California Opens Starfleet Lodge U.D.

by Christopher Hodapp

The Grand Lodge of California has officially established Freemasonry’s first Star Trek-themed affinity lodge. Starfleet Lodge U.D. was consecrated on Sunday in the Pleasanton Masonic Hall. Grand Master Garrett S. Chan was on hand for the occasion. (Photos from Jonathan Hirshon’s Facebook page) 

Their location makes sense as Pleasanton is neighboring city of San Francisco, where, according to the canon of the Star Trek universe, is the location of Starfleet headquarters and the Earth location of the United Federation of Planets. Or will be in the 23rd century. No word yet on whether they can be numbered 1701 once they satisfy the requirements of being under dispensation.

WB Adam Hanin is the lodge’s founding Worshipful Master, WB Nicholas Hayworth, Senior Warden, WB Dinesh Chhabra, Junior Warden, and WB Gary Sparks, Senior Deacon. Yes, the Tyler is armed with a very sharp Bat'leth to repel boarders.

Dilithium crystal-powered gavel

Festive Board on Deck 5

As they say in Scotland, "The lodge is closed, and the bar is open!"
But where is the Saurian brandy?

Food replicator needs reprogramming: no green beans in sight.
And that spaghetti on a paper plate is "best served cold."

In recent years California has been encouraging the establishment of affinity lodges, made up of members with a special interest in common. As many as twenty years ago, my friend WB Jeffrey Naylor strongly advocated for affinity lodges based on shared outside interests of groups of Masons. He encouraged embracing ideas like a “Lionel Lodge” for train enthusiasts, arguing that common passions could attract quality men to Freemasonry without conflicting with its principles. 

Many jurisdictions have hundreds of lodges, creating opportunities for unique, non-cookie-cutter experiences rather than identical ones. In England, the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) has long supported this approach with numerous affinity lodges for hobbies and occupations—such as fishermen, gamers, F1 racing fans, actors, musicians, and rugby players—alongside their Universities Scheme to attract students and faculty. A new science fiction and fantasy-themed lodge in the UK recently drew over 130 attendees at its consecration. One member noted that these lodges simply combine two passions, strengthening both the lodge and the fraternity, while maintaining standard ritual and meetings.

Sadly, affinity lodges have still not became widespread in the United States, which is a missed opportunity. My own jurisdiction of Indiana has seen a few special-purpose lodges over the years, including ones for handicapped candidates (Bartimaeus Lodge), a blood drive (Transylvania Lodge), historic preservation (Schofield Lodge No. 1818), and medical professionals (St. Lukes Lodge No. 761), plus historic foreign-language lodges in German back in the 19th century. There is, however, increasing interest in contemplative, philosophical, and esoteric-minded lodges. With so many possibilities within our basic framework, there is ample room to experiment while honoring Masonic landmarks and thinking creatively to attract (and retain) new members and revitalize the fraternity.

Oklahoma's Grayhorse Lodge Closes; Appeared in 2023's 'Killers of the Flower Moon'

by Christopher Hodapp

(NOTE: Since I posted this article I was told that T.S.Akers first reported it on his Oklahoma Masonic History Facebook page. I never saw that story until after I posted my own article. Have a look there for additional photos and info. Some casual readers seem to think I’m somehow concerned with getting ‘scoops’ over other sites or that I don’t properly credit other authors and websites. Whenever I rely on someone else’s reporting for information, I always take care to link to that source or cite where it came from, unless someone asks to remain anonymous. Thanks to Mark Wright for sending me his personal experiences with Grayhorse Lodge.)

Lodges in rural and economically depressed areas all too often have a tough time surviving these days. I received word last week that Fairfax, Oklahoma's Grayhorse Lodge No. 124 has lost its charter and closed its doors. That's sad — all lodge closures are — but lodges close every day, so it's scarcely a surprise. Still, you might recall that Grayhorse Lodge had a recent moment in the spotlight when it was featured in Martin Scorcese's 2023 film, Killers of the Flower Moon.

