Caption This Photo

It's a slow Sunday, and I came across this double-barreled lodge goat, armed to the teeth.

Another Shot Fired in the Rectified Rite USA Battle

I've never been one to advocate one grand lodge ganging up on another. I was against it when GLs attacked the GL of Minnesota back in 2001 and 2002. I'm against it whenever someone suggests acting against southern GLs over Prince Hall recognition. And I'm still against it. It's one thing for a grand lodge to exercise its powers and prerogatives within the confines of its own borders. It's something else entirely when it tries to flex its muscles and demand another grand lodge to knuckle under.

A Mason was denied entrance into his own annual communication today, not because he had violated rules of his own grand lodge, but because a visiting Grand Master from another jurisdiction claimed his GL would withdraw recognition if the Brother in question was allowed to enter. And so, the Brother's own Grand Master complied, and barred him from entering his own session. Why? Because the Brother is a member of the new Grand Priory of the Reformed and Rectified Rite of the United States of America (CBCS), and the visiting Grand Master issued an edict over the formation of the Grand Priory. At what point does that give a visiting Mason the right to tell another Grand Lodge which of its own members it can admit into its own grand lodge session? If the visitor has a conflict, he should be the one sitting out under a palm tree on the white sandy beach, not the dues paying member who has broken no rules within his own jurisdiction.

Members of the Reformed and Rectified Rite of the US have NOT sat in, nor are they members of, clandestine lodges. And the Brother's own Grand Lodge has not issued any opinion on the Grand Priory of the Reformed and Rectified Rite of the US.

If I have misunderstood the incident, I will happily correct this entry. But if it happened the way it was described, this represents a new low in the battle between the factions in the CBCS/Rectified Rite debate.

The Rectified Rite degrees are far too philosophically and spiritually beneficial to be locked out of the US because the GSA's model was to be nothing but a dinner club for 30 or so men who think the rest of Masonry lets in too much riff raff. Those on both sides of the issue can drag personalities into this if they wish, but it is really a clash of philosophies, between those who want the CBCS to be the ne plus ultra clique of elite Masonry, versus a unique Christian variant with a fascinating history and a huge body of ritual and commentary that deserves to be shared. The one way brings it to a dead end, while the other is another step on the path of seeking Masonic light. I sort of thought we were all hunting the latter rather than the former. And the one thing this fraternity has no shortage of is dinner clubs.

Background:
• Freemasons For Dummies: Washington, Oregon and the Grand Encampment
• Freemasons For Dummies: 2011 Report: Commission on Information for Recognition
• Freemasons For Dummies: Grand Priory of the Reformed and Rectified Rite of the USA
• Freemasons For Dummies: Grand Priory of the Scottish Reformed & Rectified Rite of the United States of America

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UPDATE on May 20th

I have modified this entry a couple of times, as there has been much controversy over just which Grand Lodge made the objection. The Brother who was excluded from the meeting was told one story by his DGM, but others have stepped up to say the players have been misidentified. It has taken on a decidedly "Rashomon" vibe.

My purpose is not to besmirch anyone's name or reputation, or to question anyone's description of the events of the day. My purpose for posting this incident is to point out the madness of threatening withdrawal of fraternal relations over an incident like this, and the collateral damage inflicted on brethren when GMs start swinging their authority around outside of their own jurisdictions.

My apologies to anyone who was misidentified or hit with shrapnel. But the end result was that the Brother who flew thousands of miles to visit his own annual communication, at the invitation of his own incoming GM, was turned away, and he was the most damaged party here.

Oregon, Washington, and now reportedly Idaho and Oklahoma, either have or are considering taking action against the Grand Encampment over this tempest. The only real victims will be the thousands of Knights Templar in these states who will get caught between the grinding wheels. It's why the Commission on Recognition should have stayed out of this in the first place. The Commission historically had never dabbled in appendant body minutiae before, but just by bringing up the matter, the Commission put a live grenade in the hands of GMs who sometimes feel the compulsion to pull the pin first and ask questions later. And that's a damned shame.

Women Not Flocking To Grand Orient of France

In 2010, France's largest Masonic obedience, the Grand Orient de France, with about 50,000 members, voted to admit women into its lodges. The decision was left to the individual lodge, and required no special permission.

Well, women aren't exactly flocking to the doors of the GOF's lodges. According to Au GODF : mais où sont les femmes ? by François Koch:

• 53 women are now members of GOF (including twenty affiliations transferred mostly from the Grande Loge Feminine de France)

• 160 requests for initiation of women or affiliations by existing sisters are being processed.

• Only one in five GOF lodges have refused to accommodate women.

The Grand Orient of France does not require its members to profess a belief in a Supreme Being, does not require lodges to have a Volume of Sacred Law on their altars, and does not prohibit taking official positions on religious and political issues. It is regarded as irregular by the majority of the Masonic world.

There are at least ten Masonic allegiances of varying importance in France. The GOF has just under 50,000 members. The Grande Loge Nationale Française (male only) has about 38,000 members, and is the obedience that is most uniformly recognized as regular by the majority of grand lodges around the world. The male only Grande Loge de France (GLdF) has 28,000.

Women make up approximately 17% of the Freemasons in France at various other grand lodges. Le Droit Humain (DH) is a Co-Masonic obedience which claims 15,000 members, and the Grande Loge Feminine de France (GLFF), represents some 14,000 women.

It should be noted by all of us in the US that every one of the grand lodges in France have steadily increased their membership over the last six years.

