West Virginia GM Boots OES Chapters Out of All Masonic Buildings

by Christopher Hodapp

NOTE: THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED AS OF TUESDAY APRIL 8, 2025 AT 7:50AM:

I've had it confirmed that on March 21st, 2025, David Ray Pyle, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge AF&AM of West Virginia, issued a directive ordering all chapters of the Order of the Eastern Star to vacate all West Virginia Masonic buildings, effective immediately.

WV Grand Master David Ray Pyle

In his directive, he states that the O.E.S. in West Virginia no longer requires Masonic membership as a prerequisite. Consequently, they may no longer be permitted the use of any Masonic hall in that jurisdiction. He further states that the order extends to all Masonic building premisses, not just the lodge room itself.

GM Pyle has given the O.E.S. until July 21st to remove their property and ephemera from all Masonic halls, with a final drop-dead eviction date of September 21st.

GM Pyle's explanation in his directive is not exactly correct. The Masonic membership prerequisite still remains in place for men wishing to join the OES. Only the female relationship to an existing Mason has been dropped from their requirements.

Here's the change announced last November by the OES General Chapter:

WASHINGTON — At the Order of the Eastern Star (OES) 51st General Grand Chapter held in Florida [sic]* in October 2024, a resolution was passed to allow membership to all women who are sponsored by two members of the Order and are eligible for membership. This is a change from the previous requirement that OES members have a Masonic family affiliation or have been a members of a Masonic youth group. OES members nationwide are excited about this change as it will allow more women the opportunity to experience the friendship of Star and to make a difference in the world through its charitable works and kindness to others. 

Information regarding the OES can be found at the websites https://washingtonoes.org or https://easternstar.org

*To be completely factual, their triennial assembly last year was in Myrtle Beach, SC, not Florida. Thanks to Brother C. Winston Douglas for finding this OES announcement. 

To reiterate, the OES has ONLY dropped the familial relationship with an existing Freemason for women. Men joining the OES still are required to become a Master Mason first.

So, GM Pyle does have leeway, even with their regulations in West Virginia. And to cut off the OES, which is seen as being of benefit to hundreds of lodges throughout the U.S. (along with being an occasional goad to non-Mason men whose girlfriends, wives or daughters are OES members to seek Masonic membership), seems unduly harsh and shortsighted. While the OES has waned in popularity over the decades, there are still plenty of Masonic lodges that will struggle, or even close, if their Star chapter isn't there to support them (or share in the cost of running their building). It's pretty tough to see how kicking them to the curb when nothing substantive has changed benefits - or even protects - Freemasonry in West Virginia.

Says the Dummy Mason from the relative safety of his perch in Indiana where we don't load up our regulations with needlessly restrictive stuff like this. 

I don't recall exactly when West Virginia holds its annual communication, but I believe it's in November, which will be after Pyle's final eviction date. So even if someone can sponsor a resolution to change the rule and get it passed, it will be too late to stop the U-Haul trucks.

I've not yet seen an official reaction from the O.E.S. Grand Chapter of West Virginia or the O.E.S. General Grand Chapter in Washington, D.C. 

Grand Master Shuts Down Job's Daughters in Michigan

by Christopher Hodapp

The Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Michigan, MW Leonard K. Davis, has just issued an official edict that revokes all support and association with Job’s Daughters International, a Masonic-related youth group for girls within his jurisdiction. 

Edict 2022-2 reads, in part:

That no Master Mason within the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Michigan can or will be allowed any office, station or place within any Guardian Council, Grand Guardian Council or Supreme Guardian Council, nor will any Michigan Mason be allowed to sponsor, advise, or associate with in any way Jobs Daughters International. Further, No Jobs Daughters International Bethels are allowed to meet in any Michigan Masonic Centers, Buildings, Halls or Temples. Further [sic], the Grand Lodge of Michigan nor any of its subsidiary corporations or lodges are allowed to financially support Jobs Daughters International. This edict will remain in place until such time as it is removed by the Grand Lodge of Michigan.”

