The Croatian Fraternal Union , the oldest and largest Croatian organization in North America, is a fraternal benefit society of the Croatian diaspora

Croatian diaspora

Croatian diaspora refers to the Croatian communities that have formed outside Croatia.Estimates on its size are only approximate because of incomplete statistical records and naturalization, but estimates suggest that the Croatian diaspora numbers between a third and a half of the total number of...

 based out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

Its founders were Croatians

Croats

Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...

 from Allegheny City, Pennsylvania who sought to create an organization which could aid sick workers and help others cover funeral expenses. It was formed on September 2, 1894 as Croatian Union of the United States (which was subsequently renamed a year later to the National Croatian Society). In 1925, the National Croatian Society merged with several other Croatian fraternal organizations to form the present day Croatian Fraternal Union. After this merger, the organization was able to offer better, more efficient service to its members.

The CFU

CFU

CFU may refer to:* Cambridge Fans United, fans of the English football team Cambridge United F.C.* Canadian Freelance Union, a Canadian trade union for freelance media contributors* Caribbean Football Union, the nominal governing body for Caribbean football...

 currently offers a wide variety of insurance plans. However, it has been an important group in preserving Croatian culture in North America, by supporting Croatian roots, and traditional tamburitza groups

Croatian Tamburitza

-History:Croatian tamburitza is a folk song played with a tambura and is accompanied with a dance. The origin is most commonly thought to be introduced from the Turks by way of Bosnia between the 14th and 16th century. Although, others believe that the tambura was introduced by the Persians...

 . The Zajedničar

Zajedničar

Zajedničar is a newspaper of the Croatian Fraternal Union of America , a fraternal benefit society of the Croatian diaspora....

, the CFU

CFU

CFU may refer to:* Cambridge Fans United, fans of the English football team Cambridge United F.C.* Canadian Freelance Union, a Canadian trade union for freelance media contributors* Caribbean Football Union, the nominal governing body for Caribbean football...

's newspaper, has been in circulation since 1904 and currently provides insurance information, as well as providing details about CFU

CFU

CFU may refer to:* Cambridge Fans United, fans of the English football team Cambridge United F.C.* Canadian Freelance Union, a Canadian trade union for freelance media contributors* Caribbean Football Union, the nominal governing body for Caribbean football...

 cultural events from around the continent.

One of the streets in Zagreb

Zagreb

Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...

, capital city of Croatia, is called Street of the Croatian Fraternal Union. The National and University Library in Zagreb, one of Croatia's central cultural institutions, is located in that street. Josip Marohnić

Josip Marohnic

Josip Marohnić remains up to this day the most influential Croatian emigrant in the Americas.Marohnić was born in Hreljin, Croatia , and lived in the USA for 28 years where he emigrated alone in 1893, later his wife Andrijana and daughter Josipa joined him...

, founding father and first president of the CFU, also has a street named in his honor in Zagreb.

Current Officers – National Board

National President	Bernard M. Luketich
Vice President/Member Services	Joseph M. Brigich
National Secretary/Treasurer	Edward W. Pazo
Second Vice President	Bernadette Luketich-Sikaras
President, Board of Trustees	Matt Turcol
Secretary, Board of Trustees	Pamela Plesh Weigand
Member, Board of Trustees	Don Langenfeld
	George Pavlecic
	Mary Krilich Joyce
	Michael Ricci
	Robert Luketic

Current Officers – High Trial Board

President	Richard Major
Secretary	Stan Blaz
	Michael Ricci
	Robert Panenic
	Catherine B. Obenour
	Carolyn Kotvasz
	Ladislav Meze

Current Officers – Junior Cultural Federation

President	Joan Kutz
1ST Vice-President	Michael Vucinic
2ND Vice-President	Goldie Malone
Secretary	Virginia Michtich
Treasurer	Mary Ann Mikula
Trustees	Patricia Wiegand
	Theodore Sebetich, Jr
	Emil Riccio
	Bernadette Luketich-Sikaras
	Janet Craig
Board of Advisors	Donald Weakley
	Ron Sabolcik
	Carol Sees
Ex Officio	Bernard M. Luketich

Lodges – United States

ARIZONA	978 – Phoenix	1002 – Tucson
CALIFORNIA	121 – Oakland	177 – Los Angeles	352 – Watsonville	434 – Sacramento	581 – Fresno	588 – San Pedro	612 – San Jose	619 – Roseville
	641 – San Diego	677 – Los Angeles	730 – Dinuba	900 – San Francisco	929 – Mountain View	959 – Fontana	1007 – San Francisco	1983 – Sunnyvale
	1987 – San Pedro	1989 – Sunnyvale	1991 – San Mateo	1993 – Los Angeles
COLORADO	12 – Denver	402 – Pueblo
CONNECTICUT	616 – Stamford
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA	1976 – Washington	1984 – Washington
FLORIDA	982 – Miami
GEORGIA	1014 – Atlanta
IDAHO	693 – Boise
ILLINOIS	9 – Chicago	18 – Joliet	32 – Chicago	75 – Waukegan	175 – Joliet	201 – Dunfermline	202 – Chicago	217 – Benld
	222 – Madison	228 – Lyons	229 – Chicago	367 – Canton	440 – Chicago	848 – Chicago	948 – Chicago
INDIANA	57 – Whiting	154 – Chicago	170 – Merrillville	805 – Whiting
IOWA	64 – Des Moines
KANSAS	35 – Kansas City
MARYLAND	684 – Baltimore
MICHIGAN	69 – Caspian	259 – Hermansville	270 – Ahmeek	335 – Escanaba	351 – Detroit	533 – Battle Creek	561 – Flint	656 – Kipling
	717 – Detroit	1015 – Grand Rapids
MINNESOTA	94 – Eveleth	238 – Gilbert	316 – St. Paul	355 – Ely	513 – Keewatin	550 – New Duluth	635 – Virginia	664 – Nebish
MISSOURI	50 – St. Louis	167 – St. Louis
MONTANA	84 – Anaconda	987 – Lewistown
NEBRASKA	101 – Omaha
NEVADA	428 – McGill	1985 – Las Vegas
NEW JERSEY	362 – Hoboken	760 – Camden
NEW MEXICO	60 – Gallup
NEW YORK	243 – Cementon	326 – Astoria	557 – Buffalo	789 – New York City	1981 – Astoria	1990 – New York City
OHIO	47 – Cleveland	66 – Youngstown	136 – Lorain	182 – Warren	185 – Campbell	235 – Cleveland	310 – Columbus	337 – Euclid
	403 – Cleveland	472 – Akron	514 – Canton	563 – Dayton	570 – Brewster	598 – McDonald	600 – Massillon	614 – Newton Falls
	699 – Akron	859 – Cleveland	995 – Cleveland
OREGON	130 – Portland
PENNSYLVANIA	1 – Pittsburgh	3 – McKeesport	4 – Etna	5 – Johnstown	6 – Rankin	10 – Export	13 – Steelton	19 – Pittsburgh
	34 – Pittsburgh	72 – Uniontown	79 – Dysart	80 – Smoke Run	85 – Rochester	126 – Farrell	141 – Pittsburgh	146 – Versailles
	194 – Monessen	234 – Pittsburgh	248 – Clairton	274 – Homer City	279 – Whitney	304 – Ambridge	307 – W. Brownsville	309 – Bessemer
	314 – Steelton	320 – Duquesne	327 – Donora	345 – Greensburg	354 – Cokeburg	423 – Aliquippa	432 – Yukon	508 – Greenville
	522 – West Pittsburg	528 – Republic	535 – Midland	540 – Conway	541 – Trafford	567 – Canonsburg	576 – Bethlehem	592 – Simpson
	602 – Verona	669 – Coraopolis	716 – Tire Hill	718 – Rankin	720 – Aliquippa	740 – Rices Landing	776 – Monaca	992 – Fairless Hills
TEXAS	1836 – Houston
UTAH	282 – Helper
WASHINGTON	56 – Roslyn	246 – Tacoma	271 – Aberdeen	439 – Seattle	488 – Spokane	695 – Gig Harbor	867 – ESL Tacoma	1012 – Anacortes
WEST VIRGINIA	2 – Benwood	523 – Warwood	595 – Weirton	606 – Bluefield
WISCONSIN	392 – West Allis	599 – Sanborn	639 – Eagle River	680 – Ashland	692 – Kenosha	993 – Mukwonago	1959 – Milwaukee	1994 – Milwaukee
	1995 – Sheboygan
WYOMING	306 – Rock Springs	374 – Rock Springs

Lodges – Canada

ALBERTA	503 – Calgary	520 – Edmonton	949 – Alberta
BRITISH COLUMBIA	268 – Nanaimo	787 – Vancouver
NOVA SCOTIA	786 – Stellarton	796 – Glace Bay
ONTARIO	500 – Cambridge	501 – Ottawa	512 – Mississauga	515 – Toronto	525 – Mississauga	530 – St. Thomas	531 – Simcoe	545 – Etobicoke
	617 – Welland	638 – Windsor	644 – Hamilton	648 – Kirkland Lake	650 – Toronto	679 – Thunder Bay	793 – Sudbury	874 – Huntsville
	919 – Sault Ste Marie	930 – Schumacher	936 – Bothwell	954 – Hamilton	961 – West Toronto	975 – Toronto	977 – Toronto
QUEBEC	739 – Montreal	814 – Val D'Or	866 – Montreal	990 – Montreal
SASKATCHEWAN	521 – Saskatoon

Lodges – Croatia

CROATIA	2000 – Zagreb	2001 – Ogulin	2004 – Koprivnica	2005 – Rijeka	2006 – Split	2007 – Županja

Notable presidents

Anton Gazdić, first president of the Executive Committee for the Yugoslav Classroom at the University of Pittsburgh

University of Pittsburgh

The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...

's Cathedral of Learning

Cathedral of Learning

The Cathedral of Learning, a Pittsburgh landmark listed in the National Register of Historic Places, is the centerpiece of the University of Pittsburgh's main campus in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States...

.