Catholic Order of Foresters was founded on May 24, 1883, at Church of the Holy Family’s Sodality Hall building in Chicago, Illinois.

Our founder was an Irish immigrant shoemaker named Thomas Taylor. The idea of organizing a Catholic benevolent society had occupied his thoughts for a long time, but it was when he obtained a copy of a Massachusetts fraternal society’s constitution and bylaws that he decided to establish an organization of his own in Chicago.

During the first 14 years of our existence, we moved our office quarters several times in Chicago before settling into the Stock Exchange Building, an architectural masterpiece designed by the world-renowned architect Lewis Sullivan.

It was our home until 1952.

At our 1921 International Convention in Milwaukee, a Catholic Order of Foresters board trustee offered a resolution to form a committee to seek contributions of 50 cents per member to be forwarded as a gift toward the building of a new shrine in Washington, D.C.

As a result of this action, Catholic Order of Foresters’ entire board of trustees journeyed to Washington D.C. six years later to deliver a contribution of $50,000 for the embellishment of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest Catholic church building in North America.

In 1942, the U.S. Department of the Treasury awarded the Minuteman flag to COF in recognition of complete cooperation in its sale of war bonds.

The Minutemen were colonial militia members who were known for their ability to be ready for battle at a minute’s notice during the American Revolutionary War.

The flag associated with them typically features a depiction of a Minuteman holding a musket and the words “Don’t Tread on Me” or “Liberty or Death.”

In the late ’40s, there was a contingent of board members pushing to buy or build a new office building in Chicago.

However, the board’s leasing advocates prevailed until the 1951 death of chairman Thomas H. Cannon.

His successor, Thomas R. Heaney, promptly ordered the purchase of land at the southwest corner of Franklin and Madison Streets to construct a four-story building.

Sheathed in granite from the quarries of Cold Spring, Minnesota, 305 West Madison Street became our new home in 1952.

The COF Constitution was amended at our 1952 National Convention in Chicago to accept and welcome women and girls on the basis of complete equality, thus changing COF from an organization of men and boys to a Catholic family fellowship.

The first adult women members admitted were Catherine Huber of Crown Point, Indiana; Mary Joan Carr of Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Lorraine L. Coller of Shakopee, Minnesota.

The first female juvenile member was Katherine Marie Doher of Chatham, Ontario.

Change is the catalyst to progress, and after 100 years of being headquartered in Chicago, we decided it was time for one.

We chose Naperville, Illinois – a western suburb of Chicago – as the location of our Home Office, where we still operate to this day.

While 40 years have passed, the spirit of that decision still guides us.

High Chief Ranger (chairman of the board) John A. Gorski and his wife, Deloris, met Pope John Paul II in a private audience during the Pope’s 1987 American tour.

110 years after our founding, we hit $1,000,000,000 of life insurance in force, the total amount of coverage that Catholic Order of Foresters had issued to members that was active and had not yet been paid out as a death benefit or surrendered.

In other words, it represents the cumulative value of all active life insurance policies held by members at a given point in time.

Our Catholic life insurance agent advisors are exemplary stewards of your family’s future.

With years of experience in the industry, our agents are well-versed in the complexities of life insurance and deeply rooted in their Catholic faith.

They understand the importance of protecting your loved ones and ensuring your legacy lives on.