GLNF Grand Master Stifani Resigns . . . Sort Of

GLNF Grand Master Francois Stifani

Drama continues in the Grande Loge Nationale Française. Wednesday, 38 Provincial Grand Masters, officers and other luminaries handed Monique Legrand, the court-appointed administrator for GLNF, a petition announcing their support of a major insurrection against GM François Stifani from April 2010. The 38 Masons who submitted the petition did so in the wake of action by Stifani on April 9th in which he dismissed 8 provincial Grand Masters who refused to acknowledge his authority.

Shortly after that message was released to the press, Stifani issued a letter in which he says he will "surrender his mandate", but then sets out his own directions for the June General Assembly, which Legrand is supposed to be in charge of.

In December, a Paris court required Grand Master Stifani and the GLNF to convene a General Assembly to hold a new vote for the position of Grand Master, and to answer to the membership for a series of allegations and complaints against his actions. It was alleged that Stifani was illegally elected to serve a second five year term, in violation of the GLNF's constitutions. The Board of Directors resigned in January, and Stifani later stepped down as president of the administrative side of the fraternity, but not as Grand Master (technically two separate positions). A hearing was held on April 5th, and the new date for the Assembly was set for June 27th. Meanwhile, Stifani continues to cling to his position, in spite of the very public and embarrassing unraveling of the grand lodge.

L'Express magazine's blog, La Lumiere by François Koch, is reporting every twist and turn in the ongoing saga.

The GLNF is the second largest Masonic obedience in France, with approximately 38,000 members, and is overwhelmingly recognized as the sole regular body in that country by the majority of grand lodges around the world.

See also Grande Loge Nationale Française Imploding: UGLE Weighs In from January.

Openly Gay Mason Suspended in Kentucky

The Lexington Herald-Leader is reporting that the Grand Lodge of Kebtucky F&AM has suspended an openly gay member, following a trial held April 8th. W:.B:. John Wright, Past Master of Right Angle Lodge No. 233 in Winchester, Kentucky, was found guilty on several counts of un-Masonic conduct, and was suspended indefinitely in a letter sent April 11th.

Five Masons from Central Kentucky (and not from his own lodge) brought charges against Wright, saying he violated the Grand Lodge constitution by forsaking his belief in God in declaring his homosexuality, deserting his wife, and by going public with private Masonic information. When Wright became a Mason in 2007, he was married—he and his wife filed for divorce in March 2010 because he realized he was gay. According to the charges, Wright's behavior ran afoul of the Grand Lodge constitution because he "violated the sanctity of his marriage" and "deserted her due to his homosexuality," and that he may have violated his oath and obligation by engaging in other relationships prior to the finalization of his divorce.

The charges also alleged that Wright had violated the constitution because he had "openly forsaken his belief in God . . . by refusing to obey the Moral Laws in declaring his homosexuality which the Moral law declares as an abomination to the law of God." This charge was dismissed by the trial commission, but he was found guilty of all other charges.

In October 2010, assembled members of the Grand Lodge of Kentucky at their annual communication voted against legislation that would have banned openly gay men from joining Kentucky lodges.

Some have accused Wright of self-aggrandizement and using the issue to get his name in the papers, and he says on his website that he is a "LGBT activist", and describes himself as a "troublemaker." He went to the local paper when the anti-gay legislation was defeated at Grand Lodge last year. I suspect many Kentucky Masons didn't appreciate the issue being splashed across the media, especially when they had decisively voted the measure down—they handily defeated the proposal, yet got negative publicity over it anyway. That may have been the initial genesis of the charge of making making private Masonic business public.

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UPDATE:
Overwhelming reports are that the principal charge that got him booted was going public with private Masonic information, and in particular, private communications that he took to the press, which included voice recordings from inside the tyled Grand Lodge annual communication. That's cause for suspension or expulsion in pretty much any Masonic jurisdiction. The homosexual aspects have been played up in the papers, largely through Wright's showboating and self-promotion. Were there Kentucky brethren who tried to make the gay issue central to the charges? Yes. But those were not the primary issues for the trial commission, apparently. Reports indicate that his sexuality came up only once in the proceedings, and it was Wright himself who attempted to introduce it.
Such mundanity does not make for compelling headlines.

The GL of Kentucky's defeat of anti-gay legislation last year is the real barometer of this issue in that state, not this Brother's case.

Author Michael Halleran at Gettysburg May 21st

Pennsylvania Masons take note! Brother Michael Halleran, author of "The Better Nature of Our Angels: Freemasonry in the American Civil War," will be speaking at the Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center on Saturday, May 21st, 2011. This public event begins at 2PM.

The Center is carrying Brother Halleran's book, and is one of the rare instances of a book about Freemasonry offered for sale by the National Parks Service.

Michael is the former editor of the Scottish Rite Research Society’s Plumbline. He is a freelance writer, a lecturer at Emporia State University, and a practicing attorney in the Flint Hills of East-Central Kansas. He is a member of both Emporia Lodge No. 12, AF&AM, and Mount Zion Lodge No. 266, AF&AM, Topeka, Kansas. Halleran received the Mackey Award for Excellence in Masonic Scholarship by the Scottish Rite Research Society for his article on Civil War Freemasonry in Heredom, vol. 14 (2006), and he was the author of the "Brother Brother" feature for The Scottish Rite Journal (now appearing in The Square Magazine). He is a member of the Quatuor Coronati Correspondence Circle, and the Scottish Rite Research Society, where he studies American military Masonry and the traditions of military lodges worldwide.

The Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center is located at 1195 Baltimore Pike, Gettysburg, PA 17325. For more information, contact the center at (717) 334-2288.

The Doctor Sez: "Fezzes Are Cool"

From the newest incarnation of Doctor Who.

Brother Walter Breuning 33°, World's Oldest Man, Dies at 114

Brother Walter Breuning 33°, the world's oldest man, died Thursday April 14, 2011 at the age of 114 years and 205 days. He was born on September 21, 1896, and was declared the world's oldest man and the fourth oldest person in the world on July 18, 2009, by the Guinness Book of World Records.

Brother Walter received his degrees in Great Falls Lodge No. 118, Great Falls, Montana. He was Initiated on March 7, 1925, Passed on April 4, 1925 and raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason on May 16, 1925. He affiliated with Cascade Lodge No. 34, Great Falls, Montana on January 1, 1992. He had served as Secretary of Great Falls Lodge No. 118 from January 1, 1946 through December 31, 1968. Brother Breuning received the Meritorious Service Medal on June 24, 1993.

He was a 33° Scottish Rite Freemason in the Valley of Great Falls, Montana.

Walter Breuning- Scottish Rite Freemason from Scottish Rite on Vimeo.

From the AP last September:

Walter Breuning was born on Sept. 21, 1896, in Melrose, Minnesota, and moved to Montana in 1918, where he worked as a clerk for the Great Northern Railway for 50 years.

His wife, Agnes, a railroad telegraph operator from Butte, died in 1957. The couple had no children.

Breuning inherited the distinction of being the world's oldest man in July 2009 when Briton Henry Allingham died at age 113. Allingham had joked that the secret to long life was "Cigarettes, whisky and wild, wild women — and a good sense of humor," according to Guinness World Records.

His brethren mourn. R.I.P.

Lodge Vitruvian No. 767 April 26th Meeting

Lodge Vitruvian No. 767, Indiana's only European Concept Lodge, will have its next meeting on Tuesday, April 26, 2011, beginning at 7:00PM. Vitruvian meets in the Broad Ripple Masonic Temple at 1716 Broad Ripple Avenue, on the north side of Indianapolis, Indiana.

Tuxedo, Regalia and White Gloves for Members, Tuxedo or Business Attire for Visitors.

WBro. Ken Davis, Master of this Lodge in 2009, will be with us from New Mexico and will provide the evening's Masonic education on Tarot and Freemasonry.

Festive Board to follow the meeting at the nearby Capri Restaurant, 2602 Ruth Drive, Indianapolis, Indiana, (off Keystone Avenue between 71st and 75th Streets)

Each attendee will be responsible to the Lodge for the cost of his meal. The cost for the Festive Board is $30 per person, exclusive of alcoholic beverages, payable to the Secretary. Gratuity will be paid by the Lodge.

If you are interested in visiting, contact Secretary, WB Nathan C. Brindle at secretary@vitruvian.org

Washington, Oregon and the Grand Encampment

In the wake of the Conference of Grand Masters of Masons of North America's Commission on Recognition report in February concerning the formation of the Grand Priory of the Reformed and Rectified Rite of the United States of America (CBCS), M:.W:. Godofredo Santy Lascano , Grand Master of Grand Lodge of Washington (State) F&AM has issued an edict. He has directed all Master Masons in Washington "to refrain from any interaction with the Grand Encampment Knights Templar of the USA." Violators will be subject to suspension or expulsion.

At issue is the question of irregularity of the French governing body that issued the charter to the GEKTUSA to form the new Grand Priory.

The Grand Lodge of Oregon AF&AM Grand Master Ed Bousquet issued a similar edict in March, briefly suspending recognition of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar USA, but rescinded the edict a week later, in light of "improved dialogue." Grand Master Bousquet has asked for "patience and understanding as the leaders of these organizations attempt to work through the problem."

Previous stories on this subject:
• Grand Priory of the Scottish Reformed & Rectified Rite of the United States of America
• Grand Priory of the Reformed and Rectified Rite of the USA
• 2011 Report: Commission on Information for Recognition

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UPDATE: Below is a letter that was sent to all Grand Masters in the US in response to the Commission on Recognition report. It should be pointed out that 4 of the 6 elected members of the Grand Encampment officer's line were present at the Conference of Grand Masters and none were asked, or even allowed, to address the Commission, or answer any questions on this matter. Click to enlarge.

(Please note that, in the interest of full disclosure on my discussions about this issue, I am a member of this body.)

Connecticut's Newest Lodge: Quinta Essentia Lodge U.D.

Congratulations to the brethren of Connecticut's newest Masonic lodge! On April 4th at its annual communication, the Grand Lodge of Connecticut AF&AM granted a dispensation form Quinta Essentia Lodge U.D., a "European Concept" lodge.

The lodge will be limited in membership size to just 35, and will meet six times a year. Meetings and festive boards will be held in private dining rooms of restaurants, not lodge rooms, and each gathering will have a cocktail hour and dinner, with either a presentation or an open discussion topic. Masonic introductions will be kept to a minimum. The lodge will have a dress code, requiring either a tuxedo or dark suit, and lodge dues will be higher than most blue lodges in the state. And officers will not necessarily progress through the line.

Congratulations to R:.W:. Brother Brandley K. Cooney, Quinta Essentia's first Worshipful Master, and to all of the charter members of the lodge.

For more information, contact the lodge Secretary, W:.B:. Charles Tirrell.

WEOFM.ORG: "The Evolution of Scandinavian Freemasonry" by Dr. Andreas Önnerfors

The eleventh video presentation from the Worldwide Exemplification of Freemasonry is now available on Vimeo in Flash format.

