Vancouver Masonic Hall Arsonist Paroled Again

Ben Kohlman, self-portrait/Facebook

by Christopher Hodapp

The convicted arsonist who set fire to three Masonic halls in Vancouver, Canada back in 2021 is in trouble with the law again, and he still blaming "The Illuminati" for his troubles.

On March 8, 2021, Benjamin Orion Carlson Kohlman went on an arson spree across northern Vancouver, setting fires that completely destroyed or severely damaged three different Masonic halls. At that time, he claimed to hear voices in his head telling him to burn down the Masonic halls because the Masons and the Illuminati were engaging in mind control of other people. Kohlman was subsequently sentenced to federal prison and eventually released. 

Now he's been sentenced to 18 months’ probation after being arrested over a year ago for dangerous driving, fleeing from police, and subsequently attempting to take the gun of the arresting police officer. He was jailed for almost a year and a half for that crime. Now, amazingly, despite his prior issues with drug-induced psychosis, paranoia and history as a firebug, the court has granted him probation in this case.

From an article on the North Shore News website dated September 8 by Nick Laba:

Kohlman spent 168 days in custody after being arrested last August and released in February on bail. In addition to probation, he was also sentenced to a one-year driving prohibition and a 10-year weapons ban.

On the evening of Aug. 23, 2024, police responded to several calls about a red Dodge Caravan driving very erratically on Highway 1 westbound near Mountain Highway in North Vancouver.

[snip] 

During the arrest, Kohlman struck an officer in the face and cut his lip. Kohlman also reached for that officer’s firearm but wasn’t successful in grabbing it, Brown said. He also punched another officer in the chest, before being handcuffed.

Police reported that Kohlman was ranting about the Illuminati, a common subject of conspiracy theories.

[snip]

Noting his record, Brown said that Kohlman had been convicted of driving while prohibited in 2008, and served time in federal prison for a string of Masonic Hall arsons in 2021. Two of the three buildings set on fire were on the North Shore – the Freemasons’ Lynn Valley Lodge and the Capilano Lodge on Lonsdale Avenue – while the third, Park Lodge Hall, was located on Rupert Street in East Vancouver.

While in custody, Kohlman was assessed by a psychiatrist, who diagnosed him with drug-induced psychosis associated with the use of MDMA. Kohlman’s defence lawyer Andrew Nelson explained that his client has vivid psychotic delusions while on that drug.

“At times, maybe when he’s depressed, he deliberately does this because he hears the voice of what he thinks of as his guardian angel, and then as he gets deeper into his psychosis he tends to have these very bizarre behaviours,” Nelson said.

Originally, the Crown had sought three years of probation, but downgraded the term to one year based on Kohlman’s progress in recovery since being released from custody earlier this year.

Back when he was destroying Masonic lodges, Kohlman believed the buildings were used by “dark souls and evil.” Social media posts that appeared during his escapades described the lodge halls as "satanic club houses."

Four years later, it's clear Kohlman's stint in prison had little positive effect on his emotional and mental well-being, and his drug use continued on the outside. Now he's out again. Regardless of his "progress in recovery," Vancouver Masons should remain vigilant. The voices in his head may just be napping.

Indiana Grand Master: 9/11 Message To Masons

by Christopher Hodapp

The following message was circulated to Indiana Freemasons today on the 24th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001, and in the wake of the assassination of TurningPointUSA speaker Charlie Kirk at a university campus in Utah. Upon news of the death, social media erupted with messages praising or excoriating Kirk's political views, his supporters, and the actions of the assassin. Freemasons clearly identified as such online engaged in these heated exchanges, many of which were shocking in their language and intent. Subsequently, Grand Master Randy Seipel issued the following letter. All Masons should take heed to his thoughtful message:

September 11, 2025 

My Brothers, 

Freemasonry is an organization of men of every background, sect, religion, and political thought. We join together in the union of Brotherly Love despite those differences of faith, thought, and conviction. We build brotherly relationships based on the acceptance of each other and our shared desire to put our ntual into action by supporting each in the journey of taking good men and making them better. We do this through our tenets of Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth. 