According to a friend familiar with the area, Grayhorse Lodge is located in a remote section of the the Osage Indian Nation, in north-central Oklahoma near the Kansas border. It's almost smack dab between Tulsa, OK and Witchita, Kansas, more than an hour away from either city. There's not a lot of economic prosperity or opportunity in this region. When Scorcese's film crew came to the area to make his movie about an historic incident in the Osage Nation, they used the lodge for a not especially flattering scene that upset lots of Brother Masons. The lodge room looks today much as it looked a hundred years ago when the incident took place, and Scorcese wanted to use as many authentic locations as he could.

The film crew cleaned up the lodge room, gave it a fresh coat of paint, and brought in several antique props for both historical accuracy and visual interest (the pot-bellied stove was a prop). The lodge got a facelift and a little national attention out of the deal, local folks were hired as extras, and Fairfax and a couple of surrounding communities got a brief economic bump from the crew's hotel, dining and retail supply needs. But film crews move fast, like advancing armies, and they leave just as quickly as they came. The paint and attention wasn't enough to save Grayhorse Lodge. And as my friend pointed out, it doesn't help that the majority of Osage Indians are Roman Catholic and are unlikely to violate the prohibition of the Church against Freemasonry.

A Google street-view cruise through downtown Fairfax tells the story quickest. The majority of storefronts along North Main Street are closed and boarded up. There's a banner pleading "Save the Tall Chief Theater" in front of the local movie house that no longer shows films, but advertises a "Killers of the Flower Moon" memorial on its marquee. You can count the number of parked cars on one hand as you roll down the street. The lodge building was built in 1909 as the First National Bank, and the lodge room was added in 1924. The National Register of Historic Places calls it the "best example of Georgian Revival architecture in Osage County," and it's obvious that the Masons were proud of their home town enough to invest in the most impressive building in the county. 

By holding on until this year, Grayhorse Lodge managed to last a full century.

Lodges close every day. No lodge is ever destined to last forever, and Masonry changes and adapts to suit the age, community, and society in which it resides. 

I'm told that in Oklahoma, if the Grand Master seizes a charter, that lodge cannot ever be revived, but if the members vote to voluntarily surrender their charter, it CAN be revived in the future. The members of Grayhorse Lodge 124 surrendered theirs. 

"For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease..."

Charters of Lodges In Lebanon Revoked by GM of District of Columbia

by Christopher Hodapp

MW Grand Master Jacob M. Bressman of the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia has arrested the charters of all three of their lodges in the Middle Eastern nation of Lebanon. Official Decision No. 2024-4, issued June 24th, revokes the charters of Phoenix Lodge No. 1001, Cadmus Lodge No. 1002, and Cedrus Libani Lodge No. 1003, all located in Beirut, Lebanon.

The Decision states:

"It has come to my attention that Phoenix Lodge No. 1001, Cadmus Lodge No. 1002 and Cedrus Libani Lodge No. 1003, have each demonstrated an inability to work together in fraternal communion-to such an extent that their disharmony warrants action by this Grand Lodge; and. . . have been provided ample opportunity to rectify these issues but have failed to do so. . . 

[snip] 

[These lodges are now] prohibited from holding all communications, conducting visitations to other Lodges, and participating in any Masonic activities-including all appendant bodies-held throughout this or any other Jurisdiction in the World, until such time as this matter is properly resolved."

The decision does clarify in this instance that the members of these three lodges who are in good standing "continue to enjoy their individual privileges and rights as Masons of this jurisdiction."

For such a relatively small country, Freemasonry has had a chaotic history Lebanon. In 1999, authors Kent Henderson and Tony Pope reported in their indispensable book, Freemasonry Universal, that there were at least 18 grand lodges at work within Lebanon at that time; several had just one single lodge and a grand master "appointed for life."

Grand lodges of Scotland, New York and the Grande Loge Nationale Française (GLNF) have all had regularly chartered lodges in that country for decades. Scotland's first lodge in the area was chartered in 1861, back when the region was called Greater Syria, and the Scottish lodges flourished during the period of the Ottoman Empire. The GL of Scotland formed its own own District Grand Lodge of Lebanon in 2012. New York first established lodges in Lebanon in 1924, and created its own District Grand Lodge of Syria-Lebanon back in 1955.