This week's program is "The Evolution of Scandinavian Freemasonry" by Dr. Andreas Önnerfors.

Andreas Önnerfors was the director of the Centre for Research Into Freemasonry and Fraternalism at the University of Sheffield from 2007 until it was closed last year.

The Worldwide Exemplification of Freemasonry 2011 Lecture Series is a free presentation of Masonic education endorsed by the Grand Lodge of Indiana F&AM, beginning January 1, 2011 and running through December 31, 2011.

More Fallout from New York Royal Order of Jesters Investigation

From the Buffalo News website today, "Retired deputy sentenced for transporting prostitutes":

A retired Erie County sheriff’s deputy who transported prostitutes to an event run by the Royal Order of Jesters was sentenced to one year on probation and fined $1,000.

Michael Lesinski, 51, of Derby, pleaded guilty last year to failing to report a felony crime, the U. S. Attorney’s Office said.

In April 2005—while he was still a member of the Sheriff’s Office — Lesinski transported about six prostitutes from Buffalo Niagara International Airport to a Jesters convention in Niagara Falls, Ontario, prosecutor Robert C. Moscati said.

Lesinski’s involvement was discovered during an investigation of human trafficking crimes associated with the Jesters. The Buffalo FBI office, the U. S. Border Patrol, the Erie County Sheriff’s Office and U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted the probe.

Lesinski is the fourth public official convicted in connection with an ongoing federal investigation of the Royal Order of Jesters in Buffalo, New York. He pleaded guilty to concealing a felony last November.

For more background see also Federal Probe of Jesters Expands, and The Trouble With Jesters.

Calm Returning to Grand Lodge of Nebraska

In an April 11th, 2011 letter, MW John T. Parsons, 2010 Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Nebraska AF&AM, announced officially that RW Bruce Baker will be installed as Grand Master of Nebraska on April 16th.

A flurry of accusations, charges, counter charges, trials and other assorted brouhaha has surrounded the Grand Lodge officer's line in Nebraska since late last year. The short version is that Edward David Watts, who was Deputy Grand Master in the grand lodge line of succession last year, was arrested in November after a violent altercation at his girlfriend's home. He was subsequently charged by the Lancaster County Attorney in Lincoln with four felonies: first-degree assault, strangulation, terroristic threats, and use of a weapon to commit a felony.

In the aftermath of these events and in light of the seriousness of the charges, Grand Master Parsons remained in his position temporarily after the annual communication, until Masonic trials could be properly conducted. This led to some noisome accusations of power grabs and impropriety in some quarters that have aired online. Some of this back and forth sniping has been discussed on the Masonic Information website.

Grand Master Parsons' letter reads as follows:

Brethren:

As most of you know, at the last Annual Communication, Masonic charges were preferred against the then Deputy Grand Master, E. David Watts, the Grand Junior Warden, Rex Moats, and the Grand Senior Deacon, Thomas Hauder. Trial commissions were appointed and I issued an order that no brother facing Masonic Charges would be installed in any Grand Lodge Office until the trial was completed and any sentence satisfied. Subsequently, the lodge that preferred Masonic charges against Brothers Moats and Hauder declined to prosecute those charges and they were therefore dismissed by the Trial Commissions. Brother Moats has been installed as Grand Senior Warden and the installation of Brother Hauder as Grand Junior Warden is pending.

E. David Watts was convicted of a Masonic offense and sentenced to a definite period of suspension for one year. That period commenced on April 6, 2011, the date of the filing of the report and findings of the Trial Commission. As a result of such sentence, his Masonic memberships, as well as his memberships in all appendant bodies, are suspended. He may appeal such suspension, but his suspension begins from the date of the trial verdict, not the date of any appeal, in accordance with Section 3-709 of the Grand Lodge Bylaws. Since he is suspended from all Masonic Bodies, he is not eligible to serve as a Grand Lodge Officer, and is accordingly removed from all Grand Lodge authority, functions, and meetings. All brethren should take due notice and govern themselves accordingly.

Mr. Watts and others may also be subject to additional Masonic charges for activities occurring after Annual Communication but before the period of suspension began, however, no charges have been filed at this time.

As I stated at Annual Communication, as soon as the results of the trials were in, I would resign as Grand Master and in accordance with Article XI of the Grand Lodge Constitution, the line of succession would take effect. Therefore, RWB Bruce Baker, who was elected as Deputy Grand Master/Grand Master-Elect at the Grand Lodge session, will succeed to the office of Grand Master, effective on April 16, 2011. Those other Grand Lodge officers, previously appointed and installed, will retain their offices. RWB Baker may appoint an officer to fill any vacancies or personal representatives as he sees fit.

I would urge each of you to support Brother Baker in his efforts to restore peace and harmony to Nebraska Masonry, as well in his endeavors to cleanse the fraternity of the tarnish applied over the past several months by a few individuals. I know the fraternity in Nebraska will emerge stronger and more robust as a result of these tribulations, and I know that Bruce will have a good year.

Sincerely and fraternally,
John T. Parsons
Grand Master

Author Timothy Hogan in Florida May 14th

Boynton Lodge No. 236, Worshipful Master Rodney Gnoinsky, and the Boynton Lodge Esoteric Research Group announce the visit of Worshipful Timothy Hogan, May 14th, for a seminar and discussion on Alchemy, Qabbalah, and how they relate to the Freemasonry, as well as a discussion on the Holy Grail.

