Saturday, June 21, 2025
Unexplained Episode: Secret Societies
Friday, June 13, 2025
250 Years of Prince Hall Freemasonry in Boston
In 1775, Boston’s Prince Hall broke Freemasonry’s racial barrier. His global movement marches on.
Massachusetts Masons To Rededicate Bunker Hill Monument June 16th
![]() |
Photo: National Parks Service |
From the Charlestown Patriot-Bridge website yesterday:
On Monday, June 16, Charlestown will become the center of national remembrance as the Bunker Hill Monument Association leads a full-day commemoration marking the 200th anniversary of the laying of the Bunker Hill Monument’s cornerstone and the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Titled “Two Centuries of Glory,” the event will blend pageantry, history, and patriotism. The day begins with a ceremonial procession at 9:30 AM from the Charlestown Navy Yard, featuring more than 500 participants — Freemasons in full regalia, veterans, military groups, civic leaders, and historical reenactors — retracing the symbolic path toward the monument.
At 10:00 AM, a traditional Masonic cornerstone-laying ritual will take place at the base of the Bunker Hill Monument, replicating the original 1825 ceremony that drew thousands and helped define the commemorative landscape of early America. Attendees will witness stirring musical tributes form 20 musicians and historical readings, including portrayals of Daniel Webster and the Marquis de Lafayette — key figures in the monument’s founding.
The celebration continues in the evening at 6:00 PM at the Old South Meeting House with “It Has Begun!” — A Grand Monumental Celebration. This culminating event will include authentic spirited toasts each followed by a lively interpretation form the Dee Orchestra and Chorus of the orginal odes and songs that 60,000 people heard in 1825. Lafayette’s 1825 tribute to freedom and liberty, read aloud once more in the very city where American independence first found its voice will be followed by the Marseillaise and the Star Spangled Banner.
Presented by the Bunker Hill Monument Association in collaboration with Boston National Historical Park, The Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts, Revolutionary Spaces, the American Friends of Lafayette, and additional partners, the day promises to be a fitting tribute to two centuries of American memory and the enduring legacy of Bunker Hill.
For details about the Grand Lodge's involvement and for contact information, visit the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts event page HERE.
![]() |
Photo: Steven Markos |
![]() |
Photo: National Parks Service |
Tuesday, June 10, 2025
Masonic Quest: Escape from the Masonic Temple!
"A mysterious backpack has been found in the Museum…"The Belgian Museum of Freemasonry invites you to embark on a truly immersive experience: Masonic Quest, a thrilling escape game that takes place throughout the entire museum. Each puzzle you solve will bring you one step closer to uncovering the hidden treasure.
Succeed in your mission, and you’ll be rewarded with a photo alongside the treasure, an exclusive badge, and a certificate of investigation to commemorate your adventure.
Step into Masonic Quest, the captivating escape game at the Belgian Museum of Freemasonry! Dive into a world of intrigue, where mystery, symbols, and riddles intertwine. Follow in the footsteps of a historian who once hid a treasure deep within the museum’s walls.
Work as a team, explore every corner, crack codes, and solve puzzles to discover what’s been concealed.
This is a great idea. It's a fun way to get people into your Masonic building and interest younger people who haven't the first clue about who and what we really are. We have unique spaces that most people never give a second thought to. And everybody everywhere wants to know what's behind closed doors. So, let them in, guide them around, make them feel like explorers, let them see some unique artifacts.
The event also gives them the opportunity to hold guided tours and to open up their beautiful museum.
* * *
Lots of lodges also do haunted tours of their buildings, like this one in San Antonio, Texas.
* * *
Then there' a children's 'treasure hunt' this coming weekend at Mount Zion Lodge 135 in Metuchen, New Jersey:
The Freemasons of Metuchen (Mt. Zion Lodge #135),
in conjunction with Wolfe Ossa Law and What's the Scoop are sponsoring a Children's Treasure Hunt following the style of "National Treasure", "Indiana Jones", and "Tomb Raider".
This is a chaperoned Treasure Hunt that will challenge children to solve puzzles leading from one location in Metuchen to another. Each clue will bring the children progressively closer to the final treasure!
The Treasure Hunt will start at the Mt. Zion Lodge on Saturday, June 14th, 2025 9:30 am sharp.