Recently, a high-profile political figure was murdered at a public event sparking not only shock and sorrow but controversy and political hate speech from both sides of the aisle. As Freemasons we are charged to rise above the fray. Abhorrent speech, vulgar language, and hateful conduct is foreign to us, yet at times our emotions, thoughts, and actions override our Masonic values. When this happens, it is incumbent upon every brother Mason to reflect on their actions, arm themselves with their working tools and break off the corners of their rough ashlars to prepare their living stone for that sacred building, that house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. 

As I often am, I am reminded of the valuable, in disposable lessons we learn as Masons. Silence and circumspection are truly masonic virtues. We are all children of the same parent. Masonry joins men of every sect and creed who might well have maintained at a perpetual distance. 

My Brothers, as we reflect today on the thousands of lives lost 24 years ago during the 9/11 attacks, let us remember those tragic events brought to us by hate-filled extremists whose cause was not strengthened by those attacks. Rather, they were weakened as our great country rose together to support each other, renewing our pride in our country, and reenergizing our patriotism and unity. Let us then use the tragic events of yesterday to grow in understanding and compassion, to reclaim the charge of Brotherly Love and understanding and to stand firm on the moral dictates of our great Fraternity. Let us build and grow, and
love, and pray together, and show that Masons can, do, and will make the world a better place. 

Fraternally,
Randolph L. Seipel
Grand Master

 

TempleLive Abruptly Closes; Operated Former Masonic Temples in Four Cities

by Christopher Hodapp

A bold vision to try and save historic Masonic temples has tragically failed, apparently. Or at least struck a sizeable reef. News sources in Cleveland, Ohio reported last week that TempleLive, the company operating the Cleveland Masonic Temple and several other landmark Masonic theater venues, seems to have folded. Shows have been canceled, performers have been unable to get responses, and the company isn't answering phone calls. The company website is also down. 

If they really have folded, it's a sad setback for the historic Masonic temples in Cleveland, and Columbus, Ohio, along with Wichita in Kansas, and Ft. Smith in Arkansas, all recently renovated by TempleLive to the tune of tens of millions of dollars. But TempleLive wasn't owned or affiliated with the two or three mega-promotion companies that monopolize the concert business in the U.S. Squeezed out of the most lucrative acts in show business, they have fallen into the economic reality of trying to do things independently.

Cleveland Masonic Temple

The company was started several years ago by Lance Beaty's Beaty Capital Group and Rob Thomas, who had two goals for their venture. One was to preserve, renovate and operate theaters, specifically in endangered Masonic halls. Like so many of us, they realized these incredible, one of a kind temples built by our brethren a century or more ago needed to find new life in order to be saved from the wrecking ball. Their secondary notion was to serve smaller towns outside of the usual lineup of big cities for touring music, theater, comedy and other entertainment acts. Their first purchase was the 1928 Fort Smith Masonic Temple, and all of the venues they took over had large stages and auditoriums built originally for fraternal productions. Our forefathers also intended for these beautiful theaters to be used by their communities, not just a couple of annual events for Masons only.

Fort Smith Masonic Temple

An extended story in Crain's Cleveland Business on Monday quoted an Arkansas interview with the company's founder, Lance Beaty, who placed a lot of blame on being in independent concert promotor in a world dominated by a few massive, monopolistic corporations who control the business:

BCG CEO Lance Beaty told Arkansas news outlet Talk Business & Politics (TB&P) over the weekend that TempleLive operations are being shuttered in short order. This follows Beaty previously indicating just a few days prior that owners were looking at ways to keep the concert promoter going.

“We determined it was best to be definitive so the decision was made to pull down the remaining shows,” Beaty told the outlet.
Beaty cast blame on a mix of factors for TempleLive’s apparent struggles, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and a ticketing system that can put independent promoters at a disadvantage. 

“We are simply an outsider in an insider’s business,” Beaty told TB&P. “No matter how much money you throw at it or how creative you think you are, if you’re not on the inside, you’re not in.”

The Columbus Athenaeum was built in 1899 as a Masonic temple. 

After an expansion in 1913, it was claimed to be the largest specifically-Masonic building in America (a mantle that was soon surpassed in the fraternal building craze of the 1920s).

