ORDER OF FRIARS MINOR

What ORDER OF FRIARS MINOR does

The Order of Friars Minor, operating as the Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, is a Catholic religious order formed in October 2023 through the unification of five U.S. Franciscan provinces (Holy Name of Jesus, Saint John the Baptist, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Immaculate Conception, and Sacred Heart). The legal entity, "Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Inc.," is incorporated in Georgia with operational headquarters in Hapeville/Atlanta. The brotherhood comprises nearly 700 friars organized across approximately 50 friaries and 7 regional assemblies, spanning the United States, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica. Governance is exercised through a Provincial Minister and Provincial Council elected by the friars; the current administration was elected at the Chapter of Elections held in St. Louis in July 2026. The firmographic employee count of 29 reflects lay administrative staff; total religious membership is roughly 24x that figure.

Core operations center on spiritual ministry and direct service to the poor and marginalized. Activities are delivered through parish ministry, retreat centers, schools, universities, hospitals, and prisons. Direct-service operating units include St. Francis Center in Los Angeles (54+ years operating, 168,000+ meals served annually, 47,000 pantry boxes, 2,600 showers, 2.1 million pounds of food rescued, supported by 2,100 volunteers) and the Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry in Hartford (4,000+ meals monthly). The order runs a six-step formation pipeline for men discerning religious vocations, with dedicated postulancy in Silver Spring, Maryland, novitiate in Santa Barbara, California, and theological studies in San Antonio, Texas. Approximately 70 friars are dedicated to vocation ministry. There are no proprietary technology systems, no application, no public API, and no AI/ML components underlying the operations; technology footprint is limited to a website (friars.us), social media presence, and email/newsletter infrastructure.

The revenue model is donations and charitable contributions, with no commercial pricing or product monetization. Funding flows through the give.friars.us donation portal and supporting benefactors. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. The organization earned a National Catholic Media Award from the Catholic Media Association in 2026, reflecting its investments in communications and content. The Province maintains compliance with the Dallas Charter for the Protection of Children and Praesidium accreditation for safeguarding policies.

Name

ORDER OF FRIARS MINOR

Legal name

Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Inc.

Website

https://usfranciscans.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Order of Friars Minor) is a Catholic religious order of nearly 700 friars serving the poor and marginalized across the United States, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica through parish ministry, direct service centers, education, and formation programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Denominational & Ecclesiastical Governance Bodies (Dioceses, Synods, Conferences) (BPAGAJAB), Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

Keywords

• Religious ministry services
• Vocation formation programs
• Homeless services
• Food pantry assistance
• Catholic retreat centers

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, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization relies on donations and financial support from benefactors to fund ministry operations, care for elderly friars, education of young friars, and outreach to the poor and marginalized.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Order of Friars Minor is a Catholic religious order whose core offering is religious ministry and direct service to the poor and marginalized. Nearly 700 Franciscan friars live in community across approximately 50 friaries, serving through parish ministry, retreat centers, schools, universities, hospitals, prisons, and direct outreach sites such as St. Francis Center in Los Angeles and the Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry in Hartford. Revenue is generated entirely through donations and charitable contributions from benefactors.

Product overview

The Order of Friars Minor (Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe) is a religious organization offering ministry services rather than a technology product company. Their offerings consist of spiritual formation programs (vocational discernment and six-step formation process), direct service ministries (St. Francis Center in Los Angeles, Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry in Hartford), youth and young adult ministry programs, and Franciscan Volunteer Ministry for lay participants. Additional offerings include mission trips through Franciscan Missionary Union, pilgrimage programs, and educational content through the 'Hold Back Nothing' video series. The organization serves communities across the United States, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Franciscan Friars Ministry Services Franciscan friars provide religious ministry services including prayer, fraternity, and care for the poor across urban and rural communities in the United States, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica. Services include parish ministry, retreats, sacramental ministry, and direct outreach to the poor and marginalized.
• Vocation and Formation Program A six-step formation process guiding individuals from initial discernment through final vows, including postulancy in Silver Spring, Maryland, novitiate in Santa Barbara, theological studies in San Antonio, and ministry experience in diverse cultural settings. Supported by 70 dedicated vocation ministers.
• St. Francis Center (Los Angeles) A full-service center in downtown Los Angeles serving thousands annually with hot breakfast, clean clothing, showers, hygiene supplies, laundry services, and pantry programs. In the past year served more than 168,000 meals, provided nearly 2,600 showers, and distributed nearly 47,000 pantry boxes.
• Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry (Hartford) Urban ministry center in Hartford, Connecticut, providing sandwich ministry and food outreach serving more than 4,000 meals monthly, with parish volunteer teams and an urban-agriculture partnership.
• Youth and Young Adult Ministry A pilot program for youth and young adult ministry with virtual fraternity initiatives to unite ministry leaders, providing consultation services, discipleship pathways, and opportunities for engagement with Catholic youth and young adults.
• Franciscan Volunteer Ministry A program where lay men and women live in community and dedicate themselves to ministry at one of the friars' locations, serving the poor and marginalized across the province.
• Franciscan Missionary Union Mission trips offering opportunities for laypeople to walk in the footsteps of St. Francis and experience meaningful pilgrimage sites.
• Franciscan Pilgrimage Programs Programs facilitating pilgrimages to Italy, California, the Holy Land, and other meaningful sites with Franciscan guidance for laypeople and supporters.

