Our Story
A Modern Mission of Evangelization
Launched the week after the horrific events of September 11th, 2001, The Catholic Company has been our response to the world’s pain, tragedy, isolation and emptiness. It was our belief then, and remains our belief now, that the answer to all of our world’s problems is a deeper relationship with Our Lord and specifically with His Catholic Church.
For several years prior to 2001, we had been engaged in distributing Catholic products into Catholic homes, schools and churches through wholesale distribution via a network of independent distributors. We had watched with interest the birth of the internet as a commercial tool and we thought there was an opportunity to sell the great Catholic products that we carried in our warehouse from hundreds of wonderful publishers, gift distributors and artists through a more personal one-on-one relationship with our end customers.
The Beginnings: A Response of Hope Amid Tragedy
We spent the summer of 2001 planning and building the Catholic Company website. Then just before launch, the world changed. We watched in horror from a small television set in our warehouse as the World Trade Center collapsed and the Pentagon suffered severe damage. The world seemed to stop as hundreds of millions mourned the senseless loss of life. Like you, we prayed, went to Mass and offered rosaries for the thousands of families impacted by this profound tragedy. We really didn’t know what to do as far as our plans for The Catholic Company. We considered postponing our launch, but in the end we decided to press ahead. Our small staff of five was convinced that our work was important and necessary.
Growth, Community, & Even Miracles
On Monday September 17th, 2001 - 6 days after 9-11, The Catholic Company was born. From a few orders a day to a business that serves hundreds of thousands of customers each year, we have been greatly blessed. We have been able to provide life-changing, faith-based products to millions of people around the world. We have received countless letters and emails detailing conversions and reversions to the faith through the products we sell. We have seen profound miracles occur. We have also tried to support our faithful customers through their most challenging times, including those of illness and loss. At the same time, our customers have supported us through our own challenging times as well.
At times we are amazed by it all.
Gratitude for God’s Work & for the Body of Christ
Now many years into this great work, we are so very grateful. First and foremost, we are grateful to our Lord. We are grateful for the blessing of our Catholic faith. We are thankful that we have been able to be a part of Pope St. John Paul II’s New Evangelization. And we are so thankful for our countless customers, vendors, friends and supporters.
Ours is a very personal relationship. We cannot imagine a marketplace where a company is more connected with its customers than The Catholic Company is with our customers. We are, quite literally, brothers and sisters in Christ. Through our supernatural union of faith, we strive to be united with Our Lord, His Church and our customers. We are truly a community of faith.
Welcome to the Catholic Company
If this is your first time visiting our site, welcome to The Catholic Company Family! We’re so glad you found us; we hope that you will join us in our mission of spiritual growth and evangelization, and that this will be the first of many visits to come. We invite you to take advantage of our thousands of options of rosaries, books, jewelry, sacramental gifts, and more! We’re confident that you’ll find what you’re looking for through our navigation system and search bar. If we can assist you in any way, feel free to contact us or use the live chat feature on our site when available.
If you’re a returning customer, welcome back! We’re so happy you’re here, and we hope that your presence means our mission and products have helped build your faith and the faith of those you love. Thanks for being a part of our story!
In Christ,
James & Whitney Hetzel
And all of us at The Catholic Company