Wichita Scottish Rite

The article continued:

According to the 2025 State of Live report from the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), 64% of indie venues did not turn a profit in 2024.
“Their survival is threatened by inflation, monopolistic pressures, and predatory ticket resale practices,” NIVA writes. “Yet their economic footprint is vast, their community impact is undeniable, and their importance to the national economy is backed by hard data.”

A debt collection complaint has been filed against BCG by Arkansas’ Partners Bank for an alleged default on a $1.5 million line of credit, according to Phillips County Circuit Court records. That related promissory note was signed in October 2023 and matured on May 2, 2025.

BCG established its TempleLive subsidiary upon acquiring and renovating a Masonic temple in Fort Smith, Arkansas, in 2017. This set a blueprint for TempleLive for purchasing similar Masonic auditoriums in other markets, improving them and opening them as concert and event venues.

As it expanded, TempleLive’s footprint grew to include additional venues in Cleveland and Columbus as well as Peoria, Illinois and Wichita, Kansas.
The Masonic Auditorium at 3669 Euclid Ave. in Cleveland was purchased by TempleLive in March 2017 for $725,000, according to county property records. In the years since, upwards of $14 million has been pumped into renovating the space over at least a couple of phases of redevelopment. Plans at the site also at one time included a vision for a massive adjacent hotel, the project for which was estimated to be around at least $60 million.

Conference in Lexington, KY Sep. 19-20: "Exploring the Role of Masonic Research Lodges in the 21st Century"

by Christopher Hodapp

UPDATE: A previous version of this story mistakenly announced the wrong month! The conference is NEXT WEEKEND, September 19-20.

What is the modern day purpose of Masonic lodges of research, in an age of podcasts, YouTubes, e-books, video streaming on demand, and the onslaught of self-publishing that has diminished the role of editors and fact-checkers? 

Next Friday and Saturday, September 19th and 20th, 2025, Kentucky's William O. Ware Lodge of Research with their co-hosts, Lexington Lodge No. 1, The Rubicon Masonic Society, and The Philalethes Society will hold their 13th Annual Festive Board and Conference at historic Spindletop Hall in Lexington, Kentucky. This year's theme will be "Exploring the Role of Masonic Research Lodges in the 21st Century."

Friday's Festive Board will kick off the night before the Conference at Lexington's beautiful Spindletop Hall, with a Reception from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Call to Tables at 7:00 p.m., Introductions then dinner at 7:15 p.m. The evening will include the seven traditional toasts with songs throughout. The Keynote Speaker will be PGM John L. Cooper III (California) on the topic of Delivering the Message of Freemasonry. Following discussion, the evening will conclude with a Chain of Union and Closing Charge.

The Conference proper will open Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. at Spindletop Hall in the renowned Oak Room, with a welcome and introductions by W.B. John W. Bizzack, who will frame the program for the day and the issues faced by Research Lodges and Societies.

For more details, read on:

Upstate New York Masonic Temple For Sale

by Christopher Hodapp

If you ever wanted to own your own impressive Masonic hall, head for upstate New York. It’s not every day a nearly-110-year-old, castle-like Masonic Temple with bowling lanes, a ballroom, an organ, and movie-ready tech hits the market for under half-a-million smackers.

The massive former Masonic Temple in Little Falls, NY has just gone on the market for just $499,900. (If it looks familiar, I also wrote about it in 2017, the last time it went on the market: 'When The Profane World Protects Treasures We Toss') It’s not just one lot, either—it comes with four parcels bundled together. That definitely seems like a steal for what you’re getting, as long as you're ready to relocate to Little Falls, which definitely has its charm. After all, it's the home of the Yogi Berra Museum.

Built in 1914, this imposing building perches majestically at the corner of Prospect and School Streets, offering killer views of the Mohawk River and valley hills. Designed by architect William Neil Smith in the French-Medieval style, the building is brick, stone, half-timber, and cement stucco, all rolled into one. The lodge room is intact along with a Templar Commandery drill hall/banquet room (we served "banquets" then, not cold spaghetti on paper plates with plastic sporks).

The current owners have clearly treated this gem like their playground. On the main level, they installed a slick bar just begging for soirees. They plopped a $150K full-motion projection system (yes, movie nights in the castle!), draped it with custom ballroom curtains from France, and added a partial but gorgeous custom kitchen. There’s even living quarters with soaring ceilings, two bedrooms, and killer views. Bonus: they’re leaving behind stacks of building materials for whoever's next to bring the vision home. 