 (Click images to enlarge, or view online at https://michiganmasons.org/news-events/)

The landing page of the Michigan Job's Daughters Grand Bethel has been scrubbed of information and directs all questions to their secretary. 

Some background: Job’s Daughters International is a Masonic Youth Group for girls, headquartered in Papillon, Nebraska.  When it was founded in the early 20th century, the organization required a girl to have a Masonic family relationship or sponsor, but that qualification was dropped several years ago. Job's is an international organization with individual chapters called ‘bethels’ in the US, Canada, Brazil, the Philippines and Australia. It is unique amongst the Masonic youth groups in that the adult leaders at all levels are elected and term limited. Based on the number of bethels in a state, some have their own elected Grand Bethel (daughters) and Grand Guardian Council (adults) that are in charge of running the state, while others simply fall under the international Supreme Guardian Council’s jurisdiction with a person designated by that body to oversee their the state.

There is a youth protection program run by the Job's Board of Trustees (who are also elected), and any adult involved with children must complete a background check and be a Certified Adult Volunteer (CAV). If there is an incident reported, there is supposed to be an investigation, and an appeals process is in place.

In Michigan recently there was an incident that resulted in one adult’s CAV designation being revoked; in this incident it was claimed an adult physically struck a child, there was a CAV violation report filed by an uninvolved party. But according to multiple sources, there are several witnesses who claim that the alleged event did not happen as reported (the adult is 21 and the Daughter was her own younger cousin). There was no investigation, neither the adult nor the youth were interviewed — the woman’s CAV was summarily revoked. (There have been rumblings that the complaint was filed in retribution for things that happened in the past — hard to verify in the light of flying email accounts and commentary.)

According to one insider, the Youth Protection program is specifically in place to protect members from harm, not to discipline adults for things unrelated to youth safety. Objections were immediately raised regarding not following the official process of Job’s Daughters — reportedly, the four adult leaders who questioned the process subsequently had their own CAV status revoked, including three elected state officers.

When Michigan Grand Master Davis got wind of all this rumpus, he requested a meeting with the state and national Job’s leadership. They reportedly agreed to meet, but never showed up. For whatever reason, they simply chose not to respond after that, and, according to sources, even dodged him at the Conference of Grand Masters in Alexandria, Virginia last month.

Two male members of the international Supreme Guardian Council were Michigan Masons, and the Grand Master apparently declared that if the Supreme Guardian Council wouldn’t meet with him, they would be suspended. He apparently asked for a review of the decisions and an assurance that they were made in accordance with their own internal policy. 

In the face of all this, the Supreme Guardian Council suspended the charter of the Grand Guardian Council of Michigan two weeks ago, eliminating all the elected officers of Michigan Job’s Daughters, both adults and youths.  According to the letter, if a state Grand Bethel is dissolved, its property and management reverts to the Supremes.

Supreme Guardian Maureen Wise issued a letter incorrectly claiming the GM had suspended these two Masons on March 13th, and that he had issued an "edict" that hadn't actually happened yet. (Click document below to enlarge)

For Michigan’s Job’s Daughters' charter to be returned, the Supreme Guardian demanded the Grand Master of Masons in Michigan revoke his "edict" in writing. Additionally, all appeals filed in accordance with the youth protection plan must be withdrawn, as should any filed lawsuits. 

Grand Master Davis responded to Wise's letter on March 20th, laying out the chain of events as he knew them, and contradicting much of what she had claimed:

Obviously, his questions and demands were not met over the last week, hence his very real edict issued today.

Unfortunately, when a youth group’s so-called adult leadership begins acting worse than a bunch of splenetic teenagers at a vindictive dodgeball grudge match, the children they’re supposed to be guiding and mentoring wind up the only real losers. No grand master anywhere wants to have a noisy internal donnybrook going on in his jurisdiction, especially when it’s in an appendant, concordant or other related organization. When these fights get escalated, it would be wise for appendant leaders to remember that GMs always hold the winning hand in their state and can kick the whole poker table over. Ignoring his communications is the quickest way to have that happen.

