Commissariat de Terre Sainte au Canada

What Commissariat de Terre Sainte au Canada does

Commissariat de Terre Sainte au Canada is a registered Canadian charitable organization headquartered at 6455 Louis Riel Avenue, Montreal, Quebec, operating as the official Canadian extension of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land (Custodia Terrae Sanctae) in Jerusalem. Its core function is fundraising, donor education, and spiritual resource distribution in support of Christian communities and holy places across Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Iran. The organization traces its institutional lineage to a 1421 papal mandate permitting Franciscan commissariats throughout the Western world and operates under the 1877 Collecta pro Locis Sanctis framework. It reports no commercial revenue and has no equity investors, functioning under the ecclesiastical authority of the Holy See through the Congregation for the Eastern Churches.

The Commissariat's portfolio of products and services is entirely non-commercial. Its primary product is the annual Good Friday Collection conducted in Catholic parishes across Canada, supplemented by the Holy Land Collection, downloadable spiritual resources (Stations of the Cross, Prayers for Peace, Communal Adoration), Spiritual Affiliations, and Mass Intentions celebrated in the Holy Land. Donation intake is supported through three channels: e-transfer, credit card via the CanaDon platform, and mail. The underlying technology is a Drupal-based website hosted by Answermen Ltd.; there are no APIs, mobile applications, or AI capabilities. The Holy Land Review Magazine and its French-language counterpart Terre Sainte provide recurring donor engagement.

The go-to-market motion is event-driven and community-led. Parish priests appeal to congregants during Mass in the two Sundays preceding Good Friday, while the organization maintains donor relationships through newsletters, the magazine, and prayer resources. Partnerships with the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), the Franciscans of Canada, and the Order of Malta provide institutional reach and humanitarian delivery infrastructure, including medical care in Gaza. The 2026 leadership transition to Custos Fr. Francesco Ielpo signals continuity of the papal mission rather than strategic redirection.

Name

Commissariat de Terre Sainte au Canada

Legal name

Commissariat de Terre Sainte au Canada

Website

https://commissariat.ca

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: The primary revenue stream comes from charitable donations collected primarily through the annual Good Friday Collection in Catholic parishes across Canada. Donors include individual parishioners, families, and parish communities who contribute to support Christians in the Holy Land and maintain sacred sites.
2. Pilgrimage Fees: The organization organizes and promotes pilgrimages to the Holy Land, which provide spiritual experiences while contributing to local economies and generating organizational support for ongoing operations.
3. Magazine Subscriptions: Revenue from Holy Land Review Magazine subscriptions helps fund operational costs and supports ongoing communication with supporters.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Commissariat de Terre Sainte au Canada is the Canadian extension of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land in Jerusalem. It coordinates fundraising and spiritual resources to support Christians and Christian holy places in Israel, Palestine, and surrounding countries. Its primary offerings are the annual Good Friday Collection and Holy Land Collection conducted in Catholic parishes across Canada, alongside prayer resources, mass intentions, spiritual affiliations, and Holy Land pilgrimage programs.

Product overview

Commissariat de Terre Sainte au Canada is a charitable organization that serves as the Canadian extension of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land in Jerusalem. The organization does not offer a technology product but rather provides a portfolio of spiritual and charitable services including: annual Good Friday and Holy Land Collections for supporting Christians and holy sites in the Middle East; downloadable prayer resources (Stations of the Cross, Prayers for Peace, Prayers for Communal Adoration); spiritual affiliations and mass intentions connecting donors to prayer in the Holy Land; and various donation mechanisms (e-transfer, credit card via CanaDon, mail). The organization functions as a fundraising and informational arm of the Franciscan mission, not as a technology platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Good Friday Collection Annual fundraising collection organized in Catholic parishes across Canada to support the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, supporting Christians and holy sites in Israel, Palestine, and surrounding countries.
• Holy Land Collection Annual pontifical collection to support the pastoral, educational, and social needs of Christians in the Holy Land and the Middle East.
• Spiritual Affiliations Spiritual affiliation program where donors participate in the mission of the Custody of the Holy Land through union of prayer with Christians residing in and pilgrims visiting the Holy Land.
• Mass Intentions Mass intentions that are celebrated in the Holy Land sites, connecting donors to prayer in the sacred places.
• E-Transfer Donations Bank e-transfer donation option allowing Canadian donors to contribute to the Holy Land support efforts, with official tax receipt issuance.
• Credit Card Donations via CanaDon Credit card donation option processed through CanaDon platform for supporting Holy Land needs.
• Holy Land Pilgrimages Organized pilgrimage programs to the Holy Land providing spiritual experiences for Canadian Catholics while contributing to local economies and supporting ongoing operations.
• Holy Land Review Magazine Subscription Recurring subscription to the Holy Land Review Magazine, a photo-journalistic publication covering current events, social issues, spirituality, archaeology, and ecumenism in the Holy Land.

Quantifiable outcome

• Support for approximately 130,000 Arab Christians in Israel and Palestine
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land (Jerusalem)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe parent organization in Jerusalem that cares for Christian people and holy places throughout Israel, Palestine, and surrounding countries. The Canadian Commissariat is its official extension in Canada, collecting funds and transmitting them to the Custody.
• Custodia Terrae SanctaecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe official website of the Franciscan Custody providing reliable information on their work and involvement in the Holy Land.
• Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe national council of Catholic bishops that supports and promotes the Good Friday Collection in Canadian dioceses and parishes.
• Franciscans of CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFranciscan friars in Canada who collaborate on spiritual animation and biblical expertise for pilgrimages.
• Order of MaltamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation between the Latin Patriarchate and the Order of Malta for the Saint-Joseph clinic in Gaza, providing medical care and distributing humanitarian aid.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Commissariat de Terre Sainte au Canada