The primary purpose of The Official Catholic Directory (OCD) is to collect and publish the data on which the Catholic Church's non-profit status in the United States depends. While the tools of the trade have certainly changed over the last 200 years, our passion for serving the Catholic Church has not.
By ensuring Catholic institutions are recognized under the USCCB/IRS Group Ruling, The Official Catholic Directory safeguards access to millions of dollars in charitable grants, endowments, and funding streams—resources vital to the Church’s educational, social, and spiritual missions.
The OCD Helps the Church
Sustain
Facilitate donations to the Church by providing a consistently reliable source for donors or grantors to verify the tax exempt status of Catholic entities.
Connect
Foster collaboration by providing the tools for Clergy and lay people serving the church to locate and connect with colleagues and customers.
Adapt
Furnish vital statistical data. Enable Church leaders to analyze and react to important statistical trends at the local, regional and national level.
LOCATE, CONNECT, AND DISCOVER
See below to learn more about the most common ways that our customers use The Official Catholic Directory.
PLACES: LOCATE & UNDERSTAND
Find any Catholic entity in the U.S. by type and location to confirm its tax-exempt status with the IRS. Better understand the organization and administration of the more than 56,000 entities currently serving the Catholic Church in the U.S.
PEOPLE: IDENTIFY & CONNECT
Communicate with key staff among the more than 100,000 personnel assigned to Catholic entities and connect with them based on status (bishop, monsignor, priest, brother, sister, etc.) or role (pastor, teacher, business manager, head of school or religious order).
DATA: RESEARCH & UNDERSTAND
Uncover trends in the Catholic Church by researching over 11,000 diocesan data points including new parishes, priests, ordinations, baptisms, weddings, students, and teachers or utilize our 1- and 10-year comparisons to better understand how the Church is changing.
THE OFFICIAL CATHOLIC DIRECTORY
BY THE NUMBERS
PLACES
Locate and learn about more than 56,777 Catholic entities including…
210 Dioceses
16,993 Parishes
6,639 Schools, High Schools, Colleges, and Seminaries
5,593 Missions, Convents, and Monasteries
2,509 Hospitals, Med Centers, and Special Care Facilities
13,012 Diocesan Curia offices
PEOPLE
Identify leadership and others serving the church...over 110,125 personnel assignments including...
62,019 Clergy
40,235 Priests
11,107 Religious Priests
21,784 Deacons
6,760 Brothers and Sisters
33,968 Lay Persons
DATA
Track and discover trends with over 100 Diocesan Statistics including…
Parish: Newly created parishes; parishes without resident pastor; closed parishes
Personnel: Diocesan and Religious Priests in Diocese; ordinations; retired priests, sick or absent
Sacramental: Baptisms, First Communions, Confirmations and Marriages
Educational: FT Priest vs Lay Teachers; Parish, Diocesan, Private Schools; Total Students
Special Care: Hospitals; Homes for the Aged; Orphanages; Number Assisted Annually
Vital: Catholic Population vs. Total Population
CONNECTIONS
Reach out to colleagues, leadership, or support staff at Catholic entities by role...
45+ Person/title types including Priest/Reverend, Deacon, Brother, Sister, Friar, Laity, and more...
60+ Position/role types including Pastor, Business Manager, Principal, Prioress, Liturgy Director, Parish Life Coordinator, Director of Religious Education, Treasurer, and more…
6,000+ Entity-level notes providing additional information about the relationship to other Catholic entities, properties owned, merger data, purpose, and more…
114,000+ Points of Contact: phone numbers, email addresses, and websites
41,000+ Addresses (Physical and Mailing)
Brand new 2024 edition - available now - order today
Order the prior 2023 Edition or Contact us to order older editions.
Pre-order the 2025 Edition (available late Summer / early Fall 2025).
CUSTOMER TESTIMONIALS
"...I have found the Official Catholic Directory to be an invaluable resource. It provides an unparalleled level of detail and accuracy..."
See what customers are saying about the OCD
As someone deeply involved in the Catholic community, I have found the Official Catholic Directory to be an invaluable resource. It provides an unparalleled level of detail and accuracy about parishes, dioceses, and Catholic institutions across the country. Whether I need to connect with specific ministries, locate contact information, or gather key data for projects, the OCD is always my go-to. Its comprehensive and well-organized structure allows for quick access to critical information, which is essential for anyone working within or supporting the Church. It's more than just a directory—it's a trusted tool that helps foster stronger connections and enhances collaboration within the Catholic network.
Melissa Ortega Smith, Assistant to the Chancellor, Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland
Our copy of The Official Catholic Directory is placed in a central location of our Church Office since it is needed by all our Staff. It is an invaluable resource for assisting our parishioners in obtaining Sacramental records and locations of former parishes. Further, The structure and organization of the Directory makes it easy to identify which Diocese a parish falls under. Showing that we are recognized under the USCCB/IRS Group Ruling, The Official Catholic Directory enables us to apply for grants and other funding opportunities. As Pastor, I am frequently asked by people the current assignment of a priest they have known from the past. I am so happy, and so are they, when I can provide them with their requested information. Having the data presented in multiple formats allows me to search and find what I need quickly.
Very Reverend Timothy LaBo, PhD, VF, Resurrection Catholic Church and School, Lakeland, FL
The Official Catholic Directory is the indispensable source for information about people, parishes, agencies and institutions in the Church of the United States. The OCD staff is consistently professional, courteous and patient as they assemble this important and complex volume. Not only every chancery office, but seminaries, schools, and parishes will find the OCD a reliable annual resource.
Fr. Bob O'Grady, Special Assistant to the President of Pilot Catholic Media, Archdiocese of Boston
The Official Catholic Directory is an invaluable resource for me. It is a living document that provides invaluable information from the past and provides helpful direction for the present. When utilized, the OCD is a living history of the Church today and can help shape projects and insights for the future.
Very Rev. Robert Creagan, Rector of St. Augustine Cathedral and Chancellor for the Diocese of Kalamazoo
The Archdiocese of Atlanta has a long history of involvement with the Official Catholic Directory. The changes that have been made to streamline the process of reporting over the past several years have been incredibly helpful in allowing us to get the most current information from our archdiocesan entities in a much more efficient and accurate way. We have also been very pleased with the support that has come from the support team at the OCD.
The ability to have electronic access to the information about our Archdiocese, once the data has been compiled, has made a significant difference in the number of people who are accessing and using the provided information. Multiple departments in our Pastoral Center continue to rely on the printed version for the wealth of information available about other (arch)diocese throughout the United States.
Deacon Dennis Dorner, Chancellor and Director of Permanent Diaconate, Archdiocese of Atlanta
The Official Catholic Directory is a key resource for both data and contact information for the Church in the United States for CARA’s research needs. CARA has collaborated with OCD over the years to ensure the most accurate statistics and to provide maps for the dioceses of the United States. The Directory enables CARA to keep on top of parish openings and closures, contacts within diocesan offices, and a listing of religious institutes of women and men. It is the “go to” reference for documenting the growth and evolution of the Church over the decades.
Rev. Thomas S. Gaunt, S.J. - Executive Director - CARA (Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate)
The Official Catholic Directory has been an extraordinary resource for us. When we are looking for detailed information on parishes, schools, priests and sisters or other Catholic dioceses across the United States, we turn to the Official Catholic Directory. To know that this wealth of information is at our fingertips is a feeling of great comfort not only for our diocese, but for our entities who choose this resource for their organization to be a part of.
Vicar General’s Office, Archdiocese of New York
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