 

South Carolina PGMs Disher and Pearson Stripped of Scottish Rite Honors

by Christopher Hodapp

Brethren from South Carolina are reporting that Past Grand Masters Cal Disher and Jay Adam Pearson have been stripped of both the 33rd degree and Knight Commander of the Court of Honor (KCCH) by the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite (SJ).

Both PGMs remain as 32nd degree members in good standing.

The two past grand masters were at the center of controversy earlier this year when Disher expelled PGM Michael D. Smith from the fraternity. At the time, PGM Smith was serving as the Lieutenant Grand Commander for the Scottish Rite, and SGIG for South Carolina. Smith was reinstated to the fraternity after a tumultuous annual communication following the surprise election in April of PGM Ronald C. Mitchum (2005-07) to serve again as Grand Master for 2021-22.

Illus. Michael D. Smith subsequently died on November 17, 2021. After his death, there can  be no sense of closure to this story, no satisfaction in telling it, no wry sense of just desserts dished out, or justice satisfied. Only sadness for the careers of Masons who become victims of leaders who forget the very lessons our Craft tries to teach us all.

Digital Order of the Knights Quarantine

by Christopher Hodapp

In much the same way that nature abhors a vacuum, some Masons get the twitches when forced to stay away from degree ceremonies for too long a stretch. And there's a certain breed o' Masonic cat that lives the life of the degree tourist, forever questing in search of the NEXT degree, appendant body, ritual, sooper-secret level, or remotely related pseudo-Masonic group. Otherwise known as the 'dues-card-and-a-pin-I'm-in' crowd. 

Three quarters of the most obscure Masonic organizations you've never heard of were created over the years strictly because the 33rds were letting in too much riff raff. Over the last 150 years or so, grand lodges would rear up, stamp their collective foots down, and declare lots of these distantly related (or sometimes downright troublesome) side groups as being 'non-Masonic,' but that never stopped the indefatigable Masonic tourist locked in an eternal chase to grab the next Golden Bling. Threats of suspension frighten them not when there are more degrees yet to be experienced, more vainglorious titles to be acquired, and more bilious finery in which to be draped, even if only in the secluded, momentary sanctuary of a hotel conference room one day a year. 

Masonic spouses put up with it as long as we don't criticize compulsive shoe shopping.

Well, the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine and national shutdown wouldn't be complete without its own pseudo 'non-Masonic, but sort of Masonic' order all its own. Next Wednesday, April 22nd, at 7PM EDT, the Masonic Lite podcast will conduct its very own non-Masonic, socially distant, digitally conferred non-degree — the Digital Order, Knights Quarantine!

To quote the website:

You are about to take part in a Quest. It is a Quest to fend off the darkness descending on the Land and to find the Mantle of Light and keep our friends and families close to us. You will walk in the footsteps of a young muckraker and his trusty sidekick. You will meet strange and interesting characters along your way. And in the end, you will find the light that will burn brightly and guide us to a....... blah blah blah, yada yada yada...... You get the idea.

This is pure Masonic Lite Podcast stuff, and will be performed LIVE on-line. This "Not-a-Degree", has no official connection whatsoever with Freemasonry, the Illuminati (maybe a little) or any other fraternal order. It's just for fun. No Grand body has authorized this performance, and anyone with $30 (plus the Eventbrite fees) and a sense of humor is qualified to "receive" this "Not-a-Degree".

No Masonic Order (pseudo or otherwise) would be complete without the imaginary confirmation lavished upon it by having its own regalia, and the DOKQ is no exception. In the 21st century, it wouldn't be a proper fraternal organization if John Bridegroom didn't design an appropriate medal for it. 100% of the proceeds (after they pay for the jewels and shipping) will be donated to Meals on Wheels for the relief of hardships brought on by isolation.

In appreciation of your donation you will receive a beautifully crafted Jewel of the "Order", created by John Bridegroom himself, and also an authentic looking receipt suitable for framing, so you can always remember this time you will never get back. 

For more information, check the website HERE. 

