Our History

The Catholic Mutual Relief Society of America (Catholic Mutual Group) was founded by a group of Midwest Catholic Bishops on February 1, 1889. Unable to obtain reasonably priced, reliable insurance on their churches, they worked together to form a mutually protective organization which would help repair or rebuild damaged church properties. Participation in Catholic Mutual Group is limited to Catholic Church-owned properties. While Catholic Mutual Group provides coverage that resembles that of a typical property/liability policy, it goes far beyond insurance. It has a history of providing "relief" to members that experience losses not covered by traditional insurance or in cases where losses exceed the amount available under the coverage certificate.

From that modest beginning, Catholic Mutual Group has grown to be the largest provider of coverage to Catholic dioceses in the United States. We currently have 111 diocesan members out of 195 Catholic dioceses in the United States. We also provide coverage to 3 Archdiocese and 11 Diocese in the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario, Canada. Those dioceses range in size, from larger dioceses such as the Archdiocese of New York and Archdiocese of Milwaukee, to smaller dioceses such as the Diocese of Juneau, Alaska and Diocese of Gallup, New Mexico. In addition, we serve over 250 religious orders and Catholic institution members, which operate monasteries, convents, schools, nursing homes, housing for the elderly, counseling centers, and social programs.

Funding is on a pre-assessment basis, with the amounts collected being accumulated and used to pay claims, as well as to purchase a stop loss indemnification policy for the participants.

Catholic Mutual Group is recognized as a leader in property and liability coverage and in development of risk management procedures for Catholic Church properties. Catholic Mutual Group operates in 49 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Province of Ontario, Canada. It continues to grow annually, sustained by a prudent leadership team that is wholly committed to serving the Church.

Catholic Mutual Group is a unique company founded on integrity and built on the trust of those it serves. We operate with pride in fulfilling our mission to the Catholic Church in the United States.

For more information, please contact our Marketing Department at 1-800-228-6108