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.

Today, Jednota has approximately $322 million of insurance in force and over $575 million in assets.

The Jednota branches were instrumental in the founding of hundreds of Catholic parishes in the United States and Canada.

FCSU published the first edition of its renowned bilingual newspaper, Jednota.

Today, Jednota is 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.

After years of providing support to widows and orphans through a "Poor Fund", FCSU opened the Jednota Home and Immaculate Conception School in Middletown, Pennsylvania.

Since its closing in 1969, the 300 acres are gradually being developed by the Society for the benefits of the members.

FCSU was involved with the founding of Saint Cyril Academy in Danville, Pennsylvania, and Benedictine High School in Cleveland, Ohio, both designed to educate the children of Slovak immigrants.

FCSU donated the Jednota Chapel of Our Mother of Sorrows at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.

The merger of the First Catholic Slovak Union and the Pennsylvania Slovak Catholic Union was approved by the Board of Directors of each organization.

Through its newspaper, publications, and leadership, the Jednota, since its inception, has tirelessly and vigorously championed the fight for Slovak independence which culminates in the birth of the Slovak Republic in 1993.

FCSU celebrated it's 125th Anniversary with various celebrations held all over the US and Canada.

50th Anniversary of the Chapel of Our Mother of Sorrows at the National Shrine
of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.

This award winning structure, donated by the First Catholic Slovak Union first opened in 1965, and is the National Shrine’s most visited chapel.

Jednota Memorial Dedication located on the Jednota Estates grounds in Middletown, PA.

The Memorial is to honor all deceased members, whether or not they were war veterans. However, special honor is given to all who were Jednota veterans of war since WWI to present.

Jednota Memorial Granite Bricks are Available for Purchase - All those who purchase a brick in the granite panels found throughout the Memorial will receive a photo of the panel on which their brick is mounted. Learn More

Father Štefan Furdek Comes Home to the FCSU

The Reverend Štefan Furdek was born in Trstená, Orava County, in (what is now) Slovakia on September 2, 1855. He came to the Cleveland, OH, area as a seminarian at the behest of the Cleveland Catholic Diocese and was ordained in 1882 to minister to the area’s growing immigrant population from Central and Eastern Europe. Many of these immigrants worked in dangerous steel mills and factories. So in September 1890, at the request of Fr. Furdek, twelve Slovak immigrants met to find a way to provide insurance and other benefits to immigrant Slovaks and their families living and working in America. These men founded the First Catholic Slovak Union.

A statue of Fr. Furdek – which stood for many years on FCSU property in Middletown, PA – started its journey to the current Home Office of the FCSU in the Fall of 2018. It was subsequently rebronzed, a new based was commissioned, and the statue was placed at the entrance to FCSU headquarters in Independence, OH, on July of 2019. A dedication of the statue was conducted on September 13, 2019, with FCSU National Officers, Board Members, Home Office Staff, and guests in attendance. His Excellency the Most Reverend Milan Lach, SJ, Bishop of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma, OH, celebrated a blessing ceremony, assisted by FCSU National Chaplain the Reverend Thomas A Nasta, and the Very Reverend Marek Visnovsky, Protosyncellus (General Vicar) of the Eparchy.