Video: Differences Between the Two U.S. Scottish Rite Supreme Councils

Getting to Know the Northern and Southern Jurisdictions from DC Scottish Rite on Vimeo.

Did you ever wonder why the U.S has two different (VERY different) "mainstream" Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Supreme Councils - one for the Northern (NMJ) and one for the Southern (SJ) jurisdictions? 

The AASR-SJ's Illus. Grand Archivist Arturo De Hoyos and the two Sovereign Grand Commanders - Jim Cole (SJ) and David Glattly (NMJ) -  spell it all out for you in this video that was recently posted by the Scottish Rite of the District of Columbia.

In the first ten minutes, Art explains where the two groups originated and why, the differences in practices and philosophies of their dramatically dissimilar degree rituals, even the "wings up/wings down" controversy. The second half of the program is a back-and-forth interview with the two SGCs.

The message this video conveys is a celebration of the differences and similarities, not a claim as to which of the two jurisdictions is "better or worse." And as Art points out, if you are truly obsessive about it, you can be a member of both jurisdictions simultaneously (although you have to decide on an official "home" valley through which you receive your honors and benefits).

When Builders Built

“What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do.”

— John Ruskin

I came across a lament from a Brother Mason over the weekend, and I'd like to share it with you:

"A half century ago, and I am told that even today in some areas, Grand Lodges were ultraconservative, ruled by what properly be called cliques—due to the practice of the Grand Masters appointing their prodigies at the bottom of the official line, who with the passage of time, eventually became Grand Masters of Grand Lodge and, in turn, appointed future Grand Masters and, thereby, denying the Craft in general the right of selection of their governing officials. This undemocratic policy may have resulted in securing some outstanding men as Grand Masters, but it also guaranteed obtaining many incompetents in that office, whose only qualification was being that fortunate appointee of a friend to whom a permanent obligation was obvious. Since it was custom to appoint PGMs as chairmen of the more important committees, and to elect them as Grand Treasurer and Grand Secretary, the entire operating fabric of Grand Lodge was a “closed shop” and woe betide him who would seek to disrupt the plan. Change was opposed by the vested interest and innovation was not only frowned upon but it was usually bitterly contested, and prevented. A new idea had to have more than merit to have a chance of being adopted. Support had to be secured from the PGMs, which was difficult and seldom obtainable. “Change not the ancient landmarks” was more than a cliche, but was the rallying cry of opposition by the majority of the entrenched leadership..."

It sounds so familiar, doesn't it?

It was written 44 years ago, back in 1974, but it was really referring to the period of the late 1920s when Freemasonry was going through an enormous explosion of popularity and membership gains — what we think of today as its 'Golden Age.' But it could be written today just as well.

So who wrote these words? Most American Masons have never heard of him these days, and yet he was one of the most important members of the fraternity during the 20th century, and perhaps of its entire 300 year modern, speculative history.

Allow me to introduce you to J. Raymond Shute II of North Carolina. The reason he's so important is because he didn't just sit on the sidelines and bitch and moan and expect "somebody else" to improve the fraternity. Shute loved ritual and was endlessly fascinated by the huge variety of Masonic rituals and systems that had developed around the world after 1717. In 1930, he and a group of North Carolina brethren founded North Carolina Lodge of Research No. 666, AF&AM, believed to be the first American lodge of that type to be formed. They nicknamed it 'Nocalore' to make the name less cumbersome, and they also adopted that moniker as the name of their published collection of papers.

And then they went to work.

Shute was still in his twenties when they began. He had joined the fraternity at 21, and became Master of his lodge just three years later (in case you think that's a new development these days). In later years he called the group of brethren who worked with him at the time 'The Innovators,' and their research lodge soon organized a Correspondence Circle to build their network of interested Masons far beyond the borders of just North Carolina. In a world long before Internet communications and fast, cheap overseas travel, Shute and The Innovators scoured the world for lesser known Masonic degrees and organizations. They collected their findings under the aegis of Lodge 666, and those documents and research materials today can be found in the 'Shute Masonic Collection' in the Southern Historical section of the Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Out of that group clustered around that one single lodge sprang the overwhelming majority of the smaller, more specialized Masonic bodies in North America, most of which still meet each year at Masonic Week near Washington, D.C. each February. Many were imported from Europe, while a few were homegrown, or at least American hybrids. But consider the scope of the list:

