The Brotherhoods of the Parish

from the parish's Golden Jubilee anniversary publication (1957)

Brotherhood Organizations [as of 1957]

The poverty of our people forced them to leave their native land and to come to the United States in search of an opportunity for a better way of life. With the onrush of the other nationalities, the Carpatho-Russian immigrants organized themselves into brotherhoods to guard their spiritual and material welfare in the new country. By the turn of the century there were many brotherhoods in the country.

For greater strength these brotherhoods united into Societies over a large area with their main headquarters in some large city in the East. They then applied to their State department for charters to sell insurance. These societies had varied purposes such as to inspire their members to strengthen the Orthodox faith in the United States, to teach and demand loyalty to the United States, their adopted land, and to support the Orthodox church. Others were formed only as insurance companies. However, all of them, as insurance companies, guaranteed to their members an Orthodox Christian burial, and guaranteed aid to their widows and children after the member's death, through insurance.

Three of these Brotherhood organizations were organized in the Benld congregation and they are still doing insurance business among the older people, many of whom have been in these organizations for many, many years.

Brotherhood of St. John — Lodge No. 94

The records of the oldest brotherhood in the parish show that St. John's Lodge was organized on January 1, 1906, by three men. Mr. Peter Kolotila was one of those who led the organizational work at that early date. It was not, however, until January 1st, 1907, that the brotherhood was fully organized and applied for a charter to the Russian Orthodox Catholic Mutual Aid Society. The charter for the lodge was granted and this group became St. John's Lodge No. 94. Those who entered the lodge on January 1, 1907 were Peter Schur, George Schur, Sam Schur, Dmytri Tyhanich, Harry Kotanchyk, Wasyl Chulick, Nick Manzelian, Mike Manzelian and Andrew Dmytryk.

All of these men immediately took out life insurance and built a system of payments for sick benefits in order to protect themselves and their families. The lodge reached its peak membership in 1929 when it had 109 members. Since then some have transferred to other brotherhoods in the same Society, when they left the community. Fifty-two members of the lodge have died. At the present time there are fifty-one members in the local chapter.

Brotherhood of St. Nicholas — Lodge No. 184

On January 2, 1914, a meeting was called to organize another brotherhood in Benld. At the organizational meeting it was agreed to apply for a charter to the Russian Brotherhood Organization of the United States of America. The charter was granted and the Brotherhood of St. Nicholas Lodge No. 184 was formally organized. Immediately 21 members joined the lodge and took out life insurance and also developed premiums for the payment of sick benefits to its members.

In the year 1919 women were permitted to purchase life insurance in this brotherhood. This brotherhood flourished and at its peak had eighty-eight members. Since 1914 it has paid death benefits to forty members of this parish. At the present time its has forty-one members.

LUBOV — Lodge No. 19

The Russian Orthodox Fraternity LUBOV was organized in 1912. At the beginning the organization flourished and drew many members. Within a few years, due to changes in the by-laws of the organization and to higher assessment by the central office, trouble broke out and the organization was discontinued. Several years later the organization was revived and again grew into a strong lodge. Its charter was issued by the Russian Orthodox Fraternity LUBOV with headquarters at Mayfield, Pennsylvania. At its peak it insured 90 men and women in this parish. Then in 1929 the raise in assessments, coupled with the difficult economic pressures on many of the families at that time, caused a large group of members to drop out of the organization. About twelve About twelve members remained in the organization and carried on their insurance. Today there are only three members left. The others have passed on, but these three wishing to keep their insurance in force still hold the charter and make their payments.

 

The above text was excerpted from the 1957 Golden Jubilee Holy Assumption Russian Orthodox Church publication by parish members for the celebration of July 26, 27, 28, 1957. Only minimal adjustments have been made to the original text (such as correcting typographical errors and adding clarification in brackets of alternate transliterated spellings).