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Monday, January 17, 2011

Louisiana Opens New Traditional Observance Lodge

A new Traditional Observance Lodge has formed in Louisiana: O. K. Allen Lodge U.D. in Winnfield, Louisiana has been granted dispensation to work. Its charter Master is RWB Bryan Price, who has also been named for 2011-2012 as the Grand Tyler for the Grand Lodge of Louisiana F&AM.

What makes O.K. Allen Lodge doubly unusual, apart from adopting the TO model, is that it will also be working the Scottish Rite Craft rituals for its three degrees, which are based on pre-Louisiana Purchase era French rituals, and rarely seen outside of Louisiana. It is totally different from the Preston/Webb York ritual worked in the overwhelming majority of the U.S.

The Grand Lodge of Louisiana F&AM currently has one other TO lodge, the Lodge of the Nine Muses No. 9, in Baton Rouge.

Oscar Kelly Allen was a Freemason and a member of Eastern Star Lodge No. 151 F&AM in Winnfield, Louisiana. Allen served as the 42nd Governor of the State of Louisiana from 1932-36. At the time of his death, he was the Democratic nominee for Huey Long's vacated Senate seat.

For more information about Traditional Observance and European Concept lodges in the U.S., see the website of the Masonic Restoration Foundation.
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6 comments:

  1. RichardMon Jan 17, 05:21:00 PM 2011

    Chris,
    FYI, the link to Masonic Restoration is incorrect. (You have louisiana tacked on after http://www.masonicrestoration.com which is causing it to fail.)
    --RFM

    ReplyDelete
  2. Christopher HodappMon Jan 17, 06:43:00 PM 2011

    Ooops. Fixed.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Millennial FreemasonMon Jan 17, 06:46:00 PM 2011

    I was under the impression that the Grand Lodge of Louisiana no longer chartered SR lodges and the current SR craft lodges in Louisiana were grandfathered in to practice that rite. I think the bigger story may be that Louisiana is chartering a new Lodge practicing the Scottish Rite. Fascinating.

    Nick
    Millennial Freemason

    ReplyDelete
  4. San Diego FreemasonTue Jan 18, 04:05:00 AM 2011

    The Scottish Rite craft degrees are beautiful and highly symbolic in nature.

    I am sure that this new lodge will find them immensely rewarding to work.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The Burning TemperSat Jan 22, 07:18:00 PM 2011

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Michael R. PollWed Mar 07, 11:14:00 AM 2012

    Several years ago The GL of Louisiana passed a resolution allowing a limited number of new AASR craft lodges to be chartered in LA or allowing a lodge currently working the York/Webb ritual to switch to the AASR. Fraternally, Michael R. Poll

    ReplyDelete

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