The entry of the GLofDC into Lebanon was a recent development. I believe they chartered their first two lodges there in 2017, which turned into a major controversy that resulted in New York, Scotland and DC all trading accusations and withdrawals of fraternal relations for a few years.

Further mucking up this melange, three of the Grand Lodge of New York's chartered
Lebanon lodges petitioned to form their own grand lodge. A charter to that effect was signed and issued by the Grand Lodge of the F&AM of the State of New York on October 24, 2018 creating the Grand Lodge of the F&AM of Lebanon. 

It's worth pointing out to those unacquainted with the geography, Lebanon sits just west of Syria and north of Israel, abutting the Golan Heights. Increased Hezbollah attacks against Israel from across the border are in danger of escalating the war into Lebanon sooner than later. It is a complex country with a complicated population mix and a history of violent upheavals ever since achieving its post-WWII independence. As desperately needed as Masonry's message of tolerance, cooperation, universal benevolence, and brotherhood may be in this region of the world, the realities of human conflicts aren't always so easy to trowel over with the cement of brotherly love.

Minnesota Lodge Restores Historic 1857 Charter

1857 Charter of Mankato Lodge No. 12 in Minnesota
(CNHI News Service)

by Christopher Hodapp

In 1857, the just-formed Grand Lodge of Minnesota AF&AM issued a charter for that state's twelfth Masonic lodge – Mankato Lodge No. 12. The lodge was first organized in 1856, the year before statehood was granted to Minnesota. A century and a half after it was issued, Mankato Lodge has taken steps to carefully restore and preserve their original, fragile document. 

Mankato's charter (or warrant) was printed on animal skin parchment, most likely vellum, a specially treated piece of calfskin or lambskin, which was often used to create significant documents in the past. It's why academic diplomas used to be nicknamed 'sheepskins.' Vellum is an unusual material, but if it is well cared for, it can last for centuries – there are extant documents on parchment and vellum from over a thousand years ago. Unfortunately, if it's NOT well cared for, subjected to high heat, moisture or humidity, animal skin parchment and vellum can quite literally begin to pucker and shrivel up over time. 

At the Masonic Library & Museum of Indiana we have received many lodge charters or Masonic degree diplomas from the early to mid-1800s made of vellum that look like badly wadded linen handkerchiefs. Rescuing them from that condition is not always successful and requires very special treatment to accomplish.

WB Mark Robbins, PM of Mankato Lodge and longtime member and officer at the Masonic Society, passed this story along to me.

From a September 19th, 2023 article in the Meadville Tribune by Edie Schmierbach:

Mark G. Robbins of the Masonic Lodge talks to paper 

conservationist Amanda Malkin about her work on Masonic 

Lodge 12’s historical document, its warrant. (CNHI News Service)

 

Current members of Lodge 12 raised concerns about the continued safety of its 1857 official approval by the then-grand master of all Masons.

“We’ve known where it was and what it was ... it’s valuable to us,” said Mark G. Robbins, a Lodge 12 former master.

He feared, however, that someone unfamiliar with the lodge’s history could accidentally throw away the tube and its contents.
Robbins was tasked with the safekeeping of the document Masons referred to as a warrant. He turned Lodge 12’s precious parchment with ink calligraphy over to a St. Peter woman who specializes in preserving works on paper.
“I found Amanda’s business, PaperLovesConservation, on the internet. I thought we would have to send the warrant off to the East Coast, but she’s local so we didn’t have to insure it or ship it,” Robbins said.

Amanda Malkin not only conserves club and organization charters similar to the local Freemasons’ document, she has the skills necessary to repair maps, art prints and watercolors works.

A professional associate of the American Institute for Conservation, Malkin founded her business in 2016. She has a master’s degree in the conservation of fine art. Before moving to Minnesota, she held positions in Washington, D.C., at a Smithsonian art gallery and a museum.

