About Christian Brothers Services

Christian Brothers Services has continually responded to the needs of the Catholic community by developing collaborative and cost-effective programs and services designed specifically for Catholic organizations, dioceses and religious orders.

Christian Brothers Services is able to fully support Christian Brothers Conference and exemplify our Lasallian mission by understanding, protecting and guiding our members.

The National Office of the Christian Brothers was established, and a number of cooperative programs were developed to assist and support the Christian Brothers Schools. The programs were, to a considerable degree, operated by the Christian Brothers Conference. The Conference sponsored the programs, appointed any Trustees and administered the program at the National Office.

The Christian Brothers Employee Retirement Plan is a Defined Benefit that provides a traditional form of retirement benefit and is also known as a pension plan. The Plan was started originally for the lay employees of the Christian Brothers schools, but has been expanded to include any Catholic organization or diocese. The Plan is funded entirely by the participating employers.

Brother Damian helped establish the Christian Brothers National Office on the campus of Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois, and built the novitiate and scholasticate on the campus.

The Religious Comprehensive Trust is formed

Trust is designed for a Religious Institute that is geographically disparate and not administratively centralized.

This program allows Catholic Church employers to provide a guaranteed retirement income to Brothers

This Program is designed to offset the costs incurred by Catholic organizations when an employee becomes eligible for unemployment compensation benefits. This program is open to all not-for-profit Catholic organizations listed in the Official Catholic Directory.

Since 1977, Christian Brothers Services has worked with Catholic organizations and dioceses designing and administering comprehensive, cost-effective employee health and wellness benefits including: medical, prescription drug, vision, dental, long-term disability, term life and long-term care insurance. These Employee Benefit Trust programs are designed exclusively for the benefit of the Catholic church and are sensitive to the unique needs of Catholic employers.

The Religious Community Deductible Trust is similar to the Comprehensive Trust, but does not include dental. It is a stop-loss program designed to protect against catastrophic and untimely medical bills. This program is ideal for an Institute that is geographically limited such as a monastery, or one which is centralized administratively.

This cooperative “Church Plan” of committed Catholic Church organizations offers a broad package of property/casualty coverage’s and optional limits designed to protect each member against financial loss from their religious and charitable activities.

CBIS was founded in 1981 by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, to provide trusted socially responsible investment management services exclusively to Catholic organizations. CBIS operates as a for-profit corporation.

In 1985, Christian Brothers Services, Inc. came into existence. This Illinois for-profit corporation was owned by a single shareholder, Christian Brothers Conference. Christian Brothers Conference elected the Board of Directors of the company each year. After that, it was this Board of Directors that was responsible for the operation of the company.

Brother Joel Damian is elected as a Risk Pooling Trust Trustee.

Christian Brothers Student Accident Plan is designed to reimburse parents and guardians for out-of-pocket medical expenses which occur as the result of an accident at school or a school sponsored event.

Brother Damian helped establish the Christian Brothers National Office on the campus of Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois, and built the novitiate and scholasticate on the campus. He was named executive secretary of Christian Brothers Conference and established employee benefit programs for the lay associates/colleagues of the Christian Brothers. He also helped initiate and establish trusts to cover property and casualty programs, religious health trusts and all the programs/plans currently administered by Christian Brothers Services.

As a result of changes in the tax code, Christian Brothers Services, Inc. (for-profit) is renamed Christian Brothers Services (non-profit). Each Trust is controlled by its own Trustees elected by participants of the Trust. A new for-profit corporation, CB Programs, Inc., was organized to administer all the other programs.

Prescription drug coverage is available with all medical plan designs. The integrated plan offers prescription service at both retail and mail order pharmacies. The program includes over 99% of all retail pharmacies across the United States. Our long-term home delivery program can offer significant savings to participants with the ease of no hassle refills.

The CBRSP is a 403(b) Retirement Plan which allows a participant to save for retirement on a tax-deferred basis. The employer can also contribute to the Plan through a matching and/or discretionary contribution. Most contributions are 100% immediately vested in the Plan. Some vesting schedule options for employer contributions recently have been added.