Even the former Commandery's glass-front uniform lockers are still there in the Armory. All still preserved, but now with a new living space, bedroom, and modern kitchen on one floor. It is artistically beautiful, and architecturally unique. 

And it all used to belong to us. 

It doesn't anymore.

The New York Masons were building for the Ages. William Moore thought this Temple noteworthy enough to mention it in his book, Masonic Temples: Freemasonry, Ritual Architecture, and Masculine Archetypes. Out here in the Midwest where we make our human sacrifices to the Corn Gods, the modern-day choice of Masonic hall construction is pre-fab steel pole barns that might as well be a swine barn, soybean warehouse or veterinarian's office. 

In 1995 as the lodge suffered from declining membership, they sold the building to a prominent local couple who turned it into their own private home and pottery business. They allowed the Masons to continue meeting in their original lodge room for several years. The local Little Falls lodge moved out in 2004 when they consolidated with a lodge in Dolesville. At its height, this was home to 350 Masons and 173 Order of Eastern Star members. Over the years it’s been a nursery school, pottery and art studio, a dance and music venue.

This place is enormous—16,960 square feet (about 12,000+ square feet inside). Think cathedral ceilings, epic entertaining spaces, and enough room to get wildly creative. The lower level once had its own bowling alley with two huge lanes—accessed from School Street. The first floor social and club rooms are accessed through the main entrance through a charming tower at the street corner. The second floor features a kitchen, a ballroom complete with a bar and stage, plus a foyer leading to mezzanine dressing rooms, coat rooms, and lockers. 

For this much updated epicness, the price is pretty amazing at $499,900, which breaks down to roughly $29 per square foot, and I'll make a bet you couldn't build a new steel pole barn architectural eyesore in a corn field for that today.

Texas PGM Reese Harrison Passes Away

by Christopher Hodapp

UPDATED: Texas Past Grand Master Reese L. Harrison has passed to the Celestial Lodge Above. A post on the Grand Lodge of Texas Facebook page from Grand Master Reader this afternoon says he actually passed on August 29th, and was laid to rest at a private ceremony today, September 4th.

It would be nearly impossible to accurately recount the vast Masonic resumé of PGM Harrison. His longstanding devotion to the fraternity and its many appendant bodies over the decades is unmatched.

It can often be thought that Freemasonry is the be-all and end-all for someone whose private and professional life is somehow empty or unfulfilling. Reese Harrison was not one of those men. His obituary appeared today after the private service, and I reprint it here. What we see as Masons is but a tiny portion of a man's life, and many may not have known Reese's complete background. (Details and other information may be seen on his obituary page HERE.)

Reese Lenwood Harrison, Jr. quietly passed away at his home on August 29, 2025, at the age of 87 following a short illness. Reese was born on January 5, 1938, in San Antonio, Texas, to Ruth Fischer Harrison and Reese L. Harrison, Sr.

Reese graduated from San Antonio’s Breckridge High School in 1956. He attended Baylor University and graduated in three years with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1959 and later with a Master of Science degree in Economics in 1965. He attended law school at Southern Methodist University where he received a Juris Doctorate degree in 1962.

Reese married Judith Karen Scott on October 9, 1964. They made their home in San Antonio where their two daughters, Judith Karen Scott Harrison, Jr. and Tiffany Farrah Lynn Harrison, were born. While being an attorney, Reese, with his sister Janice, operated the Bar H Ranches Partnership, Ltd., a cattle ranch in Bexar, Wilson, and Caldwell Counties, Texas. Active in the community, Reese was selected Outstanding Young Man in San Antonio for 1973, receiving the Distinguished Service Award from the San Antonio Junior Chamber of Commerce of which he was not a member. He was a Life Director of the San Antonio Livestock Exposition and Rodeo, a former Vice-President of the San Antonio Charity Horse Show, and a Director of the Miss Rodeo Texas Pageant among many other civic activities too numerous to mention. Over the years, Reese held a number of leadership positions in the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and the Alamo Area Council of Governments. He was active in the Democratic Party at the County, State and National levels.

