The origin of the Order Sons of Italy goes back to the turn of the twentieth century. The first lodge was formed in 1905 in New York City by a Sicilian immigrant. Its founding constitution laid out the Order’s goal: To see “reunited in one single family, all the Italians scattered throughout the Americas, the Dominion of Canada, Territories and Dependencies.”

Between 1910 and 1916, 960 lodges were established in the U.S. and Canada. The first Canadian lodge, Giuseppe Verdi, was established in 1915 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. By the late 1930s, many more lodges had sprung up. In 1939, the Order’s Mutual Benefit Society was created, through which members could purchase insurance. Twenty-five lodges participated, and there were 1,700 contributing members. The Society was dissolved in 1994.