Saturday, May 14, 2011 from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM (ET)
2701 Quantum Blvd, Boynton Beach, FL

Timothy Hogan is author of the books The Alchemical Keys to Masonic Ritual, The 32 Secret Paths of Solomon: A New Examination of the Qabbalah in Freemasonry, Revelation of the Holy Grail (written under the name Chevalier Emerys), and Novo Clavis Esoterika. He is a former editor for the periodicals Ariadne's Web and L'Initiation. Tim is a District lecturer for the Grand Lodge of Colorado. He is a Knight Templar in the York Rite, a 32º KCCH in the Scottish Rite, and Past Master of both East Denver No. 160 and AMD Council No. 425. He serves as an officer within several Masonic bodies, including the SRICF, and he belongs to several other bodies including the Royal Order of Scotland. He is also the current Grand Commander for the Ordre Souverain du Temple Initiatique, a non-Masonic Knight Templar lineage out of France. Tim is a Fellow of the Masonic Society, and he is an owner and Education Director for www.thesanctumsanctorum.com. Tim has appeared on several international television shows and podcast episodes being interviewed about Freemasonry. Tim regularly lectures at Lodges around the world on the mysteries of Freemasonry.

He has also written several articles on Freemasonry for Masonic and esoteric publications.

This is a Master Mason only event, dues card & ID Required for entry.

TICKETS ARE LIMITED - only $25, including Lunch

See the lodge website for more information: www.blerg.eventbrite.com

Vandalism Against Texas Masonic Temple

Brother John Wallace reports that Onion Creek Lodge No. 220 in Austin, Texas recently suffered its fourth vandalism incident in the past year and a half. Its signage has been destroyed, at least two break-in attempts were made, windows have been broken, and the American flag in the front yard was turned upside down. Most recently, at the end of March, a Molotov cocktail was hurled through a window of the dining hall. Fortunately, the bottle didn't break, and the flames did not spread, but some fire damage did occur, including to a piano. It could have been far worse.

There have also been reports of other Austin-area lodges, as well as some across Tarrant County (the Ft. Worth area) having anti-Masonic material taped to their doors.

Because of the previous repeated attacks, the Austin Fire Department installed motion activated cameras and the images are being studied to see if faces and vehicles can be identified. The arson attempt raises the acts from vandalism to a 2nd class felony.

Onion Creek Lodge is an historic building—it's the second-oldest lodge building in Texas still in use today, along with being one of the oldest public school houses in the state. It is a state-designated historic site.

Unfortunately, reports of vandalism and worse activities are increasing against Masonic lodge buildings, as Freemasonry gets greater exposure in the press. And sad to say, not everyone who comes to your open houses has angelic motives. If your lodge doesn't have bright exterior lighting and a decent alarm system, with a monitoring service and an updated contact list of your officers, you need to bring it up at your next lodge meeting.

And it never hurts to remind brethren to drive by the lodge on their way home from work, or after a night out. Too many Masonic buildings sit empty 29 days a month, which makes them an easy target for bored miscreants or devious Masonophobes.

Masonic Society: New Announcement Site For Conferences, Speeches, Symposia & Gatherings

WBro. Nathan Brindle has been toiling in the electronic quarries of late, making new additions to the Masonic Society website.

One of the regular features of the Journal of the Masonic Society is an announcement page for Conferences, Speeches, Symposia & Gatherings. That feature has now been added to the TMS website here.

If you have an announcement for an upcoming meeting, event, speaker, research lodge gathering, conference or other function that would be of interest to a wide Masonic audience, please forward them to articles@themasonicsociety.com

Pete Normand in Chicago April 7th

Tomorrow's Scottish Rite Valley of Chicago Stated Meeting at the Medinah Shrine Center, will be a special occasion. They will be filling the time capsule for their new building with Masonic memorabilia, pop culture icons, and other items of contemporary interest.

In addition to the dedication of the time capsule, the Valley will welcome special guest speaker, Pierre "Pete" G. Normand Jr. 33°, who will speak on the topic of "The Royal Arch Degree in the Scottish Rite Tradition." Pete is a Fellow of the Masonic Society, a member of the Blue Friars, the former editor of American Masonic Review, and of The Plumbline, the newsletter of the Scottish Rite Research Society and a noted Masonic writer and speaker.

The Medinah Shrine Center is located at 550 Shriners Drive in Addison, Illinois. The dinner at 5:30 is sold out, but the Stated Meeting will follow at 7:00 pm. It is open only to members of the Scottish Rite, and there is no cost to attend, followed by fun, fellowship, coffee and refreshments in the Oasis Lounge. And something tells me with Pete there, cigars will be involved somewhere along the line.

W. Kirk MacNulty 4/15 Lecture Postponed

Brother W. Kirk MacNulty has undergone heart surgery this week, and his April 15th lecture at New York's Masonic Hall will be rescheduled, once he has recuperated. Brother Richard Powell reports that Kirk is doing fine and is in good spirits, and that the Livingston Library will announce the new date once it is confirmed.

W. Kirk MacNulty is the author of several books on Freemasonry (Way of the Craftsman; Freemasonry: A Journey Through Ritual and Symbol; Freemasonry: Symbols, Secrets, Significance) .

All my best to Brother Kirk, with thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery.

I'm starting to think there's something iffy in the green bean casserole.