Quantifiable outcome

• 168,000+ meals served annually at St. Francis Center Los Angeles
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Siena College (Laudato Si' Center for Integral Ecology)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024The Province co-sponsored the 'Earth's Cry, Humanity's Call: A Symposium on Integral Ecology' at Siena College, exploring climate crisis from a Franciscan perspective. Brothers Michael Perry, OFM, Jacek Orzechowski, OFM, and Jimmy Kernan, OFM, organized the event which drew more than 1,000 participants.
• Diocese of El PasocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Friars from the Cabrini Border Migrant Ministry Fraternity are helping the Diocese of El Paso implement the seven-year Laudato Si' Action Program. They assist in forming Laudato Si' Circles and promoting care for creation ministry.
• St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Catholic Parish (El Paso)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Friars serve at this parish and work with the Diocesan Laudato Si' Action Team to promote environmental stewardship and care for creation in the border community.
• House of BreadcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024The Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry partners with House of Bread, with 15 teams of parish volunteers serving breakfast and lunch at the Center.
• Levo InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership to grow crops and ease food insecurities in the Hartford community through the Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry.
• Franciscan Missionary UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Organization offering mission trips opportunities for laypeople to walk in the footsteps of St. Francis and experience meaningful pilgrimage sites.
• Franciscan Pilgrimage ProgramscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Organization facilitating pilgrimages to Italy, California, the Holy Land and other meaningful sites with Franciscan guidance.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Salesians of Don Bosco (Salesian Society): Catholic religious order with a comparable U.S. footprint focused on youth ministry, education, and parishes — overlapping beneficiary populations (youth, poor, marginalized) and similar parish/education-school distribution model.
• Congregation of Holy Cross (Holy Cross Priests & Brothers): Another U.S. Catholic religious institute with parishes, education (Notre Dame etc.), and formation programs — comparable donor base and footprint of vowed members engaged in education and pastoral ministry.
• Augustinians (Order of St. Augustine): Catholic mendicant order running parishes, schools, and retreat ministries in the U.S. with a vowed-friar community and donation-based funding — directly comparable in apostolic mix.
• Capuchin Franciscans (Order of Friars Minor Capuchin): The most directly comparable peer: another independent branch of the First Order of St. Francis running parishes, retreat houses, and direct service to the poor in the U.S. with a comparable friar-based operating model and fundraising profile.
• Order of Preachers (Dominicans) – Province of St. Joseph: Another Catholic mendicant religious order with parishes, preaching, education, and direct service to the poor; structurally similar (vowed friars, elected provincial leadership, donation-funded apostolates).
• Congregation of Christian Brothers (De La Salle): U.S. Catholic teaching brotherhood with a similar vow-based, community-living structure focused on education and service to the poor — overlapping formation pipeline and donor support base.
• Passionists (Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ): Catholic religious order with overlapping U.S. footprint in parishes, retreat houses, and preaching missions — comparable vowed-membership operating model and ministry mix.
• Benedictine Monks (American-Cassinese / Saint Meinrad): An older Catholic religious order with monasteries, retreat ministry, schools, and hospitality; comparable as a vowed community running apostolic works through donations and volunteer support.

Others

• Catholic Charities USA: Federated national nonprofit network of Catholic direct-service agencies providing food, shelter, and immigrant services. Not a religious order, but the closest faith-based nonprofit comparable on direct-service scale (meals, shelter, immigrant aid) and donor base.

Broad incumbents

• Society of Jesus (Jesuits USA): The largest U.S. Catholic men's religious order, similarly running parishes, universities, retreat houses, and social-justice ministries on a national scale; comparable structure of vowed members in community, donation funding, and integrated apostolic works.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 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/order-of-friars-minor
• Instagraminstagram.com/friarsguadalupe

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about ORDER OF FRIARS MINOR