Malkin returned the warrant to Lodge 12 early Tuesday evening. Masons gathered to see the restored document and to hear her PowerPoint presentation about the process.

She had mounted the cleaned warrant on an acid-free background, then placed the document in a frame behind clear Plexiglas designed to filter out harmful ultraviolet light.

She found the piece of parchment to be in surprisingly good shape. The warrant showed no damage from the brown ink used to write and draw on its surface.

“Back then, scribes made their own ink and it could be highly acidic. Sometimes, the ink used on a document will eat holes in it.”

“The warrant is in great condition. Still, it should not be out on display for too long,” Malkin advised the Masons.

Robbins plans to store the document in a safe at the Masons’ brick two-story building at the corner of Second and Hickory streets.

Animal skin vellum has mostly been replaced these days by cotton-based paper vellum (you can find it in most well-stocked art supply stores). But the authentic stuff is still made with animal hides and used today to create archival copies of Acts of the English Parliament, and for printing Torah scrolls.

Affinity Lodges: UGLE Charters Science Fiction & Fantasy Lodge 10016

by Christopher Hodapp

On Saturday, July 9th, the United Grand Lodge of England announced the official consecration of their newest Masonic lodge: Science Fiction and Fantasy Lodge No. 10016.  The lodge meets in the Rugley Masonic Centre on Pottal Pool Road in Peckridge.

(If you squint carefully at the photo, you'll see a pair of lightsabers, and a Klingon bat'leth held by their Tyler, as you would expect, forming a square and quadrant and resembling a Past Master's jewel.)

https://redd.it/vw0k0b

Many of our grand lodge jurisdictions have hundreds of lodges, and there's a strong argument to be made against identical, cookie-cutter lodges. Twenty years ago, my friend WB Jeffrey Naylor (founding Master of Indiana's Lodge Vitruvian 767 and fellow Knight of the North) was strongly advocating unique Masonic lodges, based on outside interests of groups of Masons. 

Jeff wrote, 

"If you can get enough Master Masons who like to dress up like train engineers and who want to start Lionel Lodge No. 769, or whatever the number is now, let the cheer go up and celebrate the chartering of a new lodge. These guys have something in common, they want to pull together and appeal to a particular group of men whose interests are not antithetical to the fraternity and who might just bring quality men into Freemasonry. Don't fight it, embrace it, promote it." 

It's been twenty years now since Jeff wrote that, and our English brethren have been doing this sort of thing for quite some time.

The UGLE has not been squeamish about the establishment of all sorts of affinity lodges, made of members who enjoy certain hobbies or who share the same occupations. There are lodges for fishermen, gamers, F1 auto racing fans, actors and musicians, various sports like rugby, and many more. That's in addition to their ongoing Universities Scheme, which encourages the establishment of lodges near colleges and universities, designed to attract administrators, faculty and staff, as well as students.

While some purists may argue that a science fiction and fantasy-themed lodge is somehow degrading, embarrassing, or in some way makes Masonry seem like a frivolous pursuit, quite the contrary. It can be argued that it helps tap into a portion of men who might otherwise have never even given a moment of thought to the notion of petitioning a lodge. And it helps to fight against the perception that Masonry is nothing but a haven for cranky old men with squealing hearing aids, and lonely, basement-dwelling incels. 

Here's the way one member of the new lodge put it on Reddit this weekend:

"There are many special interests lodges in the UK, an F1 Lodge, a rugby lodge, etc. For the members it is a way to marry two of their greatest passions which can only serve to strengthen the Lodge and the fraternity in general. We had over 130 in attendance at our consecration, with a growing list of joining members as well as eager visitors. With the exception of a few specific implements in the Lodge, as seen in the photos, the ritual and the Lodges meeting will be conducted the same as any other. Where we hope to truly set ourselves apart will be at the festive boards as well as our social events."

Sadly, the affinity lodge concept never really became a big hit in the United States. That's a shame, because with scores or hundreds of lodges in a jurisdiction, that means there are myriad laboratories in which to experiment, as long as the landmarks are followed. There is much to be said for thinking outside the box when it comes to exploring the notion of chartering a new lodge (or in trying to rejuvenate an existing one).

