On September 4-6, 1890, twelve men under the leadership of Father Stephen Furdek of Cleveland, Ohio, gathered at the home of Jacob Gruss on Corwin Avenue in Cleveland and formed the First Catholic Slovak Union. This organization, the second oldest fraternal society in the United States, goes by the shortened name Jednota, which in Slovak means union or fraternity. The First Catholic Slovak Union is a "union" of hundreds of branches throughout the United States and Canada. It grew from its 320-member beginning in 1890 to a peak in 1965 of approximately 105,000 members, making it then the largest Slovak fraternal organization in the world. At that time insurance in force was $116 million with approximately $30 million in assets. Today the Jednota has approximately $325 million of insurance in force and over $200 million in assets.
But these statistics only tell part of the story. The First Catholic Slovak Union has been the mainstay and promoter of Slovak culture and Catholic fraternal life for over a century. The Catholic faith has always been close to the hearts of the Slovak American people. During the 1890's and early years if this century, the Jednota branches were instrumental in the founding of hundreds of Catholic parishes in the United States and Canada. Since then, First Catholic Slovak Union has supported the Slovak clergy in many ways and has continued to foster Catholic life.
In 1965, the FCSU donated the Jednota Chapel of Our Mother of Sorrows at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. This award winning structure is the most visited chapel on the Shrine. During the same period, the society contributed $100,000 to the Slovak Institute in Rome, set up to train Slovak priests. The Jednota was also involved in the 1920s with the founding of Saint Cyril Methodius Academy in Danville, Pennsylvania, and Benedictine High School in Cleveland, Ohio, both designed to educate the children of Slovak immigrants.
For many years, too, the First Catholic Slovak Union has awarded college scholarships to deserving members. Currently the program grants 76 scholarships annually.
The First Catholic Slovak Union has provided support to the family in many ways over the past century. In its early years, the FCSU maintained a "Poor Fund" to care for widows and orphaned children. Then, in 1914, it opened the Jednota Home and Immaculate Conception School in Middletown, Pennsylvania, for orphaned children of members. The orphanage was constructed on land purchased by Father Furdek in Middletown known as the Jednota Estates. The home and school were in operation from 1914 until 1969. Approximately 4,000 children were cared for and educated over the years, completely at the society's expense and without federal or state aid. The school also educated some 2,000 non-resident children from the area.
In addition to the orphanage, the First Catholic Slovak Union once operated a large farm on these lands, the harvest from which helped to feed the orphans and Sisters who ran the home. The FCSU was instrumental in helping to found this religious order of nuns, known as the Sisters of Saints Cyril and Methodius. The order's first motherhouse was located on the Jednota Estates and many of the Sisters taught at the Immaculate Conception School. In later years the order relocated to Danville, but its Sisters continued to staff the home and school.
The Jednota Press, which was located on the Estates in Middletown, reveals another important aspect of the First Catholic Slovak Union - to educate and cultivate its members. Beginning in 1891 and continuously since, the FCSU has published its renowned bilingual newspaper, Jednota, which is today read not only by members but by people interested in Catholic and Slovak life in the United States and in other parts of the world. During the communists era, the Jednota Press was one of the few places in the world that printed Slovak Catholic literature. Over the past century, the First Catholic Slovak Union has published scores of books and periodicals ranging from religion to literature, history, and language. Through its newspaper, publications, and leadership, the Jednota, since its inception, has tirelessly and vigorously championed the fight for Slovak independence.
Also previous situated on the Jednota Estates was the Slovak Museum & Archives, an important repository of Slovak culture in the United States. Initially located in the Jednota Home, the Museum & Archives is now housed at the mother home of the Saint Cyril Methodius Academy in Danville, Pennsylvania.
Today the First Catholic Slovak Union's portfolio offers a wide array of coverage comparable to the best known insurance providers in both variety and cost. What makes the FCSU unique and special, however, are the fraternal and cultural aspects it offers to its policyholders. The Jednota sponsors a wide range of fraternal activities including bowling leagues, bowling and golf tournaments, traditional Slovak Christmas Eve dinners, dances, communion breakfasts, cultural programs, and an annual family picnic. Its aim as it approaches the 21st century is not only to protect the family, but to enlighten and uplift it.
Throughout its history the main thread holding the Jednota together was and is service to its members which promotes their spiritual well being. The First Catholic Slovak Union is more than an insurance company. Jednota firmly believes in the principle: "The true recipient of a gift is the giver."
Education, faith, and service gives us equality, fraternalism, and freedom. In a word, JEDNOTA.