Grand Lodge of Iowa AF&AM and Extended Prince Hall Recognition

On September 17th, 2010, the Grand Lodge of Iowa AF&AM voted to enter into fraternal relations with "any and all Prince Hall Grand Lodges which are (1) recognized by the M. W. Prince Hall Grand Lodge F. & A.M. of Iowa and Jurisdiction, Inc.; and (2) have concluded an agreement, treaty, or compact of mutual recognition with the sister Grand Lodge with who they share territorial jurisdiction that is in comity with the Grand Lodge of Iowa."

A very positive step that all mainstream and PHA grand lodges should consider. The patchwork quilt of recognition is confusing to brethren who travel, who don't always understand that joint recognition usually just applies within the confines of their state.

And once again I make a plea for Prince Hall grand lodges to submit their contact information and their current lodges to Pantagraph Printing's List of Lodges Masonic. The listing allows you to add whatever restrictions and requirements you might have, but more important, as bogus lodges and grand lodges continue to proliferate, the List is a recognized and trusted source for determining if the Mason who presents himself at your door is from a lodge you are in amity with. It just makes good sense for everyone.

Contact Pantagraph Printing & Stationery Co., P.O. Box 1406, Bloomington, IL 61702-1406

Services Friday for Brother Bill Wine

Brother Mark Sandstrom has posted the following information about services for WBro. William N. Wine, who passed to the celestial lodge on March 25th in his home in Concord, California. Bill was well known to many brethren from the CompuServe Masonry Forum, the first popular online community for Freemasons in the 1990s.

Services have been scheduled for our Brother William “Bill” Wine, PM. at the Oakland Scottish Rite, 1547 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, CA 94612, (510) 832-0819

Services will be held on Friday, April 29, 2011.
Viewing: 9:00am
Celebration of Life: 10:00am

A reception will follow. Bill would want us to gather to laugh, eat, drink and tell stories. Please know he will most definitely be present as we lift a glass in his honor and memory.

On behalf of Bill’s family, thank you for your outpouring of care, concern and love.

Fraternally,
Mark R. Sandstrom, PM
West Covina Lodge #446
West Covina, CA

Bill was raised in June 1971 in Diablo Valley Lodge No. 448, and served as Master in 1978-79, and again in 1986-87. He was a founding member of Academia Lodge No. 847. He was also a member of Concord Star No. 384 of the Order of the Eastern Star. Among his many accomplishments and honors, Bill was a Past Grand High Priest of Royal Arch Masons in California, a Founding Fellow of the Masonic Society, a Fellow of the Philalethes Society, and served as president of the Philalethes' Cornerstone Computer Chapter. He was involved with Masonic education programs in California, including the formative years of the California Masonic Symposium. He was a Past Master of the Northern California Research Lodge, and a Past Master Councilor of the Northern California DeMolay Association.

If you are unable to attend, but would like your memories of Bill recorded, please format them as a Word document, and send them to me at hodapp@aol.com . I will see that they are forwarded to Mark, who is assembling them for Bill's family.

"The Man Who Would be King"

Rooting around on YouTube tonight, I came across the great scene from The Man Who Would be King in which Brother Rudyard Kipling briefly explains Freemasonry.

"Well, let's have a look at your lodge brothers."



The film was released in 1975 and directed by John Huston, starring Sean Connery, Michael Caine and Christopher Plummer.

Any grown man who watches it without breaking down and blubbering at the end has no soul left in him.

The song near the end of the film that Brothers Danny and Peachy sing has the tune of an Irish air called "The Moreen" (that is better known as "The Minstrel Boy" because of an 18th century patriotic Irish lyric written to it), yet the movie substitutes the lyrics of "The Son of God Goes Forth to War" by Reginald Heber.

The Son of God goes forth to war,
a kingly crown to gain;
his blood red banner streams afar:
who follows in his train?
Who best can drink his cup of woe,
triumphant over pain,
who patient bears his cross below,
he follows in his train.

That martyr first, whose eagle eye
could pierce beyond the grave;
who saw his Master in the sky,
and called on him to save.
Like him, with pardon on his tongue,
in midst of mortal pain,
he prayed for them that did the wrong:
who follows in his train?

A glorious band, the chosen few
on whom the Spirit came;
twelve valiant saints, their hope they knew,
and mocked the cross and flame.
They met the tyrant's brandished steel,
the lion's gory mane;
they bowed their heads the death to feel:
who follows in their train?

A noble army, men and boys,
the matron and the maid,
around the Savior's throne rejoice,
in robes of light arrayed.
They climbed the steep ascent of heaven,
through peril, toil and pain;
O God, to us may grace be given,
to follow in their train.

Congratulations to Newest 32° Scottish Rite Masons in Indianapolis

Congratulations to all of the new 32° Scottish Rite Freemasons of the Valley of Indianapolis. 20 new brethren were duly constituted and proclaimed as Sublime Princes of the Royal Secret on February 19th at District Degree Day at Ellettsville Masonic Lodge. 28 new members participated in the March 12th Grand Master's Class in Indianapolis. And 49 more brethren became 32° Masons today at the Spring Convocation at the Indianapolis Scottish Rite Cathedral. Nine degrees were conferred last night and this morning.

For all of these new brethren, don't miss the 10th degree (Master Elect), which will be presented after Wednesday's Stated meeting at the Cathedral at 7PM. The Double Eagle Cafe opens at 5:30 for dinner.

"Virtus Junxit, Mors Non Separabit"

LineLearner For iPhone

If memorizing ritual is as tough for you as it is for me, here's a helpful app for iPhone users. LineLearner 3.0 ($3.99 from AllDayApps) is designed for anyone who needs to learn parts for plays, rituals, etc. It allows you to record lines, and play them back, as monologues or dialogues. You can listen to the full recording, or insert gaps so you can bounce your part off the other lines. You can even break up the recording into scenes. And if needed, the program will prompt you, just like an old Past Master on the sidelines in Buzzard's Row.

