FRANCISCANS PROVINCE OF THE SACRED HEART

What FRANCISCANS PROVINCE OF THE SACRED HEART does

The Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Inc., operating as the Franciscan Friars, is a Catholic religious nonprofit and canonical province of the Order of Friars Minor (OFM) in the United States. It was formed on October 17, 2023, through the unification of five former U.S. OFM provinces, creating a coast-to-coast fraternity of nearly 700 Franciscan friars headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with ministry presence across the United States, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica. The province is led by a Provincial Minister (Br. Lawrence Hayes, OFM) and elected Provincial Council, with regional vocation directors covering the Western, Central, Eastern, and Caribbean regions, and a small lay administrative staff supporting operations.

The organization delivers spiritual, pastoral, and charitable services through friars embedded in parishes, schools, universities, hospitals, prisons, and retreat centers, supported by a structured formation pipeline (postulancy in Silver Spring, novitiate in Santa Barbara, theological studies in San Antonio, and solemn profession). Its ministry portfolio includes the Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry in Hartford (serving over 4,000 meals monthly), the Cabrini Border Migrant Ministry, Youth and Young Adult Ministry programs, retreat houses, and integral ecology initiatives in partnership with Siena College and the Diocese of El Paso. Digital assets consist of the friars.us public website, a SharePoint-based Guadalupe Portal for internal coordination, the Franciscan Store e-commerce site, and a YouTube video series ("Hold Back Nothing") for evangelization.

The province's revenue model is donation-based and non-commercial: it relies on voluntary contributions from benefactors, parish collections, and charitable giving rather than fees for spiritual services. It maintains Praesidium accreditation and Dallas Charter compliance for safeguarding, employs a small lay administrative workforce with standard employee benefits, and operates Franciscan media (Friar One) and merchandise channels as supplementary engagement tools rather than profit centers. There is no traditional technology product, SaaS platform, or AI capability; the digital footprint is mission-supportive rather than revenue-generating.

Name

FRANCISCANS PROVINCE OF THE SACRED HEART

Legal name

Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Inc.

Website

https://thefriars.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Inc. is a Catholic Franciscan friary order of nearly 700 friars formed in October 2023 from five merged U.S. provinces, serving parishes, schools, hospitals, and charitable ministries across the United States, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica through donations and volunteer-supported pastoral care.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Ministry Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (813110), Religious Organizations (8131), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Denominational & Ecclesiastical Governance Bodies (Dioceses, Synods, Conferences) (BPAGAJAB)

Keywords

• Catholic ministry services
• Religious formation programs
• Parish pastoral care
• Vocation discernment
• Charitable community outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The province relies on donations from benefactors and the public to support their ministries serving the poor and marginalized. They operate donation pages and engage in fundraising activities.
2. Employee Benefits Administration: The province employs lay staff at their headquarters in Atlanta and throughout their ministry locations, offering benefits including medical, dental, vision insurance, retirement savings, and parental leave.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe (FRANCISCANS PROVINCE OF THE SACRED HEART) is a Catholic religious nonprofit organization that fields nearly 700 Franciscan friars serving in parishes, schools, universities, hospitals, prisons, retreat centers, and charitable ministries across the United States, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica. Its core offerings include pastoral and sacramental ministry, vocation formation (postulancy, novitiate, theological studies), youth and young adult ministry, urban charitable services (e.g., the Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry serving 4,000+ meals monthly), migrant and refugee assistance, integral ecology/Laudato Si' advocacy, and an e-commerce religious merchandise store (The Franciscan Store).