While not exactly affinity lodges, in my own jurisdiction of Indiana we have had a number of unique, special purpose lodges: 

• Bartimaeus Lodge U.D. ("under dispensation") was organized in the 1960s specifically to help lodges in the state to confer the degrees of Masonry on handicapped and disabled candidates. 
• Transylvania Lodge U.D. was formed to meet once a year (on or around Halloween) in order to operate a blood drive. Its Master, Bob Hilgediek, was an extraordinarily tall man with a gaunt face and was affectionately as 'Drac' – he presided over their annual meetings dressed in an appropriate long black cloak. A blood donation truck was parked in the lot outside and remained open throughout the day. Sadly, the lodge died when Bob passed away in 2001.
• Schofield Lodge 1818 U.D. was created specifically to support the ongoing restoration and operation of the historic Schofield House in Madison, Indiana – the site of the first official meeting of the Grand Lodge of Indiana.
• St. Luke Lodge 761 in Franklin, Indiana (location of our Masonic retirement home, known today as Compass Park) originally started as an occupational affinity lodge for doctors and others in the medical professions. 

Throughout our history, we have also had a handful of lodges that did their Masonic work in German. An enormous number of Indiana's early settlers emigrated from the German states in Europe, and these German lodges were quite popular in their day. New York had several lodges in New York City that performed their meetings and ceremonies in Italian. I'm sure other states had their own foreign language lodges that were established during the various regional periods of mass immigration. I understand there are several lodges in and around Washington DC that still do their work in French. 

(Honestly, with the huge influx of Hispanic immigrants to the U.S. over the last 40+ years, I'm astonished that almost no one has attempted to organize Spanish language lodges across the country. That seems like a terrible oversight and a foolish one, to ignore this rapidly growing demographic – especially since Masonry currently thrives in Mexico, Cuba, and Central and South America these days.)

But in addition to hobbies, pastimes and professions, there has been a slow growth of a different type of affinity lodge in the U.S. I'm speaking of the rise in lodges made up of Masons who are looking for a more contemplative, philosophical, esoteric-minded lodge experience. 

That's for another post. More along this line of thinking in an upcoming post later on this week.

Meanwhile, congratulations to the founding members of Science Fiction and Fantasy Lodge No. 10016. May you truly live long and prosper.

Foreign Language Lodges in America

Brethren of Esperenze Lodge 317 receiving their New Jersey charter on June 27, 2018.
The lodge has actually been in existence for more than 40 years.

If you look through the archives of your own grand lodge, you will likely find a handful of lodges chartered by your jurisdiction way back when that worked in different languages, especially in the 1800s and early 1900s. While they were technically following your state's approved ritual, these lodges performed theirs in the native language their members were most comfortable with. German was by far the most common, but there were noteworthy Italian- and French-speaking U.S. lodges as well. Pennsylvania, New York, and Washington D.C. still have several of these today. D.C. especially has quite a number of chartered 'cosmopolitan lodges' that often serve foreign-born Masons temporarily living in that city in connection with government, lobbying or embassy jobs. Many others like Massachusetts, Florida, and California also have foreign language lodges. 

Those are properly chartered lodges under those mainstream jurisdictions. But there's a relatively recent and growing wrinkle in the realm of 'clandestine' lodges and Masons. With the influx of more foreign born immigrants into America's large urban centers, there are a growing number of independent lodges made up of Cuban, Central and South American, Filipino, or other foreign-born Masons who have been ignored (or even shunned) by mainstream Masonry in this country. To answer their desire to become Masons — or to attend lodges that work in their native languages from back home —  more 'clandestine' lodges spring up every day that cater to them specifically. Some have been connected with legitimate foreign grand lodges which have invaded U.S. jurisdictional claims by chartering lodges here. But a large number of them are independent, self-created lodges. And more than a few have been around for a very long time, operating off of the radar screens of our grand lodges.