Reese was admitted to the practice of law in September 1962 and would spend his career practicing law. Reese was appointed an Assistant US Attorney in the Western District of Texas and served from 1964 through 1972. He entered private practice in 1972 as a partner in the firm of Oppenheimer, Blend, Harrison, and Tate. Reese continued to practice law as senior counsel when the firm merged with Clark Hill and its predecessor firms in 2011 until his passing.

Initially admitted to the bar in Texas, Reese was also admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the four US District Courts of Texas, several US Courts of Appeals, and other US Courts including Armed Forces, Federal Claims, International Trade, and Tax Court. He was an active member of numerous professional organizations including the San Antonio Bar Association, Texas Bar Association, American Bar Association, International Bar Association, Federal Bar Association, and Judge Advocates Association. He was an Adjunct Professor of Law at St. Mary’s University School of Law and was a frequent lecturer in continuing legal education courses and seminars on topics related to litigation matters. Over the years, Reese has been recognized by various legal organizations in recognition of his valuable and meritorious service to the community, state, and nation.

Reese enlisted into the Texas Air National Guard in June 1963 and received his basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base. He would serve as what was then known as an “Air Policeman” with what is now the 149th Fighter Wing in San Antonio, Texas. In 1966, he was granted a direct commission into the US Air Force and received an appointment as a Second Lieutenant in the Texas Air National Guard where he became the commander of his Air Police unit. As a licensed attorney in 1968, then Second Lieutenant Harrison, was appointed as a Captain in the Texas Air National Guard and began twenty-five years of service as the Staff Judge Advocate for the 149th Fighter Wing. He was promoted to Colonel in 1994 and served as the Staff Judge

Advocate for Headquarters Texas Air National Guard and was assigned to the Judge Advocate General’s Department Reserve with the US Air Force until his retirement on January 3, 1998. The governor of Texas promoted Colonel Harrison to Brigadier General (Brevet) in 2005.

Reese served on active duty during Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and was assigned as the Deputy Staff Judge Advocate for the 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, at Bergstrom Air Force Base in Austin, Texas. He received the Major General Paul D. Straw Trophy in 1991 as the Airman who best exemplified overall unit excellence and outstanding civic participation and in recognition of superior contribution to the community and to the nation. Reese’s distinguished military career is embellished by numerous awards including the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal, the Lone Star Distinguished Service Medal, Texas Outstanding Service Medal, Texas Medal of Merit, the Adjutant General's Individual Award, and the Texas Faithful Service Medal.

At the age of 16, Reese joined San Antonio’s Albert Pike DeMolay Chapter in January 1954, where he served as an officer. His service to DeMolay continued as an adult on the local, state, and national level. Active in Freemasonry, Reese petitioned Albert Pike Masonic Lodge No. 1169 at the age of 21 where he received the degrees of Freemasonry and served as Worshipful Master in 1969-1970. He affiliated with several other Masonic Lodges where he served as an officer. He served on several committees of the Masonic Grand Lodge of Texas. He was elected to serve as the Grand Master of Masons in Texas during 2004.

Reese was active in the appendant Masonic Bodies on the local, state, and national levels including the Scottish Rite, York Rite, and Shrine and the invitational or honorary bodies of each. He has served as the presiding officer of most of his local Masonic bodies plus the presiding officer of at least four major state and eleven national organizations. In the York Rite, he was a Past Grand High Priest of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Texas and a Past Grand Master of the Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters of Texas. In the Scottish Rite, Reese was coroneted a 33rd Degree Inspector General Honorary in 1979 and was invested with the Grand Cross of the Court of Honour in 2013.

Reese was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Janice Lee Harrison Tipton. He is survived by his wife, Judith Karen Scott Harrison, and his two daughters Judith Karen Scott Harrison Brown (Scottie) and husband Dr. Jared Brown of Aurora, Colorado, and Tiffany Farrah Lynn Harrison of Houston. He is also survived by his grandson Hadyn Brown, granddaughter Poppy Brown, and nephew Neal Tipton.

In accordance with his wishes, Reese was laid to rest in a private graveside service at Mission Burial Park South in San Antonio on September 4, 2025. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Grand Lodge Library and Museum of Texas, P.O. Box 2366, Waco, TX 76703.

