Flash! GL of Louisiana Votes in Favor of Prince Hall Recognition... Sort Of

by Christopher Hodapp

NOTE: This story will be updated as more details are received.

This afternoon at its 211th Annual Communication in Lake Charles, the Grand Lodge of the State of Louisiana F&AM successfully voted in favor of joint recognition with a Prince Hall (PHA) grand lodge, which reduces the number of states without reciprocity of recognition down to just four now.

Sort of.

It seems that the mainstream Grand Lodge of Louisiana (established in 1812) has passed joint recognition of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge F&AM of Maryland (PHA, established in 1876), NOT Louisiana. I think this may be the first time this has happened in the history of American Freemasonry regarding Prince Hall amity agreements.

However, the voting members of the Grand Lodge of Louisiana decided NOT to recognize their own state's Prince Hall counterpart at this time. Their decision was based upon the preponderance of evidence of ongoing irregular activities carried out by the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge F&AM of Louisiana (established in 1869) and its MW Grand Master Ralph Slaughter. 

I've been told that GM Slaughter has allegedly issued charters outside of Louisiana in jurisdictions of other existing regular grand lodges with already established territories, which violates Masonic ground rules involving regularity and recognition. I'm still seeking clarifications of that. Slaughter was also involved in a coup that split apart the MW Prince Hall's Scottish Rite Southern Jurisdiction* into two parallel groups and resulted in lawsuits over legitimacy and ownership of the organization.

With this development in mind, I can't really say "And then there were four..." regarding amity agreements between mainstream grand lodges and their Prince Hall counterparts, but I can take them off the list of the last holdouts in the U.S. So I made Louisiana a neutral gray color on the map for the moment.

The last four remaining states without any recognition between mainstream and Prince Hall (PHA) grand lodges whatsoever are: Arkansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, and West Virginia.

This story will be updated.

*Th actual legal name of their legitimate Scottish Rite SJ is the United Supreme Council, 33 Degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Prince Hall Affiliation, Southern Jurisdiction of the United States.

Slaughter's illegitimate group is ALSO calling itself the United Supreme Council, 33 Degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Prince Hall Affiliation, Southern Jurisdiction of the United States.

Maryland's PHA Masons Perform Funeral Service for Elijah Cummings

CSPAN viewers Wednesday saw something rarely televised. The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Maryland conducted a Masonic funeral service for their fallen Brother, the late Elijah E. Cummings, Congressman for Maryland's 7th Congressional District. 

Brother Cummings passed to the Celestial Lodge on October 17th at the age of 68. He was a member of Baltimore's Corinthian Lodge No. 62.

Grand Lecturer Randolph S. Smith performed the solemn funeral ritual, followed by a tribute by Grand Master Emmanuel J. Stanley.

Grand Master Emmanuel J. Stanley (far right)

Cummings' body was laying in repose on Thursday at historically black Morgan State University in Baltimore. He was a Prince Hall Mason in Baltimore, and his casket was flanked by an honor guard of Prince Hall Masonic Knights Templar for the duration of the memorial service. 

In addition to the many members of the MWPHGL of Maryland, Prince Hall Brethren came from West Virginia, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, and Hawaii to take part in this ceremony.

If you have a Facebook account, a video excerpt from the broadcast showing the Prince Hall ceremony can be seen HERE.

Elijah Cummings served on Morgan University's Board of Regents for 19 years, and it was one of his final wishes to lie in repose there. On Thursday, his casket was moved to Washington D.C. where he lay in state at the U.S. Capitol.

Born in 1951, Brother Cummings served twelve terms in Congress for Maryland’s 7th Congressional District beginning in 1996 and most recently in the 2018 election. He represented portions of Baltimore and Baltimore County, and was popular with his constituents, typically receiving more than 70 percent of the vote and once running entirely unopposed. In Congress, he served as chair of the Committee of Oversight and Government Reform. Prior to his service in Congress, Cummings was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates for 14 years, where he was the first African American in the state’s history to serve as Speaker Pro Tempore. He is survived by his widow, Maya Rockeymoore Cummings.

His column is broken, and his brethren mourn.

Requiescat in pace.

(The Youtube of the Live Stream begins after the Masonic service had started, and can be seen below.)

November Road Trip

I'm hitting the road in a big way in November, and looking forward to speaking to brethren in Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Aruba. Plus I'll be stopping in at the Grand Lodge of Maryland on the 12th and 13th.

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November 10, 2010
Abraham C. Treichler Lodge No. 682, at the Masonic Village in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania

Ticket Prices are $23 per person. Contact: David W. Berry, Banquet Chairman, dwberry@pademolay.org (717) 367-1536

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November 17, 2010
Harmony Lodge #9 in Cranston, Rhode Island

$5.00 Per Master Mason for Masonic presentation & dinner
$10.00 per person for the open-to-the-public presentation.

Private Masonic Presentation 5:30pm
Private Masonic Dinner 6:30pm
Public Meet & Book Signing 7:30pm
Public Presentation 8:00pm

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November 18, 2010
St. George Lodge in Brockton, MA

NOTE LOCATION CHANGE: Tri-Town Masonic Temple in East Bridgewater

38 Franklin street ( RT27 )

East Bridgewater, MA

Lodge of Instruction - Masons only

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November 20, 2010
Lodge El Sol Naciente No. 113 in Oranjestad, Aruba

Refreshments and hors 'oeuvres will be served. Event begins at 7:30PM.
Masons only - business suit, please
RSVP Anthony Giel at 597-0881