MW Roger Quintana, the current Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey seems to have taken the bull by the horns in his jurisdiction. New Jersey being a densely populated state and just across the border from New York, there are scores of clandestine Masonic lodges sprinkled throughout that jurisdiction. Instead of going on the attack against them, or ignoring them altogether, the Grand Lodge of New Jersey is trying a different approach. Portuguese-speaking Brazilian Masons in New Jersey have been hunting a legitimate lodge to join, and so the Grand Lodge is reaching out to find new ways to bring them under the umbrella of proper recognition and regularity. In 2018, the Grand Lodge of New Jersey has announced the transformations of formerly clandestine Esperanza Lodge 317 in Union City and Perucho Figueredo Lodge 370 in Elizabeth into fully chartered and regular, recognized ones under the Grand Lodge of New Jersey. 

First regular meeting of Perucho Figueredo Lodge 370
under its charter from the GL of New Jersey

Further, New Jersey has just received applications to do this from another independent clandestine lodge, Solomon Lodge. According to MW Quintana's letter (see below), their members will be re-obligated at a special One Day Class, and the formerly clandestine lodge will be consecrated with a proper charter from the GL of New Jersey. 

(Similarly, numerous Prince Hall grand lodges in the US have special 'healing' ceremonies in order to re-obligate Masons who joined 'clandestine' lodges first, and then later wished to become PHA Masons. NJ's actions seem to be a lodge-wide extension of that sort of thing.)

Click image to enlarge

While other states have not talked much about this in public, his letter says that the Grand Lodges of New York, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania have also been doing similar lodge conversions in this manner. (If I'm not mistaken, this has also taken place in Florida with former Cuban lodges – please correct me if I'm wrong. And I'm guessing California has done something similar over the years.) 

I'm told that the Grand Lodge of Arizona has a standard ritual in Spanish, and a handful of other states may also have their own in various languages as well. This is no longer a situation peculiar to just the coastal states and cities, or to southern border states. For the rest of us across the U.S. who find ourselves with growing foreign-born populations and communities in our various states, it is downright foolish and short-sighted to ignore this vast and growing population. And this is not even remotely just a big city issue. Look at these startling statistics. 

According to a 2017 study by the Center for Immigration Studies,

Newly released Census Bureau data for 2017 shows nearly half (48.2 percent) of residents in America's five largest cities now speak a language other than English at home. Overall, the number of U.S. residents speaking a foreign language at home reached a record of nearly 67 million. The total number is up seven million since 2010 and has increased by nearly 35 million since 1990.

Among the findings:

• In 2017, a record 66.6 million U.S. residents (native-born, legal immigrants, and illegal immigrants) ages five and older spoke a language other than English at home. The number has more than doubled since 1990, and almost tripled since 1980.

• As a share of the population, 21.8 percent of U.S. residents speak a foreign language at home — roughly double the 11 percent in 1980.

• In America's five largest cities, 48 percent of residents now speak a language other than English at home. In New York City and Houston it is 49 percent; in Los Angeles it is 59 percent; in Chicago it is 36 percent; and in Phoenix it is 38 percent.
• In 2017, there were 85 cities and Census Designated Places (CDP) in which a majority of residents spoke a foreign language at home. These include Hialeah, Fla. (95 percent); Laredo, Texas (92 percent); and East Los Angeles, Calif. (90 percent). Perhaps more surprisingly, it also includes places like Elizabeth, N.J. (76 percent); Skokie, Ill. (56 percent); and Germantown, Md., and Bridgeport, Conn. (each 51 percent).
• Nearly one in five U.S. residents now lives in a city or CDP in which one-third of the population speaks a foreign language at home. This includes Dale City, Va. (43 percent); Norwalk, Conn., and New Rochelle, N.Y. (each 42 percent); and Aurora, Colo., and Troy, Mich. (each 35 percent).
• In contrast to many of the nation's cities, in rural areas outside of metropolitan areas just 8 percent speak a language other than English at home

