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

St. Michael the Archangel Parish & Catholic School is a non-profit Catholic parish and Pre-K–8 school in Schererville, Indiana, serving nearly 2,000 parish families and approximately 400 students through worship, sacraments, education, and over 40 ministries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Education and Catholic Parish Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Religious Organizations (8131), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Religious Organizations (81311), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based (Religious) K–12 Schools (EDAJABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

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

Keywords

• Catholic parish services
• Catholic K-8 education
• Faith formation programs
• Sacramental preparation services
• Parish fundraising events

Headquarters

HQ city

Schererville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Parish Tithes and Offerings: Parishioners contribute through weekly envelopes, online giving (EFT), and automatic fund transfers. Online giving allows registered users to manage recurring donations.
2. School Tuition and Fees: Catholic school serving Pre-K through 8th grade with tuition-based enrollment. Indiana Choice Scholarship accepted.
3. Mega Raffle Fundraiser: Annual raffle fundraiser selling tickets at $100 each with $100,000 in total cash prizes including a $50,000 grand prize. Proceeds support parish ministries and school programs.
4. Facility Rental (St. Patrick Hall): Rental income from St. Patrick Hall for social functions (up to $525 for entire hall/4-hour rental), seminars, and meeting rooms. Parish holds Indiana State Liquor License enabling full bar service at events.
5. Capital Campaign Donations (G.I.F.T. Campaign): Growing Into the Future Together (G.I.F.T.) capital campaign raising funds for school HVAC ($2,000,000 Phase I, completed Summer 2025) and new Parishioner Service Center (Phase II).
6. Ministry and Charitable Fundraising: Various ministry-specific fundraisers including Music Ministry Gala ($125/ticket), Howl 2 the Moon event ($50/ticket), Grapes Mash & Hops tasting event ($80/person), and other parish event revenues.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

St. Michael the Archangel Parish & Catholic School provides Catholic worship services (weekly Mass, Confession, Eucharistic Adoration), sacramental preparation, faith formation for all ages, and over 40 ministries for parish families in Schererville, Indiana. The affiliated St. Michael Catholic School delivers Pre-K through 8th grade faith-based academic education using CKLA/Amplify curriculum, MAP Growth assessments, and a technology-rich classroom environment. Supporting offerings include online giving (EFT), St. Patrick Hall event rentals, cemetery services, the annual Mega Raffle fundraiser, and the Unbound prayer ministry.

Product overview

St. Michael the Archangel Parish & Catholic School offers a unified faith-based service portfolio centered around its Catholic parish community (serving the Diocese of Gary in Schererville, IN) and its affiliated Catholic school serving Pre-K through 8th grade. The core offerings include weekly Mass, sacraments, and parish ministries for faith formation, along with academic education at St. Michael Catholic School. Supporting services include online giving via Electronic Funds Transfer, faith formation programs (Traditional, Family Faith, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd), RADIATE teen ministry, St. Patrick Hall event rentals, cemetery services, the annual Mega Raffle fundraiser, and the Unbound prayer ministry. The school utilizes RenWeb (FACTS) for school management and parent portal access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Radiate Teen Ministry: High school youth ministry program for teens to grow in faith after Confirmation
• St. Michael Preschool
• Faith Formation
• RADIATE
• RADIATE Teen Ministry

Quantifiable outcome

• A Rating from the Indiana Department of Education
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Smits Funeral HomeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSmits Funeral Home (2121 Pleasant Springs Ln, Dyer, IN 46311) serves as the ticket sponsor for the annual St. Michael Parish Mega Raffle. Their generosity and commitment play a key role in making the event a success, and they are acknowledged publicly for their ongoing partnership support.
• Larson DanielsonminorOthersLarson Danielson served as the general contractor for the G.I.F.T. Campaign Phase I – the $2,000,000 school HVAC system installation completed Summer 2025. The firm confirmed the construction schedule to complete the work by August 1, 2025.
• Planting PossibilitiesminorOthersOne of two charities of choice for 2026. Planting Possibilities is an organization serving some special people in the community, selected by St. Michael Parish to receive a share of blessings as part of the Mega Raffle's charitable giving.
• Down Syndrome Association of Northwest IndianaminorOthersOne of two charities of choice for 2026. The Down Syndrome Association of Northwest Indiana (DSANWI) was selected to receive charitable support from St. Michael Parish, serving special needs individuals in the NWI community.
• Rob's Home Style CateringminorOthersRob's Home Style Catering (219.322.6130) is the recommended and approved caterer for events held in St. Patrick Hall. Their catering fees are separate from the hall rental fee charged by the parish. Food may also be brought in or catered by the approved caterer only.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves15 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Andrean High School (Merrillville, IN): Diocese of Gary Catholic high school in Merrillville, IN. Another diocesan Catholic high school that competes for Northwest Indiana Catholic 8th-grade graduates, sharing faculty-recruitment and donor-pool dynamics with St. Michael.
• Bishop Noll Institute (Hammond, IN): Diocese of Gary Catholic co-educational high school in Hammond, IN. Serves as the typical high-school destination for St. Michael 8th-grade graduates, making it a feeder/sequencing peer within the same diocesan Catholic education ecosystem.

Direct peers

• St. John the Baptist Catholic School (Whiting, IN): Catholic K-8 parish school in Whiting, IN, within the Diocese of Gary. Comparable size and integrated parish-school structure, sharing the same diocesan curriculum standards and Indiana DOE accountability framework as St. Michael.
• St. Mary Catholic School (Crown Point, IN): Catholic K-8 parish school in Crown Point, IN, also under the Diocese of Gary. Closest comparable peer in terms of integrated parish-school model, Catholic K-8 grade span, tuition + tithing revenue mix, and Northwest Indiana catchment.
• Holy Cross School (South Bend, IN): Catholic K-8 school in South Bend, IN (Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend). Comparable parish-integrated Catholic K-8 model with similar tuition, fundraising, and capital-campaign dynamics in an Indiana mid-size market.

Broad incumbents

• Archdiocese of Indianapolis Catholic Schools: Centralized office overseeing Catholic schools across the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. Comparable in function (curriculum, accreditation, advancement support) to the Diocese of Gary's Catholic Schools office that governs St. Michael.
• Marian University (Indianapolis, IN): Catholic university in Indianapolis affiliated with the Sisters of the Third Order Regular of Saint Francis of Oldenburg. While higher-ed rather than K-8, it represents a broader Indiana Catholic institution competing for the same Catholic donor and family pipeline.

Others

• National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA): National trade body representing Catholic K-12 schools and educators. Not a competing school but a standards-setter, accreditation partner, and advocacy organization that materially shapes the operating environment for parish schools like St. Michael.

Emerging players

• Seton Catholic Schools (Milwaukee, WI): Multi-school Catholic K-8 system in the Milwaukee archdiocese. Operates as a centralized organization across parish-affiliated elementary schools, providing a comparable integrated-Catholic-education operating model though with multi-site scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC9ZPGhikm3rPB-o_S10qdjg
• Facebookfacebook.com/StMichaelSville
• Instagraminstagram.com/stmichaelsville
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/st-michael-the-archangel-parish-catholic-school

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 St. Michael the Archangel Parish & Catholic School