** You MUST pre-register ** (we will fill up, do it now)
Address: 483 Middlesex Ave. Metuchen, NJ 08840
Saturday, June 07, 2025
Speaking in Denver on June 16th
Friday, June 06, 2025
God and the Odd Fellows
Over the last few years, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows fraternal organization has been attempting to grow by reaching out to a younger demographic. Some have been embracing their decidedly offbeat name as a welcoming place for men and women who proudly celebrate themselves as being 'odd', an image the organization didn't really have of itself before. Many IOOF lodges have tried to expand with this strategy, but some apparently fear that local lodge officers are doing so by shunning or ignoring some of the most basic precepts of the IOOF that date back since time immemorial. And the national Grand Lodge for the U.S. has just fired a warning shot across the collective bows of those who have been selectively dodging the rules.
- Should we remain true to our most basic foundations, or make alterations to appeal to men (and maybe women) who give us the go-by now?
- If such changes were to eventually be made, how can we honestly believe that Masonic membership would suddenly become desirable to our critics?
- Would the detractors of our own fraternity rush out to join a local Masonic lodge if we permitted women to join, dropped our faith requirement, and openly took on partisan political stands of one viewpoint or another?
- Or would they simply shrug and say, "Well, it's about time you dinosaurs crawled into the 21st century, but I'm really not much of a joiner..." ?
- Most “nones” believe in God or another higher power. But very few go to religious services regularly.
- Most say religion does some harm, but many also think it does some good. They are not uniformly anti-religious.
- Most “nones” reject the idea that science can explain everything. But they express more positive views of science than religiously affiliated Americans do.
Thursday, May 29, 2025
Cuban Freemasons Oust Grand Master in Called Session
![]() |
Cuban Masons held an impromptu called meeting outside of the Grand Lodge after Grand Master Duarte closed the building down. Photo: Cubanet |
A Mason interviewed by Cubanet considered the event historic and said that they made the decision to oust Duarte after exhausting all legal avenues.
"We tried, through all legal means, even unconventional ones, to assert our will and respect our legislation, but Filema refused to do so. Their lack of respect became evident and, worse still, MINJUS, far from ensuring proper conduct, actually supported it and fostered an unnecessary confrontation. We, the Cuban Freemasons, are the rightful owners of this Institution and we must, above all else, adhere to our oaths and the current legislation. If the government wants to dominate us, we will not allow it,"
[Duarte] had suspended the session of the High Masonic Chamber (the legislative body of the institution) in which elections for the senior positions of the Lodge were to take place in previous weeks.Making matters worse (if that's possible), while the large Grand Lodge headquarters building in Havana looks impressive, as though it's packed with Masonic occupants, it is, in reality, packed with government offices and officials who rent space in the building. Government officials frequently sit quite openly in Masonic meetings to observe their activities. It will be curious to see whether the Masons will prevail at electing and disciplining their own governing officers, or if the government forces them to knuckle under and keep Duarte on the throne of Solomon.
With that precedent, which, according to a report from Cubanet, extended its "dictatorship" and "the illegality within the Institution", the Freemasons decided to enforce justice.
A decree obtained by that media outlet revealed that Filema Duarte claimed that the "conditions to resume the suspended session on March 23 were not guaranteed."
In the text, he justified suspending the meeting to prevent alleged "scandals that transcend public life" and "further damage the already tarnished image of our Institution."
Previously, he warned about "personal threats" against him and announcements of "vandalistic behaviors with publicity from independent media." He believed that such acts were "inappropriate" for Freemasons and aimed to discredit the institution.
Filema Duarte was elected as Grand Master following the resignation of Mario Urquía Carreño, amid a corruption case involving the misappropriation of thousands of dollars and over 4 million pesos from the Lodge.
However, although the High Chamber established a six-month term for the position, until the holding of general elections, the Grand Master suspended the agreed-upon session.
Cubanet revealed that the Freemasons handed over documents and evidence to the Ministry of Justice to demonstrate the illegality committed by Filema Duarte in refusing to hold elections. However, Miriam García, director of Associations at MINJUS, did not address the complaint and supported the [actions of Duarte].
