The Catholic Cemeteries Association

What The Catholic Cemeteries Association does

The Catholic Cemeteries Association (CCA) is a nonprofit corporation affiliated with the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh that owns, operates, and maintains 16 diocesan cemeteries across Allegheny and Washington Counties in western Pennsylvania. Incorporated on December 23, 1952 by Bishop John Dearden with four charter member cemeteries (St. Mary, St. Joseph/St. Thomas, Calvary, and St. Philomena), the organization is governed by a Board of Trustees appointed by the Diocesan Bishop, who serves as Chairman. CCA serves Catholic families in the Diocese — particularly those whose parishes lack cemeteries or whose parish cemeteries are full — providing burial, mausoleum, cremation, and memorial services in accordance with Catholic tradition and Church teaching on the resurrection of the body.

The core product portfolio spans ground burial services, Catholic mausoleum entombment (including the Pope St. John Paul II, Archangel Gabriel, and Holy Savior Chapel Mausoleums), Catholic cremation services (including the St. Paul Cremation Garden at Calvary Cemetery, columbariums, and cremation estates), green burials, monuments and markers, wreaths and floral arrangements, and pre-planning services via The Catholic Funeral Plan and a free Pre-Planning Guide. Specialty offerings include Catholic Veterans Services and ministry programs (A Light for the Journey, Bereavement Prayers, Memorial Prayer Services). The underlying operational technology is physical and real-estate-based — consecrated grounds, mausoleums, columbariums, and cremation gardens — augmented by a website (ccapgh.org), an online 'Find a Loved One' locator, and standard social media channels.

The revenue model combines one-time payments for burial rights, mausoleum crypts/niches, cremation estates, and monuments with subscription-style pre-planning contracts offering interest-free payment options and a Travel Protection Plan. GTM is direct-to-consumer through 16 physical cemetery locations, on-site pre-planning consultations, a toll-free contact line (1-866-794-5106), email inquiries, and community engagement events such as Memorial Prayer Services and bishop-led Mausoleum Blessings. Customer segments are exclusively individual Catholic families and pre-planning individuals — a fragmented SMB/consumer base with no enterprise or institutional concentration. Multiple concurrent new mausoleum, cremation garden, and columbarium launches indicate an active capital expansion cycle within a geographically bounded Diocese footprint.

Name

The Catholic Cemeteries Association

Legal name

The Catholic Cemeteries Association of the Diocese of Pittsburgh

Website

https://ccapgh.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Catholic Cemeteries Association is a nonprofit Catholic cemetery operator that owns and manages 16 diocesan cemeteries across Allegheny and Washington Counties in western Pennsylvania, providing ground burial, mausoleum, cremation, columbarium, monument, and pre-planning services to Catholic families in the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cemetery and Funeral Services

NAICS

Cemeteries and Crematories (812220), Death Care Services (8122)

SIC

Operators Of Nonresidential Buildings (6512)

akta.pro primary industry

Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Catholic cemetery services
• Burial plot sales
• Cremation services
• Pre-need funeral planning
• Mausoleum entombment

Headquarters

HQ city

Pittsburgh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Ground Burial Services: Traditional in-ground burial services at 16 diocesan cemeteries in Allegheny and Washington counties, Pennsylvania.
2. Mausoleum Burial: Chapel mausoleum entombment services including the Pope St. John Paul II Chapel Mausoleum, Archangel Gabriel Chapel Mausoleum, and Holy Savior Chapel Mausoleum.
3. Catholic Cremation Services: Cremation services including the St. Paul Cremation Garden at Calvary Cemetery, offering cremation estates, niches, and custom memorials.
4. Monuments and Markers: Sale of monuments, markers, wreaths, and floral arrangements for grave sites.
5. Pre-Planning Services: Catholic funeral and burial pre-planning services with interest-free payment options and protection benefits in the event of death.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Catholic Cemeteries Association operates 16 diocesan cemeteries across Allegheny and Washington Counties in Pennsylvania, providing Catholic burial, cremation, mausoleum entombment, and columbarium interment services. The organization also offers pre-planning arrangements (The Catholic Funeral Plan and Travel Protection Plan) and ancillary memorial products such as monuments, markers, wreaths, and floral arrangements. All facilities are operated under the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh.