Product overview

The Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe offer a collection of ministry programs and digital platforms rather than a traditional product portfolio. Core offerings include the friars.us website for public engagement and information, the internal Guadalupe Portal for friar communications, the Youth and Young Adult Ministry for spiritual development, Vocation Ministry for recruitment and formation, The Franciscan Store for merchandise, and the Hold Back Nothing video series for evangelization. The province also operates the safeguarding program for compliance and protection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Youth and Young Adult Ministry A ministry program providing spiritual guidance, events, discipleship pathways, and consultation services for Catholic youth and young adults within the Franciscan tradition.
• Vocation Ministry (Become a Friar Formation Program) A multi-year formation program helping men discern and pursue a calling to become Franciscan friars, progressing through postulancy (Silver Spring, MD), novitiate (Santa Barbara, CA), ministry experience, theological studies (San Antonio, TX), and final vows.
• The Franciscan Store An e-commerce platform selling Franciscan-themed merchandise and religious items such as books, apparel, sacramentals, and devotional goods to Catholic consumers and supporters.
• Parish and Sacramental Ministry Services Franciscan friars serve in parishes providing liturgical services, sacraments, pastoral care, spiritual guidance, and community building to Catholic parishioners across the United States, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica.
• Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry (Hartford) Direct charitable service center serving more than 4,000 meals monthly, providing food, healthcare support, and social services to underserved populations in Hartford, CT, including partnerships with Levo International for hydroponic farming, St. Joseph's University School of Nursing for wellness checks, and House of Bread for meal staffing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves more than 4,000 meals monthly through Hartford ministry
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Siena CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Co-sponsored the 'Earth's Cry, Humanity's Call: A Symposium on Integral Ecology' with Siena College's Laudato Si' Center for Integral Ecology. Friars Br. Michael Perry, Br. Jacek Orzechowski, and Br. Jimmy Kernan organized the event with over 1,000 participants.
• Diocese of El PasocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Friars from Cabrini Border Migrant Ministry Fraternity (Br. Jim McIntosh, Br. Maikel Gomez, Br. Ignatius Harding) are helping the Diocese implement the Laudato Si' Action Program and promote Laudato Si' Circles.
• Five Former Franciscan ProvincescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2023Five U.S. OFM provinces united to form the new Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe in October 2023, creating a coast-to-coast fraternity of nearly 700 friars.
• Levo InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to grow crops and ease food insecurities in the Hartford area through hydroponic farming and agricultural initiatives.
• St. Joseph's University School of NursingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNursing students provide wellness checks and basic healthcare services for people picking up meals at the Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry in Hartford.
• House of BreadminorStrategic or Co-development Partner15 teams of parish volunteers help staff the House of Bread, serving breakfast and lunch at the Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry.
• Poor ClaresminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFranciscan women religious participating in the Franciscan Provincial Synod and receiving chaplain services from province friars.
• Secular FranciscanscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLay members of the Franciscan family participating in the Franciscan Provincial Synod and synodal discernment process.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Order of Preachers (Dominicans): Catholic preaching order with parallel structures of provincial governance, formation houses, and parish/academic ministries. Operates a US Province of St. Joseph with comparable geographic dispersion and vocation programs.
• Society of Jesus (Jesuits): Another large Catholic men's religious order operating parishes, schools (e.g., Georgetown, Boston College), and social ministries across the US. Directly comparable as a mendicant-style order with formation, vow, and ministry structures analogous to the Franciscan OFM Province.
• Order of Saint Augustine (Augustinians): Catholic mendicant order with US provinces operating parishes, schools (e.g., Villanova, Merrimack), and charitable ministries. Comparable governance and ministry mix.
• Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (Capuchins): An autonomous branch of the broader Franciscan First Order sharing Franciscan spirituality and habit but operating as a separate order. Direct peer in mission, formation model, and parish/charitable ministry.
• Order of Saint Benedict (Benedictines): Another major Catholic men's religious order with US provincial governance, monastic communities, parish service, and educational institutions (e.g., St. John's, Belmont Abbey). Comparable organizational scale and mission profile.
• Paulist Fathers: US-based Catholic missionary society engaged in parish ministry, evangelization, and digital media outreach. Comparable in vocation recruitment approach and contemporary communications investment.
• Salesians of Don Bosco: Catholic religious order focused on youth ministry, education, and charitable works for the underserved—paralleling the Franciscan Province's care for the poor and marginalized populations.
• Passionists: Catholic men's religious order with US provincial structure, retreat house operations, and parish ministry. Comparable in scale and operational footprint.
• Marianists: Catholic religious order with US Province of San Antonio (co-located with the Franciscan theological studies site), running educational institutions (University of Dayton, Chaminade) and parish ministries.

Broad incumbents

• Diocese of Atlanta (USCCB member dioceses): The Catholic diocesan structure within which the Franciscan Province operates parishes in Georgia. Comparable as a Catholic institutional body with similar parish/charitable ministry functions, though diocesan (secular clergy) rather than religious order governance.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tweet
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UChrS0XrO4h_k9eqzr6MpmQw/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/sharer.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/franciscans-province-of-the-sacred-heart
• Instagraminstagram.com/friarsguadalupe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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