cathedral cemetery

What cathedral cemetery does

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington is a non-profit religious organization established in 1868, serving Catholics across the State of Delaware and the nine counties of Maryland's Eastern Shore. The diocese operates an integrated network of 54-57 parishes, 20 missions, and 29 Catholic schools, alongside social services through Catholic Charities and burial and cemetery services through its Catholic Cemeteries subsidiary (which includes Cathedral Cemetery providing burial services, memorial options, and cemetery facilities). Most Reverend William E. Koenig serves as the 10th Bishop of Wilmington, installed on July 13, 2021, and the diocese is governed under Catholic canon law with no external shareholders, no parent company, and no equity instruments.

The diocese's core activities span four functional domains: spiritual services and sacraments delivered through the parish network; faith-based K-12 education through 29 Catholic schools; social services through Catholic Charities including food assistance, housing, counseling, diabetes prevention, and emergency aid; and media/communications through The Dialog newspaper, the Catholic Forum podcast and Relevant Radio 640 program, and YouTube livestreams from the Cathedral of St. Peter. Operationally, the diocese coordinates a safe environment compliance program covering over 21,000 trained volunteers, clergy, and school personnel, and runs an annual Faith and Charity Catholic Appeal fundraising campaign. The service delivery infrastructure includes 164 Religious Women and 66 Religious Men across 27 congregations, supplemented by diocesan priests, deacons, and lay staff across offices for worship, religious education, permanent diaconate, development, respect life, and Catholic Charities.

The diocese is funded entirely through donations, including parish offertory, the Faith and Charity Catholic Appeal, planned giving, and capital stewardship programs such as Vision for the Future (Education Trust Fund). Distribution occurs primarily through the parish and school network, with digital reach via the diocesan website, social media, podcast, and YouTube channels. The diocese has maintained continuous compliance with the USCCB Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People across all audits since 2004, most recently audited by StoneBridge Business Partners for the period July 1, 2021 through September 30, 2024. As a religious non-profit, there is no equity, no IPO, and no investor return mechanism.

Name

cathedral cemetery

Legal name

Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington

Website

https://cdow.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1868

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington is a non-profit religious organization operating 54+ parishes, 29 Catholic schools, Catholic Charities, and Catholic Cemeteries (including Cathedral Cemetery) across Delaware and Maryland's Eastern Shore since 1868, delivering spiritual, educational, charitable, and burial services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cemetery and Burial Services

NAICS

Cemeteries and Crematories (812220)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Cemetery burial services
• Catholic memorial services
• Interment funeral services
• Religious cemetery facilities
• Grave plot sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Wilmington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Faith and Charity Catholic Appeal: Annual fundraising campaign supporting diocese-wide ministries and services
2. Development Office Programs: Christian stewardship and development programs including Vision for the Future (Education Trust Fund), Time/Talent/Treasure/Offertory programs and capital stewardship programs
3. Planned Giving: Legacy giving opportunities and gift planning for long-term support
4. Parish Offertory: Regular Sunday collections and donations from parish communities

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cathedral Cemetery is a Catholic cemetery operated as part of the Catholic Cemeteries subsidiary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington. It provides burial services, memorial options, and cemetery facilities serving Catholics and families in Delaware and Maryland's Eastern Shore. The cemetery is part of the Diocese's integrated network of 54-57 parishes and operates within a broader faith community serving the region for over 150 years.

Product overview

The Diocese of Wilmington offers a portfolio of faith-based services and programs spanning social services (Catholic Charities including food assistance and health programs), Catholic education (approximately 29 schools), safe environment compliance training, and media content (Catholic Forum podcast). These offerings work together to serve the Catholic community across Delaware and Maryland's Eastern Shore.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Wilmington: The charitable arm of the Diocese of Wilmington, providing social services including food assistance, emergency aid, housing, and counseling.
• The Dialog

