Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe

What Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe does

The Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a Catholic 501(c)(3) religious corporation that operates as the canonical U.S. province of the Order of Friars Minor (OFM), a global Franciscan fraternity tracing to St. Francis of Assisi in 1209. Formed in October 2023 through the merger of five prior U.S. OFM provinces, the entity is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, and comprises approximately 700 vowed friars organized across more than 50 local friaries in the United States, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica. Governance is led by Provincial Minister Br. Lawrence Hayes, OFM.

The Province delivers religious, educational, charitable, and pastoral services through a portfolio of ministries that includes parish staffing, Catholic schools and formation programs, hospital and prison chaplaincies, retreat centers, urban outreach, and migrant ministry on the U.S.–Mexico border. It operates within a broader ecosystem of canonical and academic partnerships, including the Diocese of El Paso, Siena College, St. Joseph's University School of Nursing, and Levo International, and is conducting a 2024 synodal discernment under a "Magnifica Humanitas" vision that links its ministries across North America and the Caribbean.

The Province is funded through a non-commercial model: donations, bequests, parish/stewardship contributions, and restricted funds supporting formation and retirement of vowed members. It does not sell products or services at market prices; financial scale is not publicly disclosed and there is no equity, valuation, or transaction framework applicable. Strategic direction is set by the Provincial Minister and his council, with operational coordination handled through defined ministries (parishes, education, formation, advocacy, and care of the aging).

Name

Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Legal name

Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Inc.

Website

https://friars.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a U.S. Catholic 501(c)(3) operating ~700 friars across 50+ friaries in the U.S., Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica, delivering parish, educational, charitable, and migrant ministries under the global Order of Friars Minor.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Ministry Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (813110), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

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

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), Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG)

Keywords

• Catholic parish ministry
• Youth faith formation
• Spiritual retreat programs
• Urban food ministry
• Vocational discernment programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Giving: The organization operates through donations from benefactors, parish support, and charitable giving. The website features a donation portal at give.friars.us.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Province provides Catholic pastoral and social ministry services delivered by approximately 700 Franciscan friars, including parish leadership, sacramental ministry, youth and young adult formation, spiritual retreats and pilgrimages, food and urban outreach, border and migrant ministry, hospital and prison chaplaincy, and Franciscan education. These ministry services are offered free of charge to those served and are sustained by donations from benefactors, parish support, and charitable giving, with online giving facilitated through give.friars.us.

Product overview

The Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a religious organization, not a technology company. The organization offers religious ministry services including a Youth and Young Adult Ministry program with discernment retreats and consultations, a Franciscan Pilgrimage Program for spiritual travel, an internal Guadalupe Portal for friar communications (via SharePoint), an online donations platform, and news/media content subscriptions. These are ministry and service offerings, not commercial technology products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Youth and Young Adult Ministry Program A ministry program offering discernment retreats, consultations, formation opportunities, events, and a Discipleship Pathway for young Catholics exploring faith, vocation, and Franciscan spirituality.
• Franciscan Pilgrimage Program A ministry offering guided pilgrimages to Assisi and other Franciscan sacred sites for individuals and groups seeking spiritual encounter through travel in the footsteps of Franciscan saints.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,000+ meals served monthly at Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry in Hartford
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 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 2024Siena College's Laudato Si' Center for Integral Ecology co-sponsored the 'Earth's Cry, Humanity's Call' symposium with the Province. The province is actively involved in environmental stewardship initiatives through this partnership.
• Franciscan Pilgrimage ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024A ministry of the Province that offers pilgrimages to Franciscan sacred sites, helping people encounter spirituality walking in the footsteps of saints.
• Diocese of El PasocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024The Cabrini Border Migrant Ministry Fraternity is helping the Diocese of El Paso implement the seven-year Laudato Si' Action Program and promote Laudato Si' Circles.
• Order of Friars Minor (International)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2023The Province operates under the guidance of the global Order of Friars Minor, with the Minister General formally establishing the new province. The Province participates in worldwide Franciscan synodal discernment.
• Poor ClarescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFranciscan sisters participating in the Provincial Synod alongside the friars as part of the broader Franciscan family discernment process.
• Secular FranciscanscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLay members of the Franciscan order participating in synodal discussions and Franciscan family activities.
• Levo InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit partnership for growing crops and easing food insecurities in Hartford communities.
• St. Joseph's University School of NursingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNursing students conduct wellness checks for people picking up meals at the Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Catholic Charities USA: National umbrella for diocesan Catholic social-service agencies. Comparable mission overlap in food insecurity, migrant services, and urban poverty relief, but operating as a federation of separately incorporated diocesan agencies rather than a single religious order.
• Franciscan Action Network: A national Franciscan-family advocacy nonprofit working on integral ecology, immigration, and social-justice issues that intersect with the Province's Laudato Si' and Cabrini Border Migrant ministries. Smaller, advocacy-focused peer sharing the same Franciscan charism.
• Benedictine Monks — Saint Meinrad Archabbey: Catholic men's religious community (Rule of St. Benedict) operating seminary formation, retreat ministry, and education. Comparable in religious-life structure and retreat-center offerings, though monastic (contemplative) rather than mendicant (active ministry) orientation.

Direct peers

• Augustinian Friars — Province of St. Thomas of Villanova: U.S. Augustinian province operating parishes, schools (Villanova University), and missions with similar friar-led governance and donation-based funding. Comparable in scale, ministry mix, and reliance on a mendicant religious-order model.
• Salesians of Don Bosco — USA East/West Provinces: Catholic men's religious order focused on youth ministry, education, and service to the poor — directly comparable to the Province's youth/young adult ministry and urban outreach emphases. Parallel provincial structure and donation-based support model.
• Capuchin Franciscans — Province of St. Augustine: A separate U.S. branch of the First Order of St. Francis serving the eastern United States with parishes, retreat houses, and urban ministries. Closest structural and ministry-model peer — same Franciscan charism, parallel province governance, comparable scale and donor base.
• Dominican Friars — Province of St. Joseph: Another mendicant Catholic men's religious order with parallel parish, educational, and preaching ministries across the U.S. Closely comparable in structure (multiple provinces, friar-led ministries, dependent on donations), though theologically distinct from the Franciscans.

Broad incumbents

• Order of Friars Minor (OFM) — global headquarters: The global parent body of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe; the canonical and operational umbrella of all OFM provinces worldwide. Direct governance and spiritual authority flow from OFM to the Province, making it the most direct structural peer.
• Society of Jesus (Jesuits) — USA Northeast/Midwest Provinces: One of the largest and most well-resourced U.S. Catholic men's religious orders with comparable ministries in universities (e.g., Fordham, Boston College), parishes, and social justice advocacy. Comparable scale and institutional footprint, though significantly larger endowment and staffing base.

Regional players

• Archdiocese of Atlanta: The Province's geographic host in Atlanta (where its headquarters sit). Operates overlapping parish, school, and charitable ministries across the same metropolitan area; partial geographic peer rather than structural competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/friarsguadalupe
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UChrS0XrO4h_k9eqzr6MpmQw/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/FriarGuadalupe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/friarsguadalupe
• Instagraminstagram.com/friarsguadalupe

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe