Connecticut Fraternal Lodges

About Fraternal Organizations in Connecticut

A deep look at the history, oldest lodges, membership process, and notable members of fraternal organizations across Connecticut.

History of Fraternal Organizations in Connecticut

Connecticut occupies a singular place in the global history of fraternal Catholicism: the Knights of Columbus was founded in New Haven, Connecticut on March 29, 1882 by Father Michael J. McGivney, a 29-year-old curate at St. Mary's Church on Hillhouse Avenue. McGivney, the son of Irish immigrants and the eldest of thirteen children, watched his parishioners — primarily Irish-Catholic factory workers and their families — face financial ruin when a wage-earning husband or father died, since most insurance companies of the era would not write policies for Catholics or for men in industrial occupations.

Drawing on the existing model of fraternal mutual-benefit societies, McGivney organized a small group of laymen at St. Mary's basement in October 1881 and formally chartered the Knights of Columbus the following March, choosing Christopher Columbus as the order's namesake to assert the legitimacy of Catholic citizenship in a country where anti-Catholic prejudice remained widespread. The order's original purpose was twofold: to provide death-benefit insurance to the widows and orphans of deceased members, and to offer Catholic men a fraternal alternative to the Masonic and Odd Fellows lodges that the Catholic Church then forbade them to join. From those humble origins in a New Haven basement, the Knights of Columbus grew into the largest Catholic fraternal organization in the world, with over 2 million members across the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, and beyond.

McGivney died in 1890 at age 38 from pneumonia and tuberculosis but his cause for canonization is now active; he was beatified by Pope Francis in October 2020, making him a step away from formal sainthood. Beyond the Knights, Connecticut also possesses substantial older fraternal heritage: the Independent Order of Odd Fellows reached Connecticut by the 1840s, with the Grand Lodge of Connecticut IOOF chartered in 1842. The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks established Connecticut presence with New Haven Elks Lodge No. 25 chartered on July 9, 1883, making it one of the oldest Elks lodges in the country and the first in Connecticut.

Hartford Elks Lodge No. 19 was chartered earlier the same year, on May 28, 1883, slightly predating New Haven. Bridgeport Elks Lodge No. 36, Waterbury Elks Lodge No.

265, New London Elks Lodge No. 360, and Norwich Elks Lodge No. 430 followed before 1900. The Loyal Order of Moose and the Fraternal Order of Eagles reached Connecticut in the 1900s and 1910s, drawn by the state's heavily industrial workforce in brass mills, firearms factories, hat works, and shipyards.

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks in Connecticut

The Connecticut State Elks Association governs approximately 30 active Elks lodges across the state. Hartford Elks Lodge No. 19 holds the distinction of being one of the oldest BPOE lodges in the country, chartered on May 28, 1883, just fifteen years after the order's founding in New York City. The lodge has historically served the political class of the state capital — its membership has included Connecticut governors, state legislators, federal judges, and Hartford's insurance and manufacturing executives.

New Haven Elks Lodge No. 25, chartered just six weeks later on July 9, 1883, has historically anchored Elks activity in Connecticut's second-largest city and counted Yale faculty, federal courthouse officials, and downtown New Haven business leaders among its membership. Bridgeport Elks Lodge No. 36 served the heavily industrial city's workforce of brass-mill, firearms, and shipyard workers.

Other significant Connecticut Elks lodges include Waterbury Lodge No. 265, New London Lodge No. 360, Norwich Lodge No. 430, Stamford Lodge No.

899, Meriden Lodge No. 35, Naugatuck Lodge No. 967, Greenwich Lodge No. 1150, Manchester Lodge No.

1893, Norwalk Lodge No. 709, Danbury Lodge No. 120, and Middletown Lodge No. 771.

The Connecticut Elks Major Project supports the Connecticut Elks Therapy Program, which provides occupational, physical, and speech therapy for children with disabilities through grants distributed by lodge committees. The state association also funds Most Valuable Student scholarships, the Hoop Shoot free-throw contest, and substantial veterans' programming including support for the West Haven VA Medical Center and the Newington VA campus. Connecticut Elks have produced several national Elks officers and consistently rank among the higher per-capita giving states for the Elks National Foundation.

Loyal Order of Moose in Connecticut

The Loyal Order of Moose in Connecticut operates approximately 18 lodges under the Connecticut Moose Association. Hartford Moose Lodge No. 73, chartered in the early 1910s, is one of the lowest-numbered surviving Moose lodges in the entire order and anchors Moose activity in central Connecticut. Other prominent Connecticut Moose lodges include New Haven Moose Lodge No.

113, Bridgeport Moose Lodge No. 84, Waterbury Moose Lodge No. 261, Stamford Moose Lodge No. 940, Meriden Moose Lodge No.

28, Norwich Moose Lodge No. 1376, New London Moose Lodge No. 132, Manchester Moose Lodge No. 1840, Naugatuck Moose Lodge No.

1207, and Danbury Moose Lodge No. 414. Each Connecticut Moose lodge contributes per-member dues to Mooseheart, the residential child-care community in Illinois, and to Moosehaven, the senior community in Florida. The Women of the Moose chapters across Connecticut are active and have historically been substantial fundraisers for Mooseheart through bake sales, fashion shows, holiday craft fairs, and direct member solicitation.

Connecticut Moose lodges have been particularly active in supporting state-level community charity, including school-supply drives, holiday meal programs for low-income families, and toy drives during the Christmas season. Several Connecticut Moose members have served on the Mooseheart national board over the order's history.

Eagles, Knights of Columbus & Other Fraternal Orders in Connecticut

The Fraternal Order of Eagles maintains approximately 12 active aeries in Connecticut, with Bridgeport Aerie No. 122, New Haven Aerie No. 9, Hartford Aerie No. 14, Waterbury Aerie No.

36, Stamford Aerie No. 4055, and Meriden Aerie No. 137 among the most prominent. New Haven Aerie No.

9 holds particular historical significance as one of the lowest-numbered Eagles aeries on the East Coast. The Eagles' historical advocacy for Mother's Day, Social Security, and workers' compensation laws is celebrated in Connecticut aerie literature, and the order's national charity for diabetes, cancer, and kidney research receives steady support. The Knights of Columbus is, of course, the most historically and institutionally significant fraternal order in Connecticut, given that it was founded in New Haven in 1882. The Connecticut State Council oversees approximately 240 councils across the Archdiocese of Hartford and the Dioceses of Bridgeport and Norwich.

New Haven Council No. 1, the founding council chartered by Father McGivney himself in 1882, remains active and is regarded by Knights worldwide as the spiritual and historical heart of the order. The Knights of Columbus Museum, located in New Haven adjacent to the order's international headquarters, displays artifacts from McGivney's life and the order's history. The Knights of Columbus international headquarters at 1 Columbus Plaza in New Haven is one of Connecticut's most architecturally distinctive office buildings and serves as the worldwide administrative center for the entire 2-million-member organization.

Connecticut KCs have historically led the order in initiatives including the Pilgrim Icon program, the Faith in Action program, and substantial fundraising for Catholic causes including persecuted Christians in the Middle East. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows retains a small Connecticut footprint with approximately 10 active subordinate lodges, including the historic Hartford lodge that traces to the 1840s.

Connecticut Fraternal Lodges by the Numbers

Connecticut's fraternal community is substantial relative to the state's population of approximately 3.6 million, reflecting both the state's deep industrial heritage and the worldwide significance of New Haven as the founding city of the Knights of Columbus. The state hosts approximately 30 BPOE Elks lodges with combined membership of about 12,000 to 15,000. The Loyal Order of Moose operates approximately 18 lodges with combined male and female membership of 7,000 to 9,000. The Knights of Columbus maintain about 240 councils across Connecticut's three Catholic dioceses with combined membership exceeding 25,000 — Connecticut has one of the highest per-capita KC membership rates in the country owing to its founding role and its historically heavy Catholic population.

The Fraternal Order of Eagles operates approximately 12 aeries with combined membership of 3,500 to 4,500. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows retains roughly 10 active lodges. Geographic concentration follows population: Hartford County, New Haven County, Fairfield County (Bridgeport-Stamford), and New London County collectively host roughly 75 percent of all fraternal lodges in the state.

How to Join a Fraternal Lodge in Connecticut

Joining a fraternal lodge in Connecticut follows national procedures with state-specific dues levels and customs reflecting Connecticut's high cost of living. Connecticut Elks (BPOE) require U.S. citizenship, age 21 or older, good character, and belief in God; sponsorship by an existing member is required, and most lodges require a second seconder. Annual dues at Connecticut Elks lodges typically run $120 to $250, with initiation fees of $75 to $200.

The Loyal Order of Moose in Connecticut requires age 21 or older and good character, with dues running $50 to $90 annually. Knights of Columbus membership in Connecticut is restricted to practical Catholic men aged 18 and older — applicants complete a Form 100 through their parish and are inducted at a ceremony. Given Connecticut's status as the birthplace of the Knights, joining the Knights of Columbus in Connecticut carries particular meaning, and many Connecticut Knights make pilgrimages to St. Mary's Church in New Haven, where Father McGivney founded the order, and to the Knights of Columbus Museum and headquarters.

Connecticut KC dues typically run $35 to $60 annually. The Fraternal Order of Eagles in Connecticut admits men 21 or older with belief in a Supreme Being; aerie dues run $50 to $80. Most Connecticut lodges welcome inquiries from prospective members and arrange visits to dinner nights, fraternal dinners, or social events as the customary first step before formal application.

Notable Connecticut Fraternal Members in History

Connecticut's fraternal rolls include some of the most historically prominent figures in American religious and civic life. Father Michael J. McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus, was beatified by Pope Francis in October 2020 — the first American parish priest ever beatified — and is now venerated as Blessed Michael McGivney. His remains rest in a tomb at St.

Mary's Church on Hillhouse Avenue in New Haven, the birthplace of the order. James T. Mullen, the first Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus and a New Haven retail merchant, served as the order's principal organizational architect after McGivney's death. Carl Anderson, a longtime Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus from 2000 to 2021, expanded the order's worldwide reach and built the New Haven headquarters into a global Catholic charitable institution.

In secular Connecticut fraternal life, U.S. Senator Prescott Bush — father of George H.W. Bush and grandfather of George W. Bush — was a longtime member of Greenwich Elks Lodge No.

1150 during his Connecticut career. Senator Thomas Dodd, the Nuremberg prosecutor and longtime senator, was associated with Hartford-area fraternal lodges. Governor Ella Grasso, the first woman elected governor of any U.S. state in her own right rather than as a successor to her husband, was honored by multiple Connecticut Elks lodges during her 1975 to 1980 governorship though women were not yet admitted as members.

P.T. Barnum, the legendary showman and Bridgeport mayor, was an Elks honoree in the lodge's earliest years. More recently, Senator Joseph Lieberman maintained ties to Connecticut Elks lodges throughout his political career.

Frequently Asked Questions: Connecticut Fraternal Lodges

Sources & Further Reading

• https://www.elks.org/lodges/
• https://www.mooseintl.org/
• https://www.foe.com/
• https://www.kofc.org/en/who-we-are/our-history/
• https://www.fathermcgivney.org/
• https://www.kofcmuseum.org/
• https://ctstatecouncil.org/
• https://www.ctelks.org/