UGLE Charters St. Hubertus Lodge 9934 for Hunters

Since I'm catching up on English Masonic stories this week, I'll pass this one along, too. On the heels of the news a few days ago about UGLE's new "boating" lodge comes another affinity lodge - this time, for hunters and other lovers of the great outdoors. 

From a story on the Yorkshire Evening Post website:

A new lodge for lovers of country pursuits is set to be launched during a ceremony at Castle Grove Masonic Hall in Headingley on November 3. 

St Hubertus Lodge is thought to be the first new lodge to be launched in West Yorkshire since October 2013, when the Bradfordians Lodge was started for Freemasons connected with Bradford Grammar School. 

Named after the patron saint of hunters, the event will see Freemasons from all over the country travelling to Leeds to attend the consecration ceremony. 

St Huberts lodge will move around the country and hold its ceremonies in the afternoon, giving the members chance to travel to and from the meeting. The new lodge is the brainchild of Craig Kidd, a paramedic from Kellington near Knottingley, who is a qualified deer manager and stalker and a Mason of 19 years. 

Mr Kidd said: “St Hubertus is a lodge for those who love all types of country pursuits, be it shooting, fishing, horse riding, rambling, deer stalking or bird watching.” He added: “We already have 59 founders and seven joining members from all over the country, and it will be my honour and privilege to be its first Master.

November 3rd is actually the traditional feast day of the Christian Saint Hubertus, the patron saint of hunting.

(It would probably at this moment be prudent to mention that this new lodge has NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with the group that US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was a member of, with whom he was participating when he died in February, outside of sharing inspiration from the saint. The different International Order of St. Hubertus is actually an Austrian fraternal hunting society that dates back to the 1600s. Its American chapter was started at none other than San Francisco's infamous Bohemian Club, the very same founders of the even more infamous Bohemian Grove - which of course makes it conspiracy fodder for the perennially nervous. )

The website for St. Hubertus Lodge No. 9934 is HERE. From their own description:

Saint Hubertus or Hubert (c. 656–727 A.D.) became Bishop of Liège in 708 A.D. He was a Christian saint who was the patron saint of hunters, also of mathematicians, opticians, and metalworkers. Known as the Apostle of the Ardennes, he was called upon, until the early 20th century, to cure rabies through the use of the traditional St Hubert's Key.

Saint Hubertus was widely venerated during the Middle Ages. The iconography of his legend is entangled with the legend of Saint Eustace. The Bollandists published seven early lives of Hubertus (Acta Sanctorum, November, 759–930 A.D) the first of these was the work of a contemporary, though it is very sparing of details.

He died 30 May 727 A.D. in Tervuren near Brussels, Belgium. 

[snip] 

Themed lodges have been proven to have a very high success rate as members have a common interest as well as Freemasonry. This new lodge will hopefully create an interest not only within the new membership but with candidates that wish to become freemasons and that also wish to get more out of Freemasonry especially with meeting up with friends outside of lodge time. The sports of Hunting, shooting & fishing are quite often enjoyed more in a small or large group which can only be good for Freemasonry in general and the sports that we all enjoy. 

To be a joining member you must have an interest in Shooting or Fishing. You must also have been initiated in a recognised U.G.L.E Lodge. A clearance certificate will be required from any current or past lodge’s.

New Candidates for initiation will have to conform to the requirements of being a Freemason as well as have an interest in Hunting, Shooting or fishing. St Hubertus will be a traveling or peripatetic lodge, this is one that is not fixed to any particular Masonic Hall, meetings are held by dispensation and can be held at any Masonic Hall or suitable meeting place. This means we can incorporate our hobbies even more. For example there is a Masonic Hall at Bisley which is the National Rifle Associations shooting ground where the Olympic teams train.

Venues for meetings will be chosen by the Worshipful Master and then submitted to the Officers and brethren for approval, it would be enjoyable to eventually go to every Masonic Hall that a member currently belongs.