Consider that there are sixteen lodges today in New York's 10th Manhattan District, and they grew out of the enormous immigrant populations that came to America and settled in the New York City area. The Tenth Manhattan is home to lodges permitted to work Craft degrees in French, Italian, and Spanish, and more, which differ—often substantially—from the traditional Preston-Webb rituals you find in almost every other state in the U.S. (with the notable exception of Pennsylvania's). It's not for nothing that this group of lodges refers to themselves as the 'Cosmopolitan Tenth,' which is how you'll find them on Facebook these days. Now, New Jersey has just established its own similar 6th District specifically geared to working with their newly christened foreign language and 'cosmopolitan' lodges in order to conform their sometimes very different rituals with current New Jersey practices.

This is a not a new idea, and by no means is it any sort of Earth-shattering innovation. A French-speaking New York lodge was asked to be the first lodge leading George Washington's funeral procession at Mount Vernon in 1799. Foreign language lodges were common a century and a half ago throughout America, and there's no reason why they shouldn't be again. 

Think of it a different way: Freemasonry is actually growing and thriving in Central and South American nations, where the bulk of our current immigration wave originates. Untold numbers of men join Masonic lodges in these Spanish- or Portuguese-speaking nations, only to find no lodges in which they feel comfortable or at home once in the U.S. Their only recourse is to establish or join a clandestine lodge, knuckle under and become proficient in English, or not attend at all. In other words, these are existing Freemasons living in our midst whom we are simply ignoring. It's long past time to be chartering new lodges in our jurisdictions that are permitted to work our official rituals (or at least close to them), just in a different language. 

Almost twenty years ago when faced with Masonic temples that were searching for rental possibilities, I suggested that lodges should be offering their dining room facilities for use by language tutors and schools to teach immigrants English, and/or Americans Spanish. It was clear then that there was already a growing need for such classes, and I suggested it as a new way to highlight the importance of Masonic halls in our communities once again. At that time, immigration wasn't really on many people's radar, and no one took it seriously. As the statistics above show, it's long past time to take it seriously now. 

While Masons haven't been paying attention, America has changed dramatically. Instead of decrying it or hiding from it as our membership continues to plummet, we need to see it as an opportunity to once again adapt to serve the society in which we reside - just as Freemasonry has always done in the past. Improving the world one Mason at a time is still our mission, no matter how our communities may change around us. Let's find a way to accommodate this upheaval in demographics instead of burying our collective heads in the sand. 

New Grand Lodge of Lebanon Chartered By GL of New York

THIS STORY HAS UPDATED INFORMATION 10/27/2017:

The Grand Lodge F&AM of New York has issued the following official statement on Wednesday, October 24th, 2018:

The Grand Lodge of New York, F. & A.M., with MW William M. Sardone presiding as the Most Worshipful Grand Master, has authorized and empowered the formation of the “Grand Lodge of the Free & Accepted Masons of Lebanon” in the Republic of Lebanon.

The Grand Lodge of New York gives its blessings to the new Grand Lodge of Lebanon for a successful continuance of its Grand Lodge forever.

The new Grand Lodge of Lebanon is made up of three lodges previously affiliated with the District Grand Lodge of Syria-Lebanon under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of the State of New York. Nine remaining New York-chartered lodges in the area remain under New York's District Grand Lodge authority at this moment in time. That may change.

Additionally, there are other lodges at work in the region: ten are chartered by the Grand Lodge of Scotland, and two by the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia (and perhaps others as well). It does not appear that these non-New York lodges have joined the newly established jurisdiction at this time.

Lodges from these differing foreign grand lodges all at work in Lebanon have been involved in friction between their governing bodies over the years. At various times, New York has suspended amity with both D.C. (in 2008) and Scotland (in 2017) over jurisdictional and other conflicts concerning Lebanon lodges. I believe that situation still currently exists with Scotland (someone correct me if I'm wrong). Perhaps this newly established grand lodge will help to calm those waters in time.

A video was also released last night of the charter being issued and can be seen at this Facebook link.

UPDATE NOVEMBER 1, 2018:

I have been forwarded a copy of the charter issued by New York.

Click to enlarge