INSTITUTE OF CATHOLIC CULTURE

What INSTITUTE OF CATHOLIC CULTURE does

The Institute of Catholic Culture (ICC) is a Sacramento-based, privately held nonprofit founded in 2009 by Fr. Hezekias Carnazzo that delivers free online adult Catholic education. Its core offering is a classical liberal arts curriculum structured around the liturgical year and four epochs of salvation history, delivered through live lectures, semester-long courses, certificate courses, gospel reflections, and live webinars, with auxiliary in-person programs including the Holy Land Pilgrimage and the Living Catholic retreat week. The platform is built on an in-house learning management system that streams video and audio, supports notes, bookmarking, and transcript access, and serves adult learners, women religious (via the wholly-owned Magdala Apostolate serving 100+ communities worldwide), and parishes and dioceses seeking ready-made adult formation. ICC makes its content free of charge to all learners and funds operations primarily through charitable contributions, with a secondary revenue stream from Amazon Associate affiliate links on the Father's Favorites recommendations page. Distribution is entirely digital via instituteofcatholicculture.org, augmented by a mission partner network that includes Christendom College, the Diocese of Arlington, multiple Catholic K-12 schools, and Catholic radio stations, plus earned media through EWTN programming featuring the founder.

Name

INSTITUTE OF CATHOLIC CULTURE

Legal name

Institute of Catholic Culture

Website

https://instituteofcatholicculture.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Institute of Catholic Culture is a Sacramento-based nonprofit founded in 2009 that provides free online adult Catholic education through live lectures, semester-long courses, webinars, and gospel reflections, serving adult learners, women religious, and parishes worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Education and Faith Formation

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHAKAE

Ministerial Training Institutes (Clergy Formation)

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Religious & Theological Colleges

SECONDARYMPAJAHAC

Religious Education & Catechetical Publishing (Sunday School, Catechism, Study Guides)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Religious & Spiritual Publishing

SECONDARYMPAJAHAD

Sermon, Homiletics & Ministry Resource Publishing (Preaching Aids, Pastoral Resources)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Religious & Spiritual Publishing

Keywords

• Catholic adult education
• Online faith formation
• Religious education courses
• Catholic theology programs
• Spiritual formation webinars

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donor Support / Charitable Contributions: The Institute operates entirely free of charge to students and relies on supporters who share the mission of restoring authentic Catholic adult education. The organization encourages financial contributions through its website to sustain operations.
2. Amazon Affiliate Links: Father's Favorites page uses Amazon Associate links to earn commissions from qualifying purchases of recommended books and resources.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Institute of Catholic Culture provides free online adult Catholic education through a portfolio of live lectures, live webinars, semester-long in-depth courses, certificate courses, weekly Gospel reflections, study tools, and supplementary programs (Magdala Apostolate, Holy Land Pilgrimage, Living Catholic Retreat). Content covers the Catholic liberal arts — theology, philosophy, history, scripture, literature, catechetics, and liturgy — organized along the liturgical year and salvation history, and is delivered via an online learning platform to a global audience.

Product overview

The Institute of Catholic Culture is an adult faith formation organization offering a comprehensive Catholic education platform with all programs provided free of charge. The core product portfolio includes Live Lectures and Live Webinars delivering real-time virtual classroom experiences, In-Depth Courses and Certificate Courses offering semester-long academic programs with assessments and certifications, and Gospel Reflections for weekly Mass preparation. Additional offerings include Study Tools for annotating lecture content, the Magdala Apostolate for women religious formation, Holy Land Pilgrimage programs, and Living Catholic Retreat programs. The platform covers Catholic liberal arts including theology, philosophy, history, scripture, literature, catechetics, and more, structured upon the classical liberal arts and divided into four quarters corresponding to the Church's major liturgical cycles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Magdala Apostolate: An outreach project of the Institute of Catholic Culture dedicated to providing sound doctrinal formation for women religious and novices
• Holy Land Pilgrimage
• Living Catholic

Products and services

• In-Depth Courses
• Live Lectures
• Live Webinars
• Certificate Courses
• Gospel Reflections
• Magdala Apostolate
• Holy Land Pilgrimage
• Living Catholic Retreat