His column is broken and his Brethren mourn. RIP

Philippines: Catholic Priest Suspended For Blessing Masonic Marker

Photo: Yeng Abinales for Daily Tribune

by Christopher Hodapp

A Catholic priest on the island of Leyte in the Philippines has been temporarily suspended from performing his duties after blessing a Masonic marker at a dedication ceremony in August.

Rev. Fr. Libby Daños has been suspended from performing his priestly activities, pending an investigation by the appropriate ecclesiastical authorities.

On August 9th, Fr. Daños was part of the dedication ceremony and unveiling of the large brick marker. It was erected on the outskirts of town by the local lodge to welcome visitors to Ormoc City. According to the Ormoc Lodge Facebook page, this is the first of a total of three such markers that will be placed at the three main roads into the city.

Photo: ELITE/Ormoc Lodge 234

According to an article by Elmer Recuerdo on the Daily Tribune website ("Catholic priest suspended for blessing Masonic marker,") published Monday, September 1st:

Rev. Fr. Luigi Kerschbamer, OAD, Prior Provincial of the religious order, stated that the Catholic Church has maintained for centuries that Freemasonry is fundamentally incompatible with Catholic doctrine.

Fr. Kerschbamer said that in November 2023, with the approval of Pope Francis, the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith reaffirmed that Catholics are strictly forbidden from joining Masonic associations because their principles remain “irreconcilable with the doctrine of the Church.”

“The Order of the Discalced Augustinians categorically upholds this teaching and rejects any association with or endorsement of Freemasonic activities,” Fr. Kerschbamer said.

Fr. Daños (photo above), recognized as one of the pioneers of OAD’s mission in Asia with nearly 30 years of service, clarified that while he joined the blessing of the Masonic marker, he was not fully aware of the ceremony’s nature.

The religious order, however, said that the action, regardless of intent, “contradicts the clear and consistent teaching of the Catholic Church regarding Freemasonry and has caused scandal among the faithful.”

The full official statement from Fr. Kirschbamer is posted below. Click the image to enlarge.

Freemasonry has been incredibly popular there for a very long time, in spite of the fact that the country's citizens are predominantly Roman Catholic. At least from a casual observation, ecclesiastical smackdowns between the Catholic Church and Freemasonry seem to erupt in the Philippines more than anywhere else in the world. There have been recent stories about deceased Catholic Masons being refused burial rites by the Church over their membership.

The Masonic fraternity first came to the island in the 1760s when the largest Western navies and traders began playing in the Asian countries. The island nation of the Philippines became a Spanish possession, and their colonial government absolutely enforced the various papal decrees and orders that excommunicated Catholics from the Church for membership in Masonic lodges. The Spanish government just outright banned the fraternity from the vast chain of the Philippine islands in 1812. 

After Spain began losing its iron grip on their Pacific island colonies, the first officially chartered lodge there was established in 1856 with a warrant from the Grand Lodge of Portugal, followed by a German lodge. Masonry back home in Spain was chaotic at best while hiding out from the dreaded Spanish Inquisition, and when it did organize enough to establish grand bodies, bickering resulted in at least four Spanish grand orients simultaneously duking it out by the late 1870s; in another ten years, there would be two more! 

In the 1880s, four Filipino lodges were established with charters from one of the six grand orients back home. As in so many other colonial regions, their 'founding father,' José Rizal, became a Mason and led the rebellion against Spanish rule, which came to a close with the Spanish-American War in 1898. After that, Masonry grew in the islands by leaps and bounds. The Grand Lodge of California issued charters for Filipino lodges, as did the Grand Orient de France, the Grand Lodge of Portugal, and the Grand Lodge of Scotland.

The Grand Lodge of the Philippines was finally formed in 1917 with the consent and cooperation of many of these foreign lodges, and today there are almost 300 lodges at work in the country. 

It seems that clashes between the fraternity and the Catholic Church in the Philippines will continue to occur. In my personal experiences (yes, I know... anecdotal observations are not facts), I have found that Filipino Masons are unquestionably the most openly enthusiastic and joyful brethren you will encounter anywhere in the world. And almost every one of them I've questioned about it say they are also enthusiastic Catholics, and that they believe there is absolutely no conflict between the two institutions. As far as they are concerned, the Vatican and Canon Law are just plain wrong, and that the Church bases its condemnation of the fraternity on misinformation, innuendo and error. That's heady stuff for a faith that insists on the doctrine of papal infallibility when the pontiff is ruling on ecclesiastical matters.

