The Masonic Crusade website reports that a West Virginia resident who belonged to an Ohio lodge passed away, and that West Virginia Masons were barred from performing a Masonic funeral service for him.
That is the result of grand lodge politics and the ongoing battle over the expulsion of Past Grand Master Frank Haas.
A team of Ohio Masons came across the state line and performed a funeral service for the well respected brother, so his family did not have suffer from this tawdry bickering. But West Virginia Masons were not allowed to participate in the service.
In the name of all that is right and proper, brethren—would somebody please blink and bring this madness to an end?
The civil trial between Haas and the Grand Lodge of West Virginia begins December 6th.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
6 comments:
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I agree with you Brother Chris. This madness has to end and it is so wrong for a family to suffer more than it already has because of bad politics by men who are supposed to be brothers and trying to make good men better. It makes one ashamed to be called a Mason when we read of things like this.
ReplyDeleteHow's that "brotherly love" thing working out for them in WV, I wonder?
ReplyDeleteThis may indeed be a serious breech of Masonic brotherhood. However, before too many conclusions are jumped to, let me play devil's advocate and note that 1) since the late brother's identity is not revealed, we don't know but what this was not a random act of pettiness, but rather a deliberate reaction to someone who had been involved with the Haas vs. GL controversy; or 2) since no town is identified, it's possible that the brother died in some small border community that was more closely linked to an OH city than WV (the lengthy border between the two states offers several possibilities), and the Ohio lodge performing the ceremony may have had nothing at all to do inter-GL politics.
ReplyDeleteThis is really a shame. I hope it is resolved very soon.
ReplyDeleteIn response to owenkl:
ReplyDeleteThe deceased Brother was George L. Straub, Past Potentate of Osiris Temple. He was a frien of Frank Haas but I don;t think this played into the Grand Master's decision to block his service. George had an agreement with a fellow Past Potentate to perform his service and the Grand Master of WV chose to block it. George died in Morgantown, WV, not a border town. The OH Brothers came from his home Lodge near Akron at my request to perform the service. My Dad was also my Brother!
Straubg
I am so sorry for your loss, Brother.
ReplyDelete