Do Catholic parishes need to register for A2P 10DLC?

Yes. Since early 2025, US carriers block unregistered organizational texting, parishes included. Without registration your texts to parishioners quietly fail to deliver. Registration is effectively required to text reliably.

Do parishes qualify for the Charity use case?

Yes. Catholic parishes are tax-exempt religious nonprofits, generally covered under the US Conference of Catholic Bishops group ruling. That qualifies them for the reserved Charity use case, which carries lower carrier fees. T-Mobile waives its campaign fees for verified 501(c)(3) charity campaigns.

What does a parish need to register?

Its legal organization name and EIN, a contact, and a short description of how parishioners opt in. Parishes are often covered under a diocesan group exemption but usually have their own EIN; use the EIN your parish files under. A texting platform submits the registration for you.

How does a diocese register many parishes?

A diocese can register each parish as its own organization while overseeing the whole family from one account. Each parish gets its own number and registration so its texts deliver under its own identity.

A2P 10DLC for Catholic Parishes & Dioceses (2026 Guide)

What 10DLC is, briefly

A2P 10DLC is the US carrier framework for sending organizational texts from a normal 10-digit number. You register who is sending (your parish) and what you send (reminders, sacramental prep, events) before carriers will deliver your messages reliably. For the full mechanics, see the general 10DLC guide for churches.

The parish advantage

Catholic parishes are tax-exempt religious nonprofits, generally covered under the US Conference of Catholic Bishops group ruling. That qualifies your parish for the reserved Charity use case, which carries lower carrier fees than a commercial campaign. T-Mobile waives its campaign fees for verified 501(c)(3) charity campaigns, and other carriers generally apply a reduced rate. Most parishes never realize this discount exists, because the platform handles registration and the savings happen in the background.

What your parish needs

Legal name and EIN. Use the name and EIN your parish files under. Parishes are often within a diocesan group exemption but usually carry their own EIN.
A contact person. Someone the registration can be attached to.
An opt-in description. A sentence on how parishioners agree to be texted, such as a keyword or a sign-up card.

For a diocese

A diocese rolling texting out across its parishes registers each parish as its own organization, so every parish's texts deliver under its own identity and number. The diocese can oversee the whole family from one account while each parish keeps its own lists and inbox.

Common questions

Do Catholic parishes need to register for A2P 10DLC?: Yes. Since early 2025, US carriers block unregistered organizational texting, parishes included. Without registration your texts to parishioners quietly fail to deliver. Registration is effectively required to text reliably.
Do parishes qualify for the Charity use case?: Yes. Catholic parishes are tax-exempt religious nonprofits, generally covered under the US Conference of Catholic Bishops group ruling. That qualifies them for the reserved Charity use case, which carries lower carrier fees. T-Mobile waives its campaign fees for verified 501(c)(3) charity campaigns.
What does a parish need to register?: Its legal organization name and EIN, a contact, and a short description of how parishioners opt in. Parishes are often covered under a diocesan group exemption but usually have their own EIN; use the EIN your parish files under. A texting platform submits the registration for you.
How does a diocese register many parishes?: A diocese can register each parish as its own organization while overseeing the whole family from one account. Each parish gets its own number and registration so its texts deliver under its own identity.

We register your parish for you

Vesperbell submits your 10DLC registration under the Charity use case and handles the carrier paperwork, so your parish can just start texting. See texting for parishes or the parish templates.