Product overview

The Catholic Cemeteries Association (CCA) is a nonprofit organization affiliated with the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh that owns and operates 16 diocesan cemeteries across Allegheny and Washington Counties in western Pennsylvania. The company provides a comprehensive portfolio of burial and memorial services including Ground Burial Services, Catholic Mausoleum Burial, and Catholic Cremation Services (featuring cremation gardens like the St. Paul Cremation Garden and columbarium niche services). The core offering includes cemetery property management, memorial prayer services, and bereavement support resources. Additional products include Monuments & Markers, Wreaths & Floral Arrangements, and specialty offerings like Green Burials and Catholic Veterans Services. The company also offers pre-planning services through The Catholic Funeral Plan and the Catholic Pre-Planning Guide, along with The Travel Protection Plan for financial protection. Recent expansions include multiple new mausoleum constructions (Pope St. John Paul II Chapel Mausoleum, Archangel Gabriel Chapel Mausoleum, Holy Savior Chapel Mausoleum) and new columbarium facilities across various cemetery locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Catholic Ground Burial Traditional in-ground burial services in diocesan cemeteries across Allegheny and Washington Counties, available to Catholic families within the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
• Catholic Mausoleum Entombment

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Catholic Diocese of PittsburghcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1952The Catholic Cemeteries Association is a nonprofit corporation affiliated with the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh. The Association is governed by a Board of Trustees appointed by the Diocesan Bishop. The Bishop serves as Chairman of the Board. Established in 1952 by Bishop John Dearden, the Association owns and operates the 16 diocesan cemetery properties.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Dignity plc: U.K. funeral services operator with a portfolio of funeral homes and crematoria. Comparable as a death-care operator with pre-planning products, though U.K.-focused and secular rather than faith-affiliated.
• Park Lawn Corporation: Canadian-based cemetery, funeral, and cremation operator with an active acquisition strategy. Overlapping products in cemetery operations and pre-need sales, though focused on the Canadian market rather than the U.S. Catholic segment.

Direct peers

• Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia: Nonprofit Catholic cemetery organization serving the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Direct peer with shared Catholic burial traditions, diocesan governance, ground burial, mausoleum, and cremation services.
• Calvary Cemetery (Archdiocese of New York): Catholic cemetery operator within the Archdiocese of New York system. Comparable as a faith-affiliated, diocese-governed cemetery operation, although operated at a single large flagship site rather than a 16-property network.
• Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Newark: Operates diocesan Catholic cemeteries in northern New Jersey under the Archdiocese of Newark. Direct peer: same Catholic-affiliated nonprofit structure, same burial/cremation/mausoleum products, and same Diocesan Bishop governance model as CCA.

Broad incumbents

• StoneMor Inc. Operates a multi-state portfolio of cemeteries and funeral homes in the U.S. with a focus on pre-need sales. Comparable business model mix (cemetery operations plus pre-planning), but secular and broader in geography than CCA.
• Foundation Partners Group: Private equity-backed funeral home and cemetery operator across the U.S. Overlaps with CCA in cemetery operations and pre-need planning, though Foundation Partners is for-profit, multi-state, and serves a broader (non-faith-specific) customer base.
• Carriage Services: Public funeral and cemetery operator with a portfolio of death-care properties. Similar product set (burial, cremation, pre-planning) but operates at national scale versus CCA's regional diocesan footprint.
• Service Corporation International: The largest funeral services and cemetery operator in North America, operating the Dignity Memorial brand. Comparable as a scaled death-care provider with cemetery, cremation, and pre-planning products, though secular and far larger than CCA's regional diocesan network.

Others

• Diocese of Pittsburgh Cemeteries Office: The parent diocesan body that appoints CCA's Board of Trustees. Not an operating peer, but the institutional relationship defines CCA's governance, brand, and access to Catholic parishioners in the region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ccapgh
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC-m05AQn5_XfLqPUv4y1YWA?view_as=subscriber
• Facebookfacebook.com/ccaofpgh/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel&eid=ARBha3q1b6wGrWc7QJYsvkH5n2eXAIGM3-6pQY25XEOUiQmmrfsFraOO5dD-b_IyTAZ1yzyiD4UcqnIv
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ccapgh
• Instagraminstagram.com/ccaofpgh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 The Catholic Cemeteries Association