The CBERSP is a 401(k) Retirement Plan which allows a participant to save for retirement on a tax-deferred basis. The employer can also contribute to the Plan through a matching and/or discretionary contribution.

2000

Website Services is established

A website design and development service that provides design, development, maintenance, monitoring and management of your website.

During the 22 years Brother William served as president/CEO, the organization grew from approximately 60 staff members to over 200. CB Programs, CBS Canada and CB Travel were all added to the expanding list of services offered by Christian Brothers Services. He was particularly proud of the management team he put together and the design and construction of the current building in Romeoville.

Before joining Christian Brothers Services, Brother Michael Quirk spent 24 years at De La Salle Institute in Chicago. Becoming President there in 1989, he started as the school’s Business Manager and also taught business and coached wrestling. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois, and a doctorate in Education from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois.

On August 3, 2009, Christian Brothers Services introduced a brand new look; however, our commitment to outstanding customer service hasn’t changed.

On August 1st, 2012, Christian Brothers Services unveiled a new mosaic theme. This new look replaced the beach theme, which was developed during our 2009 organizational rebrand. Bringing our religious roots to the forefront, the new theme reiterates our desire to serve members with a mosaic of programs and services.

Information Technology & Website Services provides IT operations and website design and hosting services to our members. ITWS has recently partnered with four outside providers that offer our members a variety of networking solutions.

The “Lasallian Mission Wall” was created to remind CBS employees how their hard work benefits Lasallian students all around the world. The “Leadership Wall” recognizes the achievements and contributions made by Brother Joel Damian, Brother William Walz and Brother Michael Quirk. The “Lasallian Hallway of History” features stories about notable Brothers throughout history. The “Reception Area” promotes CBS services and mission statement.

On April 1, 2014, The Religious and Charitable Risk Pooling Trust of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and Affiliates (Risk Pooling Trust or Trust) marked 35 years of providing Catholic organizations with a viable alternative to traditional property/casualty insurance. The Trust provides coverage in the areas of auto, property, liability and workers’ compensation with risk management services provided at no cost to members of the Trust.

Brother Joel Damian, FSC, founder of Christian Brothers Services, created the Christian Brothers Employee Retirement Plan (CBERP). The Plan is a defined benefit Church plan, which provides a guaranteed retirement income to employees of Catholic organizations.

CSM provides consulting services in many areas of Catholic school life and operation, such as enrollment, development, strategic planning, governance and administration. CSM will now function as a new division at CBS; however, their mission, vision and quality of service will remain the same. The staff of CSM includes more than 30 highly-trained and experienced Catholic school professionals.

This acquisition enables CBS to be a premier provider of consulting services to faith-based organizations.

The Prayer Room is a non-denominational space used for reflection, contemplation, spiritual meditation or prayer. The room contains six symbols representing the religions of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism, as well as chairs, kneelers and a table. It also features an installation depicting Christ on the cross by renowned sculpture artist Juan Angel Chavez.

Brother Solomon Le Clercq, FSC, was canonized in a ceremony on October 16, 2016, in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City. Brother Solomon, a martyr of the French Revolution, was the first Brother of the Christian Schools to be martyred, and, on October 17, 1926, the first to be beatified.

In the early years of the Trust Brother Augustine Kossuth, FSC and then Brother Mark Emken, OSA succeeded Brother Damian as Managing Directors. In 1982 Father Fran Dyer, OP stepped into that role and managed the RMT for half of its 50 years before retiring in 2011.

In 2012, the RMT and the Employee Benefit Trust (EBT) came together to form the Health Benefit Services (HBS) division of CBS and John Airola, longtime managing director of the EBT, began managing the RMT as well.

The acquisition enables Christian Brothers Services to be a premier provider of consulting services to faith-based organizations. BMT will now function as a new and independent division of Christian Brothers Services, but the mission, vision and quality of service of BMT will remain the same as when it was founded in 1972.