St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Parish

What St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Parish does

St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Parish is a Catholic parish in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood, founded circa 1899 and operating under the canonical authority of the Archdiocese of Chicago. The parish delivers weekly worship services in English with one French Mass (Saturday 6pm), full sacramental ministry (Baptism, Reconciliation, Communion, Confirmation, Matrimony, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders), and a dense faith-formation and outreach ecosystem that includes a Montessori-based Catechesis of the Good Shepherd with dedicated atriums, EDGE youth ministry for 7th-8th grade Confirmation preparation, RCIA, Alpha, Ignatian Koinonia small groups, Bible education classes, men's and women's spirituality groups, and Teresa Talks, a monthly young-adult gathering held off-site at Beermiscuous. Social-mission programs include a Saturday food pantry supplied primarily through the Greater Chicago Food Depository, the Loaves and Fishes weekly hot-meal program serving 60 to 80 beneficiaries, a refugee resettlement ministry run in coalition with Exodus World Services and the Lincoln Park/Old Town Parish Coalition, a Peace and Social Justice ministry partnered with the Coalition for Spiritual & Public Leadership, the SPRED disability inclusion program, and the Affirmed Ministry for LGBTQ+ members.

The parish operates with a small paid staff led by Pastor Fr. Peter Wojcik and Associate Pastor Fr. Radley Alcantara, supported by an Office Manager, Director of Religious Education, Part-Time Business Manager, Director of Music, and Building/Facilities Manager (eight named paid personnel plus housekeeping, consistent with the firmographic headcount of 18). Its technology stack is entirely third-party and non-proprietary: Give Central for online giving and recurring tithes, SignUp.com for volunteer scheduling, Mission Suite for event registration, OneCause for gala ticketing, and YouTube for livestreaming the 10am Sunday Mass. There is no bespoke platform, no proprietary intellectual property, and no disclosed AI/ML capability. Distribution is physical-first from the 1950 N Kenmore campus (church plus a separate parish office at 1037 W Armitage plus a dedicated Catechesis building at 1930 N Kenmore / Avila Place), with website, Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, and YouTube serving as supplementary engagement rather than primary delivery.

The revenue model is donation-driven across four streams: recurring Sunday collections through in-basket giving and Give Central, designated one-time special collections, the annual Together in Joy Gala (Early Bird tickets $150 capped at 50, Regular tickets $200, plus sponsorships and live/silent auction), and designated donations including refugee ministry giving through Give Central. The most recent disclosed weekly collection was $49,735 in April 2025 (Basket $12,585 plus Give Central $37,150), down 14.2% from $57,956 in the prior-year comparable week. With no published annual financial statements, a single metropolitan footprint, and a small paid headcount, the operating economic base is modest and locally anchored; the parish funds its operational budget and mission-driven outreach through the generosity of its Lincoln Park community without any surplus-growth or scale ambition evident in the input data.

Name

St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Parish

Legal name

St. Teresa of Avila Parish

Website

https://teresa.church

Company type

Private

Founded year

1899

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Parish is a Catholic parish founded circa 1899 in Chicago's Lincoln Park, delivering weekly Masses, sacraments, faith formation, and social-mission ministries to a small paid staff and broad volunteer base funded primarily by tithes, online giving, and an annual fundraising gala.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services (Catholic Parish)

NAICS

Religious Organizations (813110), Community Food Services (62421), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG), Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE)

Keywords

• Catholic parish services
• Religious education programs
• Faith formation ministries
• Social outreach services
• Community worship services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Sunday Offerings and Tithes: Parishioners contribute weekly or monthly tithes through Sunday collections or automatic giving via Give Central.
2. Special Collections and Campaigns: Specific gifts for holidays, events, and special causes handled automatically through Give Central.
3. Special Event Fundraising: Annual fundraising gala (Together in Joy) with ticket sales, sponsorships, and auction items generating revenue for parish ministries.
4. Refugee Ministry Support: Donations for refugee support programs through Give Central.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Parish is a Catholic parish in Lincoln Park, Chicago that delivers weekly Mass services (English and French), the seven Catholic sacraments, and a broad portfolio of religious education programs (Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Montessori program, EDGE youth ministry, RCIA, Bible classes, Koinonia/Alpha small groups, SPRED for individuals with developmental disabilities). It also operates social outreach ministries including a Saturday food pantry, the Loaves and Fishes hot meal program serving 60-80 meals weekly, and a refugee resettlement ministry, all supported by Sunday tithes, online giving, and an annual fundraising gala.