• Allied Masonic Degrees (originally the Supreme Quarry of the World, Masons of Tyre)
• Knight Masons of Ireland
• Knights of the York Cross of Honour
• Red Cross of Constantine
• Societas Rosicruciana in Civitatibus Foederatis
• Priestly Order of the Temple (now called the Holy Royal Arch Knight Templar Priests)
• Knights Beneficient of the Holy City
• The Operatives
• Order of the Bath
• Society of Blue Friars

And just as a bonus, they also helped to corral various, conflicting Chapter and Council degrees floating around in the U.S. into a more standardized format. For the stray rituals that wouldn't fit anywhere else, or that were regarded as too obscure or defunct, they also formed the Grand College of Rites to publish those rituals in their annual Collectanea.

And they accomplished almost all of this between 1931 and the mid-1940s. Note that all of those organizations are still very active. In fact, the Allied Masonic Degrees has been the fastest growing Masonic body in the U.S. for the last fifteen years, and the SRICF is expanding rapidly as well.

The Innovators included Masons who were enormously active and influential during their time: J. Hugo Tatsch, Harold Van Buren Voorhis, Dr. William Moseley Brown, Ray V. Denslow. Many of them were also involved with writing articles for The Builder magazine, which went defunct in 1930.  So, Shute was far from alone, but he was the glue that bound them together. He was the one who always wanted to know more, discover more, accomplish more.

And that's why I'm telling you about him now. We are almost 80 years beyond the days when Shute and the Innovators accomplished their incredible feats of research, organization, and building — and we are living off the fruits of their labor, no more and no less than those of us who take for granted the majestic temples our brethren built for us in the 1920s. They were dreamers, builders, visionaries, storytellers... and leaders. They expected the very best of the fraternity, and then they went out and made it happen.

In my new book Heritage Endures about Indiana's Masonic bicentennial this year, I talk about our great achievers and visionaries from our own past. In particular, I write a lot about Dwight L. Smith and all that he accomplished and left behind for us between 1940 and 1993. His works Whither Are We Traveling? and Why This Confusion In The Temple? continue to challenge and inspire Masons today, more than 50 years after he wrote them. And they were mere footnotes to his enormous Masonic accomplishments.

All of those men are gone now. It's a new age, a new century, with new horizons to conquer now. And that means one thing.

You and me and all of the rest of us are today's Dwight Smiths and Ray Shutes. It's up to us now to take up the torch, to lead, to build, and to see a vision of what can be, instead of just strip mining our own past and living off of what we inherited. 

Just as important, it's up to all of us to record what we have lived through, to document and preserve those events and past achievements before they die with us, so that others can learn from what came before. I woke up earlier this month to discover I'd been a Freemason for nineteen years, and I've seen so much come and go in what seems to me to be just a tiny sliver of my own lifetime. We have lived history ourselves, even when we didn't realize it at the time. You and your lodge and your experiences are important, because history is what happens when you aren't paying attention.

Texas congressman and Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn once famously said, "Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a carpenter to build one." Ray Shute was impatient and expected his fraternity to be better than it was in 1924. So instead of carping about the leadership, or the ' good old boys,' or his grand lodge, or their egos, and its politics, he decided to go out and improve Freemasonry, and he convinced a group of likeminded brethren to do the same. They didn't expect "somebody else" to present them with a pre-digested, ready-made course of Masonic enlightenment. They didn't complain about the lack of "esoteric education" in their lodges. They didn't break the rules or stomp off and start a competing storefront 'Grand Lodge of Chapel Hill Incorporated.' They worked within the system, dreamed big, worked very hard, and then they left American Freemasonry better than they found it. 

The only consequence is what we do.

(Read J. Ray Shute's own encapsulated memoir of those formative years on the website of the Grand College of Rites HERE.)