Quantifiable outcome

• Free, accessible education removing cost barriers to quality Catholic formation

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Armor of God Catholic RadiominorGTM or Marketing PartnerAn EWTN affiliate radio station in Central Texas that promotes Catholic programming. They broadcast content supporting local priests and promoting holy vocations, strong Catholic families, and the New Evangelization.
• Chelsea AcademyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerA Catholic K-12 school in Virginia committed to liberal arts education and the Catholic faith. Partners with ICC to support faith formation for students and families.
• Christendom CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA Catholic liberal arts college offering graduate programs. The ICC's founder graduated from Christendom College and maintains institutional connections. Many ICC instructors are affiliated with the college.
• Chesterton Academy of SacramentominorGTM or Marketing PartnerA classical Catholic high school in Sacramento focused on forming joyful leaders and saints. Mission alignment with ICC's educational philosophy.
• Cotter Church SuppliesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe largest religious goods store chain in California, founded in 1948. Provides quality church products and personal service.
• The Paschal LambminorGTM or Marketing PartnerA Catholic bookstore and gift shop serving Northern Virginia and beyond with books, Bibles, religious items, and art.
• Angelus AcademyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerA Catholic pre-K through 8th grade school in the Diocese of Arlington serving Northern Virginia families with traditional Catholic formation.
• Living Nazareth High SchoolminorGTM or Marketing PartnerA co-educational Catholic high school using a contemplative educational model for intellectual, human, and spiritual formation.
• Magis CenterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAn organization dedicated to restoring belief in God, human dignity, virtue, and the Real Presence of Christ. Addresses key questions of the age.
• LifeCraftminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDr. John Cuddeback's organization applying ancient wisdom to contemporary questions about living a truly human life through podcasts and courses.
• Diocese of ArlingtonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerA thriving Catholic diocese with 70 parishes, 446,500 registered Catholics, and over 275 priests, serving the Northern Virginia area.
• Suffering Servant ScriptoriumminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPublishes and distributes Catholic scriptural prayer works including the Holy Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Formed (Augustine Institute): Subscription-based Catholic online education and media platform offering video courses, Bible studies, and children's programming. Directly comparable as the leading online Catholic adult formation destination competing for the same learner audience.
• Theology of the Body Institute: Catholic organization offering adult formation courses, certifications, and seminars based on St. John Paul II's Theology of the Body. Direct peer serving adult Catholic learners seeking structured online formation programs.
• Catholic Distance University: Online Catholic university offering degree and certificate programs in theology and liberal arts for adult learners globally. Direct peer competing for the same online adult Catholic education market segment.
• St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology: Catholic nonprofit focused on biblical theology education through online courses, podcasts, and study materials. Direct peer in delivering rigorous Catholic adult education grounded in scripture and tradition.
• Ascension Press: Catholic publisher and online education provider offering scripture study programs, webinars, and Ascension Presents media content. Closely matches ICC's adult faith formation mission and online delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network): Largest Catholic media network globally, offering television, radio, and online educational content including adult formation programming. Functions as a broad incumbent whose media presence and educational catalog compete with ICC for Catholic learners.
• Ave Maria University: Catholic university offering graduate theology programs whose faculty (including ICC Assistant Director Jared Staudt) contribute to the broader orthodox Catholic formation ecosystem; comparable as a degree-granting Catholic higher-ed peer.
• Franciscan University of Steubenville: Catholic university with strong catechetics, theology, and evangelization programs that also offers adult online learning and conferences. Comparable as a broader Catholic formation provider reaching adult learners nationwide.
• Christendom College: Catholic liberal arts college offering graduate theology programs and a classical curriculum aligned with ICC's pedagogical approach. Already a Core strategic partner to ICC and a reference point for Catholic higher education formation.

Regional players

• Diocese of Arlington Office of Faith Formation: Catholic diocesan adult formation office serving Northern Virginia parishes. Functions as a regional faith formation provider and a current ICC mission partner, illustrating parish- and diocese-level adult formation channels that overlap with ICC's offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Institute-of-Catholic-Culture-140978309259

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Subsidiaries1 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 INSTITUTE OF CATHOLIC CULTURE