Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary

What Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary does

Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM) is an international Catholic religious congregation founded in 1844 by Blessed Marie Rose Durocher in Longueuil, Quebec, Canada. The congregation comprises over 1,000 Sisters and Associates across five countries (United States, Canada, Peru, Brazil, Lesotho), with 425 U.S. citizen Sisters ministering in California, Oregon, Washington, Mississippi, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, and New York. SNJM's U.S.-Ontario Province is headquartered in Marylhurst, Oregon, and the organization operates under canon law with no traditional ownership structure, governed by elected Congregational and Provincial Leadership Teams.

SNJM's core ministries span education, social justice advocacy, immigration and refugee support, affordable housing development, anti-human-trafficking initiatives, and environmental sustainability. Key programs include Heritage University and Holy Names University (higher education), Holy Names Music Center (Spokane, est. 1888), Nuestra Casa (serving ~1,500 immigrant families annually), Centro Social Madre Maria Rosa (Brazil), Mercy Greenbrae at Marylhurst Commons (100 units of affordable housing opened 2024), and the Women on a Mission podcast. The congregation is a founding member of Mercy Housing (1981) and Talitha Kum, the international anti-trafficking network.

The business model is donation-based, with no commercial pricing or revenue in the conventional sense. Funds derive from charitable contributions supporting program operations across the five-country footprint. Communications run through the SNJM Now bi-annual newsletter, the snjmusontario.org website, and social media channels. There is no proprietary technology product, no AI/ML capabilities, and no public API. Recent strategic activity has emphasized divestiture of legacy real estate (Spokane Campus 2016, Congregational House 2026) and redevelopment of former educational properties (Marylhurst University, closed 2018) into affordable housing through joint ventures with Mercy Housing Northwest.

Name

Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary

Legal name

Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, U.S.-Ontario Province

Website

https://snjmusontario.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1844

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary is an international Catholic religious congregation of over 1,000 Sisters founded in 1844, operating education, social justice, immigration support, affordable housing, and anti-human-trafficking ministries across five countries on a donation-based model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious and Social Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Religious education services
• Social justice advocacy
• Affordable housing development
• Immigrant support services
• Community ministry programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Marylhurst

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Support: SNJM receives donations and charitable contributions to support their ministries including education, social justice programs, affordable housing initiatives, and refugee/immigrant support services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM) is an international Catholic religious congregation that delivers community-based ministries including educational programs (such as the Holy Names Music Center), immigrant and refugee support services (Nuestra Casa), affordable housing development (Mercy Greenbrae at Marylhurst Commons), anti-human trafficking initiatives, and social justice advocacy across the United States, Canada, Peru, Brazil, and Lesotho. The congregation is supported by donations and operates without commercial pricing structures.

Product overview

The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM) is an international Catholic religious congregation offering various ministry programs and services rather than a commercial technology product. The organization operates educational programs (Holy Names Music Center), social justice initiatives (Nuestra Casa immigrant support, Centro Social Madre Maria Rosa in Brazil), and affordable housing projects (Mercy Greenbrae). The congregation communicates through a bi-annual newsletter (SNJM Now) and a podcast (Women on a Mission). There is no unified software platform or technology product offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Women on a Mission Podcast: SNJM's podcast featuring stories of Holy Names Sisters discussing their ministry work, covering education, immigrant and refugee support, affordable housing projects, and the future of religious life.
• SNJM Now
• Holy Names Music Center