There is also a free version that limits you to just 10 lines, if you have a small part to learn, or just want to try it out.

Depending on your obligations, mileage in your jurisdiction may vary...

GL of Maryland Masonic Open House Today April 2nd

Some 80 Masonic buildings across Maryland are open to the public from 10AM until 5PM. today, April 2nd in a statewide open house program. Congratulations to Grand Master and the brethren of Maryland for organizing this event! The Grand Lodge of Maryland AF&AM has 100 lodges, with about 16,700 members.

See the open house site here.

The Grand Lodge of Maryland purchased the broadcast rights to the tasteful and very successful campaign created by the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, www.askafreemason.org which features Ben Franklin in radio, TV and extended internet spots.

See "The Masons open their doors, at least a crack" by Jean Marbella in yesterday's Baltimore Sun.

If you are in the northern Baltimore area, stop in today and thee the beautiful Grand Lodge facility on the campus of the Masonic Home in Cockeysville.

South Carolina Masonic Research Society Symposium April 22nd

Brother Grayson Mayfield on the Palmetto Bug blog is announcing that the South Carolina Masonic Research Society will hold its first symposium and banquet on April 22nd, 2011 at 7:00 PM in the Omar Shrine Temple, 176 Patriots Point Street, Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina 29464. The cost is $25.00 per person and this will be a formal or semi-formal dress event.

The keynote speaker will be Brother Michael A. Halleran, author of The Better Angels of our Nature: Freemasonry in the American Civil War and former editor of the Scottish Rite Research Society’s Plumbline. Halleran is a freelance writer and a practicing attorney in the Flint Hills of East-Central Kansas. A lecturer at Emporia State University, he is also an active Freemason, belonging to both Emporia Lodge No. 12, AF&AM, and Mount Zion Lodge No. 266, AF&AM, Topeka, Kansas. Halleran received the Mackey Award for Excellence in Masonic Scholarship by the Scottish Rite Research Society for his article on Civil War Freemasonry in that society’s journal: Heredom, vol. 14 (2006). In addition, he is the author of a regular column for The Scottish Rite Journal. He is a member of the Quatuor Coronati Correspondence Circle, and the Scottish Rite Research Society where he studies American military Masonry and the traditions of military lodges worldwide.

Also speaking will be WB Wayne Sirmon, an educator and scholar from Mobile, Alabama, who will be speaking in the dress and character John Fretwell (Grand Master of Texas, 1868) on the construction and testing of Confederate submarines as well as the development of torpedo mines. Brother Wayne will then discuss the discovery of the H.L. Hunley Submarine and the events leading up to the conduct of the funeral of the crew and the Masonic burial of Lt. George Dixon in Charleston in 2004.

Dr. David Harrison on the "Genesis of Freemasonry"

Lewis Masonic's Andrew Selwyn-Crome interviews historian and author Dr. David Harrison about his book The Genesis of Freemasonry.

Canadian Intelligence: al-Qaeda vs. Freemasonry

A brief article in the conservative Toronto-based National Post reveals a Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) report concerning Islamic extremists and their view of Freemasonry.

From "Islamist extremists view Freemasons as the enemy: report" by Stewart Bell:

As if it wasn’t enough that they want to blow up all the “Crusaders” and “Zionists,” now al-Qaeda has apparently chosen a new target: Freemasons.

A “secret” Canadian intelligence study newly-released to the National Post describes how Islamist conspiracy theorists have seen the enemy and it is Freemasonry.

“Islamist extremists and the Freemasons” is the actual title of a Canadian Security Intelligence Service intelligence assessment distributed in December 2009.

It says extremist ideologues have taken Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code and the Nicholas Cage film National Treasure as evidence of a conspiracy against Islam.

They have been telling youths that Freemasons are: anti-Muslim; have close ties to Israel; and have been conducting secret paramilitary operations in Europe.

H/T to Mike Bayrak.

UPDATE:
The National Post put up the text of the CSIS report a little later in the day. See it here.

Arturo de Hoyos to Receive Minnesota Masonic Education Award

Each year, the Grand Lodge of Minnesota AF&AM bestows the Duane E. Anderson Excellence in Masonic Education Award at its annual communication. Read the story of Right Worshipful Brother Duane E. Anderson, PGM, and the award given in his honor, here.

The 2011 National recipient at the 158th Grand Lodge of Minnesota Annual Communication in St. Cloud, April 8-9, 2011, will be Illustrious Brother Arturo de Hoyos, 33°.

Art is a Past Master of McAllen Lodge No. 1110, AF&AM of Texas, and is the Grand Archivist and Grand Historian for the Supreme Council, 33°, Scottish Rite of Freemasonry Southern Jurisdiction in Washington, D.C. He is respected the world over as an an authority on the history, rituals, and symbolism of Freemasonry. Sometimes jokingly referred to as the "Grand Archivist of the Universe," he is the author, editor, and translator of numerous books and articles. He has an encyclopedic memory, reads many languages, and has been responsible for the rediscovery and illumination of numerous works about the Scottish Rite, including Pike's Esoterika, David Bernard's Light on Masonry, and the incredible Scottish Rite Ritual Monitor and Guide. And he's a first class shot.

Congratulations, Art!