Freemasonry in Cuba has a peculiar relationship with their Communist Party that's quite unlike anywhere else in the Communist world. Most Communist regimes have banned Masonic organizations completely, dating back to the Russian Revolution in the early 20th century. But when Cuba's revolutionary leader Fidel Castro was fighting anti-Communist forces on the island in the 1950s, he was given aid and comfort by several groups of Masons there. Some have claimed that he was allowed to hide out in Masonic halls.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025
New York's "Welcome Brother" Package
Saturday, May 10, 2025
Brother General Lafayette Masonic Marker Dedication May 12th in Jeffersonville, Indiana
At 10:00AM, all participants will gather in Louisville’s Waterfront Park, at 1101 E. River Road to welcome Lafayette, escorted by the U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, and accompanied by historic re-enactors of Kentucky’s then-Governor Disha, and Colonel Richard Anderson. Lafayette will speak and answer questions for local students. Then everyone will join a Parade of Flags and escort Lafayette across the Big Four walking bridge over the Ohio River to Jeffersonville (about a 40-minute walk).
All Masons are encouraged to dress in suit and tie and wear their aprons for this procession, and for the rest of the day’s festivities.
Masonic Marker Dedication
At approximately 1:15PM, General Lafayette will be officially welcomed to Indiana in Jeffersonville’s Big Four Station Park by a crowd that will include the Grand Lodge of Indiana, Daughters of the American Revolution, the Sons of the American Revolution, plus local dignitaries and descendants Zalmon Burritt, a Revolutionary War Soldier.
The dedications will be followed by food, drink, toasts to George Washington, and more at Big Four Station Park.
At 7:00PM on Monday evening, the Masons of Kentucky will hold their own event at the beautiful Louisville Scottish Rite, and the public is invited. They will present a special theatrical play – a reenactment of Lafayette’s 1825 visit to Louisville’s Abraham Lodge #8. The play will be followed by a reception featuring the Old Guard Fife & Drum Corps.
Abraham #8 is important to Indiana Freemasonry. It was the lodge that authorized a dispensation to establish Vincennes Lodge, the first Masonic lodge chartered in the Indiana Territory, under the Grand Lodge of Kentucky in 1809. It would become Vincennes Lodge #1 of the new Grand Lodge of Indiana when it was officially established in 1818.
The Louisville Scottish Rite is located at 200 East Gray Street. No reservations are required, and the event is free of charge.
Friday, May 09, 2025
Dick Fletcher, Longtime Head of MSA, Passes
It is with deep sadness that I share the passing of Richard “Dick” Fletcher, beloved husband of Judy Fletcher and a cherished member of our House of the Temple family.
Dick’s contributions to the Scottish Rite were immeasurable. For many years, he served as a dedicated volunteer in both the Membership Services Department and the Library, lending his time, talents, and unwavering support to the work of the Scottish Rite. His kindness, quiet strength, and generous spirit touched everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.
Beyond his volunteer work, Dick was the Past Grand Master of Masons in Vermont and served as the Executive Secretary of the Masonic Service Association of North America (MSA) from 1987 until his retirement in 2011, totaling about 24 years of dedicated leadership.
He was widely respected across the Masonic world for his efforts to promote Masonic education, disaster relief, and interjurisdictional cooperation. Whether welcoming House of the Temple visitors, assisting staff, or quietly ensuring the success of countless projects, he exemplified the best of our values through selfless service.
Condolences may be sent to Judy Fletcher at : --------------. I will keep you informed of arrangements.
Fraternally,
James D. Cole, 33°
Sovereign Grand Commander
Supreme Council, 33° | Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, SJ, USA
Dick Fletcher was a Past Grand Master of Vermont and a 33° Scottish Rite Mason, and he came to the Masonic Service Association after a long career in banking. Under almost a quarter century of his leadership, the MSA established the Masonic Information Center, "Operation Phone Home" providing prepaid calling cards to overseas military personnel, and created the Twain Award, to reward excellence in Masonic awareness among individual lodges in North America. His travel schedule would have been daunting for men half his age, and he attended dozens of grand lodge sessions each year, often with his lovely wife Judy. Before his retirement in 2010, I seemed to see them everywhere I went. His departure truly marked the end of an era for MSA.
The MSA was created in 1919 to provide services to its member Grand Lodges that they would find difficult to provide for themselves. It remains the one organization that provides a national voice for mainstream Freemasonry in North America, and is a commission of the Conference of Grand Masters of Masons in North America.Monday, May 05, 2025
2025 Midwest Conference on Masonic Education Wrap Up
![]() |
Those Midnight Freemason guys show up everywhere. |
![]() |
Before the Conference, some of the 'Indiana Friends of Brent' were able to join up with the venerable Dr. Morris on Thursday, along with our mascot, Billy the Wonder Goat. |