Products and services

• SNJM Now Newsletter

Quantifiable outcome

• Mercy Greenbrae: 100 units of affordable housing opened in 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Mercy Housing NorthwestcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024SNJM collaborated with Mercy Housing Northwest to develop affordable housing on the former Marylhurst University campus. Mercy Greenbrae Apartments at Marylhurst Commons opened in 2024, providing 100 units of affordable housing in Oregon's Lake Oswego community. Mercy Housing Northwest is a national nonprofit founded by five religious communities including SNJM.
• Talitha KumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2017SNJM participates in Talitha Kum, the international network of consecrated life against human trafficking. Sister Ana María Vilca Mamani serves as Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean. SNJM took a stand against human trafficking as early as 2004.
• Intercommunity Peace and Justice Center (IPJC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPJC is a partnership of religious communities founded by Sister Linda Haydock. The organization challenges corporations to change unjust practices, advocates for sustainable water resources, seeks to end human trafficking, facilitates empowering action by low-income women through Women's Justice Circles, and fosters opportunities for young adults.
• FonkozemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSNJM supports Fonkoze (Fondasyon Kole Zepòl - Shoulder-to-Shoulder Foundation), a microfinance institution in Haiti that helps ultra-poor women in rural areas become financially self-sufficient. The U.S.-Ontario Province provides loans to support this mission.
• Mercy HousingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMercy Housing was founded in 1981 by six religious communities including SNJM. The organization has created over 48,000 homes since founding and residences for over 5,000 people in Washington and California. The Marylhurst property was Mercy's first development in Oregon.
• Kawsay Peru NetworkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSNJM Sister Ana María Vilca Mamani serves as National Coordinator of the Kawsay Peru Network since 2020, working on anti-human trafficking efforts in Peru.
• Catholic Charities SpokanemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCatholic Charities purchased the convent buildings and portion of SNJM's 65-acre Spokane Campus. The organization plans adaptive reuse for social services programs called 'Rising Strong' in collaboration with Empire Health Foundation, plus affordable housing development.
• Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSNJM participates in LCWR Region 15 meetings and initiatives. LCWR brings together women religious communities for collaboration on justice priorities including advocacy and direct service.
• CLAR (Latin American Confederation of Religious)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSNJM participates in the Commission Against Human Trafficking of CLAR since 2023, coordinating anti-trafficking efforts across Latin America.
• Center for Restorative Justice WorksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSNJM supports Get On The Bus program which reunites children with incarcerated mothers. The Sisters helped provide lodging for children and their counselors at Camp Suzanne at the federal women's prison in Dublin, CA.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Mercy Housing: National nonprofit affordable housing developer founded in 1981 by six religious communities including SNJM. Direct partner on the Mercy Greenbrae project and broader operational extension of SNJM's affordable housing mission.
• Catholic Charities USA: National umbrella organization for Catholic social service agencies. Purchased SNJM's Spokane campus in 2016 and operates social services that overlap with SNJM's ministries across immigration, housing, and anti-trafficking.

Direct peers

• Sisters of Mercy: A Catholic religious congregation of women Sisters with a similarly broad ministry footprint in education, healthcare, and social justice across the U.S. and internationally. SNJM co-founded Mercy Housing with the Sisters of Mercy, making them the closest operational and historical peer.
• Ursuline Sisters: One of the oldest Catholic women's religious congregations, with historic commitment to education and social justice. Comparable in longevity (multi-century), educational institution founding, and current transition from direct operation to mission-aligned partnerships.
• IHM Sisters (Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary): Catholic women's religious congregation with strong U.S. educational and social justice footprint, including work with immigrants and underserved populations. Comparable in mission scope, congregation size, and partnership-driven delivery model.
• Sisters of Charity: Another major Catholic women's religious congregation with parallel commitments to education, healthcare, and social services, including housing and immigrant support. Direct comparable in mission, governance structure, and operational scope.
• Sisters of St. Joseph: A Catholic congregation of women religious operating schools, hospitals, and social service programs across multiple U.S. provinces. Direct peer in canonical structure, ministry diversification, and community-led service delivery.
• Sisters of Providence: Catholic Sisters congregation focused on education, social justice, and healthcare ministries, with similar geographic concentration in the Pacific Northwest and Eastern U.S. Closely comparable in vocation demographics and ministry mix.
• Maryknoll Sisters: U.S.-based Catholic women's religious congregation with explicit international mission focus (Latin America, Africa, Asia) in social justice and education. Most directly comparable on the international five-country ministry footprint that SNJM maintains.
• Dominican Sisters: Large international Catholic order of women religious with parallel commitments to education, social justice advocacy, and contemplation. Comparable in scale, longevity, and the combination of educational institutions plus advocacy ministries.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/sistersoftheholynames
• Facebookfacebook.com/SistersoftheHolyNames
• Instagraminstagram.com/sistersoftheholynames
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/snjm-us-ontario

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary