The 1st Masonic Con New York – 'Freemasonry in the 21st Century': January 17-18, 2025

by Christopher Hodapp

The very first Masonic Con New York is coming to the magnificent New York Masonic Hall on the weekend of January 17, 2025. Built around the theme Freemasonry in the 21st Century: Self and Society, this premiere Masonic Con will showcase experts discussing the urgency of Masonic teachings and the importance of Brotherhood in our lives and communities. If you are familiar with the U.S. Surgeon General’s recent study on the epidemic of male loneliness in American society, or with any of the various news reports on this problem, you may wish to hear from these speakers and glean ideas for preparing for Freemasonry’s future.

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The weekend will begin the evening of Friday, January 17 with the legendary Mariners Lodge 67 Maritime Festive Board and Beefsteak Banquet inside the Masonic Hall's spacious Grand Lodge Room at 6 p.m. If you have yet to experience it, prepare to be amazed by the camaraderie of Masonic feasting and singing in harmony.

A Mariner's Lodge Festive Board & Beefsteak Banquet

On Saturday the 18th, the speakers program, open to the public, will begin at 9 a.m. Keynote speaker Maj. Gen. William Green, Jr., the U.S. Army’s Chief of Chaplains, will speak to America’s loneliness epidemic and man’s need for fraternal connections in life.

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Additional featured Speakers:

• Dr. Heather Calloway, Executive Director of Indiana University’s Center for Fraternal Collections and Research, will discuss the cultural relevance of fraternal orders in America.
• Bro. Chuck Dunning, of Texas, the nationally renowned author and educator on the subject of meditation and mindfulness techniques, will impart ways Masons and our lodges may profit from these practices.
• Bro. Bull Garlington, of Illinois, is famous for his journalistic essays on how he overcame loneliness in adulthood by discovering Freemasonry.
• Bro. Michael LaRocco, Executive Director of our Livingston Library, will share his expertise in the craft of self-actualization.
• Bro. Jim Loporto will close the speakers program with his dramatic presentation “The Elephant in the Room.” This will be open only to regular Freemasons—and we especially encourage Apprentices, Fellows, and new Master Masons to experience it.

 

There will also be tours of Masonic Hall and the Livingston Library, Masonic vendors, and plenty of networking opportunities.

Masonic Con will close with a special cocktail reception, where attendees can mingle with the guest speakers and Grand Lodge leadership while also supporting New York’s Brotherhood Fund 1781 Society.

For more information, to purchase tickets, sign up for vendors' tables or make hotel reservations, visit https://masonicconnewyork.com/

(H/T Thanks to Grand Secretary Richard Schultz for passing this along)