Products and services

• Catholic Charities Programs Faith-based social services including food assistance, diabetes prevention, housing, and counseling serving Delaware and Maryland's Eastern Shore.
• Catholic Schools Diocesan school system comprising approximately 29 schools offering academic education grounded in Catholic faith and values from kindergarten through high school.
• For the Sake of God's Children (Safe Environment Program) Child protection program providing background checks, ethical standards, and safe environment training for church personnel working with children. Training renewed every three years, background checks renewed every five years.
• Catholic Forum Podcast Podcast and radio program covering Catholic faith, diocesan news, and interviews with church leaders, broadcast on Relevant Radio 640 and YouTube.
• Food Pantry Program Diocesan-wide food distribution initiative coordinating parish and school-based food pantries to address food insecurity across Delaware and Maryland's Eastern Shore.
• Diabetes Prevention Program Free CDC-approved program helping individuals at risk for type 2 diabetes through lifestyle coaching, nutrition education, and community support.
• Catholic Cemeteries (Cathedral Cemetery) Catholic burial and cemetery services, including Cathedral Cemetery, providing burial services, memorial options, and consecrated cemetery facilities for Catholics and families in Delaware and Maryland's Eastern Shore.

Quantifiable outcome

• Tens of thousands of people served annually through Catholic Charities
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Water is Life Kenya (WILK)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007Nonprofit organization bringing clean water, sanitation, hygiene, income generation and hope to Massai communities in Southern Kenya. Founded by Joyce Tannian, a Delaware native and CDOW Catholic Schools graduate. Diocese supports mission trips and fundraising.
• Diocese of San Marcos, GuatemalaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2003Sister diocese partnership (solidarity partnership) rooted in shared mission as the Body of Christ. Includes delegation visits, faith sharing, and projects in educational, medical, and catechetical programs.
• Barclays US Consumer BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsoring classroom resources for Nativity Preparatory School of Wilmington, providing teachers and learning spaces with materials selected to meet school needs.
• StoneBridge Business PartnersminorOthersIndependent auditing firm hired by US Conference of Catholic Bishops to conduct compliance audits of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.
• Prevent Child Abuse DelawareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the Keeping Our Promises curriculum used in parish religious education programs to teach child abuse prevention to elementary school students.
• Delaware Catholic Advocacy Network (DCAN)minorOthersNetwork of Catholics advocating on state issues including life issues, Catholic schools, assistance for the poor.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• StoneMor, Inc. StoneMor operates cemeteries and funeral homes, making its physical-site, burial, memorial, and pre-need offerings directly comparable to Cathedral Cemetery's cemetery-services model.
• Park Lawn Corporation: Park Lawn Corporation operates cemeteries, funeral homes, and crematoria through a multi-location death-care platform. Its service mix and local customer acquisition model are comparable to Cathedral Cemetery, although it is a commercial operator rather than a Catholic nonprofit.

Broad incumbents

• Service Corporation International: Service Corporation International is a large death-care operator with funeral homes, cemeteries, and cremation services. It is a broad incumbent comparable on burial and memorial services, customer needs, and multi-site operating infrastructure.

Regional players

• Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia: Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia operates Catholic cemetery grounds and burial services in a regional faith-based network. It is a strong regional peer because it combines cemetery operations, Catholic community access, and memorial services.
• Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Washington: Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Washington manages Catholic cemetery facilities and burial services for a regional Catholic population. Its faith-based delivery model and cemetery focus make it directly comparable, although it serves a different Mid-Atlantic geography.
• Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Chicago: Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Chicago provides cemetery and burial services through a large regional network. It is comparable in physical cemetery operations, Catholic branding, and family and memorial service needs, but operates at a different scale and geography.
• Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Baltimore: Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Baltimore operates Catholic cemetery grounds and related interment services. It is a regional peer with the same combination of faith-based access, burial facilities, and memorial care.
• Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of New York: Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of New York runs cemetery and burial operations serving a large Catholic community. It is comparable in service category, religious positioning, and long-lived physical assets, though its market is substantially larger and outside the anchor's region.

Emerging players

• Foundation Partners Group: Foundation Partners Group operates funeral homes and cremation businesses focused on personalized end-of-life services. It has direct overlap in family-facing burial and memorial services, although its core mix is weighted toward funeral homes rather than cemetery acreage.

Others

• Homesteaders Life Company: Homesteaders Life Company provides preneed insurance and funding solutions used by funeral and cemetery businesses. It is an adjacent ecosystem peer because preneed financing and legacy planning are important components of cemetery sales, even though Homesteaders does not operate cemetery sites itself.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@DioceseofWilm/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/CatholicForum

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

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 cathedral cemetery