Product overview

St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Parish operates as a comprehensive parish with multiple interconnected ministry programs and religious education offerings. The core offerings include Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (Montessori-based religious education), EDGE Youth Ministry (confirmation preparation), Bible Education Classes, Koinonia and Alpha small groups, and sacrament preparation programs. Social outreach is delivered through the Food Pantry, Loaves and Fishes meals program, Welcome the Stranger refugee ministry, and Peace and Social Justice ministry. Additional services include live Mass streaming, SPRED special needs ministry, Men's and Women's spirituality groups, the annual Together in Joy Gala, and periodic blood drives. These programs are coordinated through volunteer management via SignUp.com and donations are processed through Give Central.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Montessori-based religious education program for children ages 18 months through 6th grade, conducted in prepared rooms called 'Atriums' with hands-on materials for understanding Scripture and Liturgy. Delivered by 10+ catechists each with over 100 hours of training.
• EDGE Youth Ministry
• Teresa Talks (Young Adult Series)
• Bible Education Classes
• Koinonia Small Groups
• Alpha Program
• Food Pantry
• Loaves and Fishes Ministry
• Welcome the Stranger Refugee Ministry
• Live Mass Streaming
• SPRED
• Peace and Social Justice Ministry
• Sacrament Preparation
• RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults)
• Men's Spirituality Group
• Women's Spiritual Reflection Group
• Together in Joy Gala
• Blood Drive

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves 60-80 hot meals weekly to community members in need
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Exodus World ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSt. Teresa of Avila works with Exodus World Services to support refugee families in coalition with other Lincoln Park/Old Town parishes. Together they support a refugee family's arrival by buying and delivering Welcome Packs and groceries, with volunteers also assisting as New Neighbors with English tutoring, public transportation navigation, and friendship.
• Coalition for Spiritual & Public Leadership (CSPL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Peace and Social Justice Ministry works in partnership with CSPL, a Chicagoland not-for-profit, multi-racial, multi-ethnic grassroots coalition that includes parishes, institutions and communities to address racial, social, economic, and environmental injustice by building power rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. CSPL trains and develops faith leaders and their respective congregations and institutions.
• Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe parish food pantry receives most of its food supply from the Greater Chicago Food Depository, supplemented by donations from parishioners and purchases of needed items.
• Archdiocese of ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSt. Teresa of Avila is a parish within the Archdiocese of Chicago, following archdiocesan guidelines for operations, safety protocols, sacraments, and compliance. Associated organization providing oversight and connection to broader Catholic Church structure.
• United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)minorOthersAssociated organization providing national Catholic Church leadership, guidelines, and standards including the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.
• VaticanminorOthersAssociated organization representing the global Catholic Church leadership in Rome.
• BeermiscuousminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVenue partner for Teresa Talks monthly young adult gatherings at 2812 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60657. Provides space for monthly conversations for people aged 22-35.
• Give CentralcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline giving platform partner that handles automatic weekly or monthly tithes, special gifts for holidays and events, and designated donations for various parish needs.
• Lincoln Park/Old Town Parish CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of parishes working together to support refugee families, demonstrating collaborative community approach.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Old St. Patrick's Church, Chicago: Historic Catholic parish in downtown Chicago with a comparable mix of worship, social outreach, and young-adult ministry. Operates with a similar revenue model of Sunday collections, online giving, and special events, making it a directly comparable peer in the same archdiocese.
• Holy Name Cathedral: The mother church of the Archdiocese of Chicago, providing the closest structural and operational benchmark to St. Teresa of Avila as a large Catholic parish offering multiple Masses, sacraments, religious education, and social ministries in a dense urban setting.
• Anshe Sholom B'nai Israel: Nearby North Side religious congregation with comparable programming including religious education, social action, and adult learning. Directly comparable as a competing faith community serving an overlapping Lincoln Park-adjacent population.
• St. Clement Parish, Chicago: Long-established Lincoln Park Catholic parish with similar worship schedules, religious education programs, and community outreach. Provides a directly comparable benchmark for parish operations, staffing, and Sunday collection dynamics in the same neighborhood.
• St. Michael's Parish, Old Town: Adjacent Lincoln Park/Old Town Catholic parish that is part of the same parish coalition supporting refugee resettlement through Exodus World Services. Operates a directly overlapping service area, demographic, and ministry mix, making it a near-substitute for parishioners.
• St. Alphonsus Parish, Chicago: Lakeview-side Catholic parish operating a similar portfolio of sacraments, faith formation, and outreach ministries to a comparable urban Chicago demographic. Directly comparable on staffing scale, programming breadth, and revenue model.
• Lakeview Lutheran Church: Nearby Christian congregation serving a similar Lincoln Park-adjacent demographic with comparable worship, small-group, and community outreach programming. Comparable as a competing faith-based community organization pursuing overlapping congregants.

Others

• Exodus World Services: Strategic partner that coordinates the parish's refugee resettlement work alongside other Lincoln Park/Old Town parishes. Relevant as the operational backbone enabling the parish's Welcome the Stranger refugee ministry.
• Greater Chicago Food Depository: Primary food supplier to St. Teresa of Avila's food pantry ministry and the broader regional hunger-relief backbone. Relevant as an upstream supplier/partner whose capacity directly determines the scale of the parish's food-assistance output.

Broad incumbents

• Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago: The umbrella social-services arm of the same archdiocese, operating the food pantry, refugee resettlement, and social-justice programs at scale that St. Teresa of Avila delivers locally. Comparable on mission and service lines, but at a vastly larger geographic and budget scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCebKtdqWOr5ciKP0cwaFrNg
• Facebookfacebook.com/StTeresaofAvilaChurch
• Instagraminstagram.com/stteresaofavilachurchchicago
• Xtwitter.com/sttschicago
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/st-teresa-of-avila-catholic-parish

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Parish