Given what happened, the most ironic statement I've seen all week came at the end of the dedication address, which concluded with the following plea: "May this marker be sanctified by the Great Architect of the Universe, under whose guidance we labor. May it stand the test of time - enduring sun and storm - as a symbol of peace, fraternity, and truth. We dedicate it not only in the name of Freemasonry, but in the name of unity - among all people of goodwill."

It's a damn shame the Augustinians somehow missed that message.

2026 Masonic Week Feb 4-8: Registration Now Open

by Christopher Hodapp

Registration is already up and running for next February's Masonic Week at the Crystal City Double Tree by Hilton in Arlington, Virginia. Mark your Masonic calendar for February 4th through 8th. 

Held continuously around the Washington DC area ever since 1938, Masonic Week (or more officially known as AMD - Allied Masonic Degrees - Week) is an event that brings together numerous small, generally invitational, Masonic organizations for their annual meetings, officer elections, award presentations, and degree conferrals. Yes, those do go on, but there are also lunches, banquets and lectures, and one of the best Masonic marketplaces anywhere. It's a chance to meet brethren from all over the world who converge here, to make new friendships and rediscover old friends you only see annually.

While the AMD is the largest of the groups meeting in February, there's also the Commemorative Order of St. Thomas of Acon, Sovereign Order of Knights Preceptor, Holy Royal Arch Knight Templar Priests, the Masonic Order of Athelstan, Masonic Order of Pilgrim Preceptors, York Rite Sovereign College, Knight Masons, the Chevaliers Bienfaisant de la Cité Sainte, the Worshipful Society of Free Masons, and the Rough Plaisterers and Bricklayers (the Operatives). Some groups have come and gone over the years — the Masonic Society is now defunct, sadly, and the Rosicrucians have their own annual gathering in Louisville now each November — but there's still loads going on.

Even if you're not part of any of the bodies that meet there officially, there's lots to do, and the organizers will be offering a half-hour Orientation program every morning for newcomers, so you won't feel lost or intimidated by all this. Master Masons can attend meetings and the banquet for the Philalethes Society (the oldest Masonic research organization in America), where there's always a speaker, the Society of Blue Friars (an invitational body of noteworthy Masonic authors that inducts a new friar each year who must give a presentation), the Grand College of Rites (publishers of Collectanea, which publishes and preserves some of the most obscure Masonic-related or derived degree rituals and materials from over the last 300 years). IAnd i you've got the itch to leave Washington with a couple of new degrees under your Masonic apron, there's the Grand Order of the Sword of Bunker Hill (appropriate this year, as it's the 250th anniversary of that famous battle), and it's the 100th year of the Annual Cellar of Ye Antient Order of Corks.

It's also a great opportunity to visit the countless sites, museums and memorials around the Washington DC area. Masons should take advantage of the chance to visit both the Scottish Rite SJ's magnificent House of the Temple (which will be open on Friday, February 6, from 10 AM to 4 PM) and the George Washington Masonic National Memorial (open from Thursday, February 5, to Sunday, February 8, from 9 AM to 5 PM). With some advance planning,  communication and permission, you might even try to visit a meeting Thursday or Friday night at an area Masonic lodge in DC, Virginia or Maryland. 

Visit the Masonic Week website HERE for registration and hotel information. 

Seasoned attendees note that this is a venue change this year. The Crystal City Double Tree by Hilton is located at 300 Army Navy Drive in Arlington, just south of the Pentagon, on the other side of the interstate, which is still only about a 5 minute Uber drive from Reagan National Airport. I'm not seeing much in the way of walking distance restaurants, but that may be deceiving.

I'll add a shameless plug for one of my books here, only because Masons traveling to Washington find it to be extremely helpful when seeking out Masonic-related sites in Washington. Solomon's Builders has descriptions of the lodge halls and important Masonic-related buildings and sites in the Washington area. It's a little dated now (it was published in the Dan Brown Mania period when the whole publishing world wanted to cash in on the post-Da Vinci Code craze), but the historical and geographical information hasn't really changed.