Past recipients of the award:

National Awards

2010 No award presented

2009 Robert G. Davis, author

2008 Edward R. Halpaus, Grand Lodge Education Officer of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota

2007 Akram Elias, Past Grand Master, Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia

2006 Christopher Hodapp, author

2005 James Tresner, author

2004 Robert Conley, Past Grand Master, Grand Lodge of Michigan

2003 S. Brent Morris, author

2003 Nelson King, editor of the Philalethes Magazine

2003 Forrest Haggard, author and Past Grand Master, Grand Lodge of Kansas

Minnesota Awards

2010 No award presented

2009 John A. Freeburg - Anoka Lodge No. 30

2008 Bruce L. Sherman - Ancient Landmark Lodge No. 5, Olaf Kuhlke - Palestine Lodge No. 79

2007 Roger M. Firestone - Ancient Landmark Lodge No. 5,

2006 J. Kenneth Allsen - Rochester Lodge No. 21

2005 - Neil E. Neddermeyer - Wayzata Lodge No. 205

2004 Dexter Pehle - Minnehaha Lodge No. 165, Terry L. Tilton - Eveleth Lodge No. 239, James R. Billig - Clearwater Lodge No. 28, David A. Rahm - Helios Lodge No. 273

2003 John Worlein - Fidelity Lodge No. 39, Thomas Evans - Bloomington Lodge No. 340, Edward R. Halpaus - Mora Lodge No. 223, Anthony P. Keane, Lake Superior Lodge No. 349

Masonic Information Center Mark Twain Award Winners 2010

Four years ago, the Masonic Information Center created the Mark Twain Award, to "recognize Lodge leadership for asserting a uniquely Masonic identity both within the Lodge and throughout the community that is consistent with the Fraternity's historic focus on education, self-improvement, good works, and fellowship." It's the only national Masonic award of its kind, and it represents achievement at the local lodge level. Lodges that win the Twain award are working hard to make their individual lodge just that—individual. These lodges have found ways to make their lodge unique, distinctive, educational, vital to their members, and a part of the community in which they reside.

The Masonic Information Center is a committee recognized by the Conference of Grand Masters in North America, and the Twain Award winners were announced at the Conference in Arlington, Virginia last month. The MIC was originally funded in 1993 by John J. Robinson, author of Born In Blood, who was not a Mason at the time. Robinson gave a grant to start the Center in order to provide information to both Masons and non-Masons, and to respond to critics of the fraternity. The Center operates as part of the Masonic Service Association of North America. For more about the Twain Award, see here. Congratulations to the 2010 winners:

Helion Lodge #1, Huntsville, Alabama

Oasis Lodge #52, Tucson, Arizona

Henri Lodge #190, Tonganoxie, Kansas

Bay View Lodge #196, E. Boothbay, Maine

John T. Heard Lodge, Ipswich, Massachusetts

Helios Lodge #273, Cambridge, Minnesota

Boulder City Lodge #37, Boulder City, Nevada

Benevolent Lodge #7, Milford, New Hampshire

Atlas Pythagoras Lodge #10, Westfield, New Jersey

Temple Lodge #6, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Sandia Mountain Lodge #72, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Harmonie Lodge #699, Amherst, New York

Statesville Lodge #27, Statesville, North Carolina

Tippecanoe Lodge #174, Tipp City, Ohio

Sand Springs Lodge #475, Sand Springs, Oklahoma

South McAlester Lodge #96, McAlester, Oklahoma

Daylight Lodge #232, Seattle, Washington

The criteria for the Twain Award is designed to motivate lodges to plan its future and improve itself with meaningful activities that serve the needs of its own members. There's no checklist, no defined roadmap of specific items that get crossed off when completed. The goal is to motivate lodges to act for their own good, and the good of their community, and to do it in a thought out manner. The website has much information on it, but it does list suggested activities and ideas that every lodge ought to be considering, regardless of whether they are trying for an award or not.

Frustrated lodge officers are frequently hunting the silver bullet, the Big Fix that will fill their lodges and make them active and relevant to their members. The truth is, it's different for every lodge. This list is one place to start. If you've heard me speak at a lodge or grand lodge, you've heard me say over and over. Try everything, and when that doesn't work, try something else. But start by making your lodge a place YOU can't wait to come to every month, every week.

The MIC has a list of suggestions for lodges to use as a starting place to rejuvenate themselves, and while I don't want to reprint their whole website here, their suggestions are thoughtful ones:

- Apply concepts of education and self-improvements to current print and non-print communications tools of individual lodges, Grand Lodges, and national Masonic organizations and societies.

- Improve the environment of lodge-based fellowship; refresh the look of the lodge; welcome new members; improve presentation skills; provide mentoring to study degrees; strengthen communications skills.

- Organize group activities based on education and self-improvement that can enrich lodge-centered fellowship such as: welcoming committees, lodge renovation and clean up campaigns, leadership development conferences, mentor meetings, workshops on such things as Masonic ritual, history, symbolism, architectural works, art, and cultural works.

- Initiate workshops on Masonic personal growth topics such as leadership, stewardship, ethics, philosophy, and spirituality.

- Call on local educational faculty to present on topics that enrich the body, mind, and spirit of the brothers.

- Tap the talents of individual members and build a community of experts to help facilitate Masons to improve themselves and their community.

- Improve community accessibility to Masonry through public outreach activities and program or group hosting, tutoring, and mentoring.

- Offer Masonic recognition and incentive programs for educational initiatives, visitor programs and Chamber of Commerce presentations.

- Honor the Mason within yourself.

- Communicate regularly with neighboring lodges.