Dominican Sisters Grand Rapids

What Dominican Sisters Grand Rapids does

Dominican Sisters Grand Rapids is a Catholic religious congregation founded in 1877 in Michigan and affiliated with the 800-year-old Order of Preachers (Dominican Order). The congregation operates from its Marywood Motherhouse campus at 111 Lakeside Drive NE, Grand Rapids, and runs the Dominican Center Marywood, a spiritual formation center located on the Aquinas College campus at 1700 Fulton Street East. Its mission centers on the four Dominican pillars of prayer, study, community, and service, and it is led by an elected Leadership Team (2024-2030) headed by Prioress Megan McElroy, OP.

The congregation's core products are spiritual formation programs delivered through the Dominican Center, including the two-part Foundations in Spirituality course series (Foundations I and Foundations II: Wisdom from the Margins), the Spiritual Director Practicum for training spiritual directors, retreats and workshops (e.g., Contemplative Living, Write Your Heart Out writing circles, How to Host Group Spiritual Direction), the Dominican Associate Life program for non-vowed lay members (with more than 150 active Associates), and daily Liturgy of the Hours prayer services. Programs are delivered both in-person at the Grand Rapids campus and virtually via Zoom. The organization also publishes the Mission & Ministry Magazine and operates sub-brands including the Veritas Society planned giving program and the Daily Blessings email subscription.

The revenue model is a nonprofit/religious congregation model rather than a commercial one, funded primarily through donations and gifts channeled via the GR Dominican Sisters Foundation, supplemented by program and retreat fees. Pricing for educational programs is modest and tier-based (e.g., $495 for the full Foundations II course) with scholarships and payment plans available. The congregation engages in justice and advocacy work including ICE detainee ministry at GEO North Lake Prison in Baldwin, Michigan, and public statements on immigration policy, while also maintaining its Laudato Si' environmental commitments on the Marywood Campus natural areas.

Name

Dominican Sisters Grand Rapids

Legal name

Dominican Sisters Grand Rapids

Website

https://grdominicans.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1877

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Dominican Sisters Grand Rapids is a Catholic religious congregation founded in 1877 in Michigan, operating the Dominican Center Marywood on the Aquinas College campus to deliver spiritual formation courses, retreats, spiritual direction training, and lay Associate programs, funded by donations and modest program fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Community & Spiritual Formation Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly (6233), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Religious congregation
• Spiritual formation
• Retreat programs
• Catholic education
• Community ministry

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Gifts: The organization relies on donations and gifts from supporters to fund its mission activities including prayer and worship, study in community, sister care and wellness, connection with creation, peace and justice work, and faith in action through the GR Dominican Sisters Foundation.
2. Program and Retreat Fees: Revenue generated from educational and spiritual formation programs including courses like Foundations II and spiritual direction practicums, as well as retreat programs.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Dominican Sisters Grand Rapids is a Catholic women's religious congregation that lives in community following the Rule of St. Augustine and the Constitutions of the Dominican Sisters. Its core work is spiritual formation, contemplative community life, preaching, teaching, retreat leadership, and ministry service, anchored by the Dominican Center at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Product overview

Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids is a Catholic religious congregation (part of the 800-year Order of Preachers) offering spiritual formation programs through its Dominican Center. The core offerings include Foundations in Spirituality (a two-course series: Foundations I and Foundations II: Wisdom from the Margins), the Spiritual Director Practicum for training spiritual directors, and various Retreats & Workshops such as Contemplative Living and Group Spiritual Direction training. Additional programs include the Dominican Associate Life program for lay members, daily Liturgy of the Hours prayer services, and the Mission & Ministry Magazine publication. The organization operates from its Marywood Campus motherhouse, which includes residence halls (Aquinata Hall), the Chapel of the Word, and Catherine of Siena Chapel. All programs are accessible in-person at the Grand Rapids campus and virtually via Zoom for online offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dominican Center: Spiritual formation center at Marywood offering retreats, workshops, and spiritual direction training.
• Marywood Campus
• Veritas Society
• Daily Blessings

Products and services

• Spiritual Formation Programs

Segments4 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.

• Aquinas CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDominican Center Marywood is located on Aquinas College campus, enabling collaboration on spiritual formation programs, educational events, and shared mission. The college hosts the Jubilee Year of Hope speaker series with Dominican Sisters participation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Aquinas College: The strategic host institution where Dominican Center Marywood is physically located; provides educational programming, facility access, and co-branded events that anchor Dominican Sisters Grand Rapids's outreach in Michigan.

Emerging players

• Mercy Center Retreat & Conference (St. Louis): A retreat and spiritual formation center run by a religious congregation, offering multi-day retreats, spiritual direction, and formation programs in direct competitive overlap with Dominican Center's offerings.
• Ignatian Spirituality Centers (e.g., Colombiere Center): Network of Jesuit-sponsored retreat and spiritual direction centers offering contemplative programs similar to Dominican Center Marywood's Foundations in Spirituality courses and group spiritual direction training.

Broad incumbents

• Society of Jesus (Jesuits) - USA Northeast Province: A major Catholic male religious order with parallel Ignatian spiritual formation (retreats, spiritual direction, Institutes) that compete for the same contemplative-formation audience served by Dominican Sisters Grand Rapids.
• Sisters of Mercy of the Americas: A much larger Catholic women's religious institute with comparable ministries in education, healthcare, spiritual formation, and justice advocacy - a broader incumbent operating many of the same activities at greater scale.
• Benedictine Sisters (Federation of St. Gertrude): A monastic women's religious order offering contemplative life, retreat ministry, and spiritual direction - functionally similar to Dominican Sisters Grand Rapids's formation offerings within a different (Benedictine) tradition.

Direct peers

• Adrian Dominican Sisters: Same Dominican Sisters of Marywood Motherhouse tradition - a Dominican women's religious congregation based in Adrian, Michigan, also operating in the Midwest with similar ministries, education partnerships, and Associate programs.
• Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa: A Dominican women's religious congregation headquartered in Sinsinawa, Wisconsin, with shared Dominican charism, peace/justice advocacy, and formation programs closely paralleling Grand Rapids Dominican offerings.
• Dominican Sisters of Blauvelt: A Dominican women's religious congregation offering spiritual formation, retreats, and Associate Life programs comparable to those run by Dominican Sisters Grand Rapids.
• Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Illinois: Another Dominican women's congregation (Missionary Sisters of the Most Holy Rosary) with overlapping ministries, Associate programs, and a similar Midwest footprint serving seekers through formation and retreat work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/dominicansistersgrandrapids
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dominican-sisters-grand-rapids

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 records

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 Dominican Sisters Grand Rapids