Christopher L. Hodapp's Blog, page 14

Florida Masons Withdraw Amity With Eleven Foreign Grand Lodges

by Christopher Hodapp

On Friday, Grand Secretary Richard E. Lynn, PGM of the Grand Lodge of F&AM of Florida issued a letter declaring the immediate withdrawal of relations with the following foreign Masonic grand lodges:
La Gran Logia de Bolivia, La Gran Logia de Chile, A.L. y A.M., La Gran Logia de Costa Rica, F. A. y A, La Gran Logia de la Republica Dommicana, La Grande Loge Nationale Française, La Gran Logia de Guatemala, A.L. y A.M, America Central. La Gran Logia de Honduras, A.L. y A.M., Sobe...

R.I.P. Illus. Thurman Pace

Image by Chris Sands from his Facebook page.
by Christopher Hodapp

NOTE: This story will be updated as details become available.
Word came to me very late Sunday night that Illus. Brother Thurman Cleveland Pace, Jr. 33° and PGM of New York has just passed to the Celestial Lodge. He was just two days short of his 100th birthday, but even at such an advanced age, Thurman was an indefatigable, active Freemason who traveled extensively all his life. Longtime attendees at Masonic Week events knew Thurma...

Masons of Texas Turn Out in Force For Annual Meeting

Photo: Don Comedy

by Christopher Hodapp

Note: This story was updated Monday, January 22nd at 1:00 AM to reflect corrections passed along to me by Texas brethren. Corrections include: a revised list of grand officers who were reelected to the Grand Officer's lineup and retained from last year; addition of GM Chapman's photo; more detail added to summarize what led up to these events over the weekend. Errors in the previous version of this story were mine alone. My apologies to all, and my thanks fo...

Midwest Conference on Masonic Education May 3-5, 2024 in Minnesota

by Christopher Hodapp

This year's Midwest Conference on Masonic Education will be held May 3-5, 2024 in Bloomington, Minnesota in and around the Masonic Heritage Center on the campus of the Minnesota Masonic Home.

Grand lodges all over the world have long realized the crying need to impart Masonic knowledge to our members. It seems that everybody knows that they're supposed to be providing "Masonic education" to Freemasons. But just how to you get knowledgable Masons who know (or understand) Mason...

Texas PGM BIllings Files Defamation Lawsuit Against Grand Lodge and 5 Officers

by Christopher Hodapp

(A brief post from the road as we pass through Gallup, New Mexico...)
As the clock ticks down to the GL of Texas annual meeting later this month, a new broadside has been shot across the bow of the Grand Lodge. Texas' Immediate PGM Brad Billings has just filed a $250,000 lawsuit in civil court for defamation of character, naming the Grand Lodge and five officers.
From the KWTX-TV website :

Bradley Scott Billings is seeking up to $250,000 in his lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Waco’s ...

AASR NMJ Past Commander David Glattly Speaks Out

by Christopher Hodapp

When Illus. David Glattly 33° was elected as Sovereign Grand Commander of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Northern Masonic Jurisdiction back in 2017, it was expected that he would serve what has traditionally been a long term of office. He succeeded Illus. John McNaughton in the position, who had just kicked off what was to be "a new path" for the NMJ. That path began with an extensive demographic survey of American men to discover the public's awareness of Freemasonry, a...

Family Of Murdered Texas Mason Suing Lodge For Negligence

Brother Robert Wise, 55, was killed in July after officer's installation(Photos: McAllen Lodge 1110 Facebook page)
by Christopher Hodapp
The family of a Texas Mason who was murdered outside of a Masonic hall following an officers' installation ceremony has just filed a civil lawsuit against McAllen Lodge 1110 alleging negligence.
Brother Robert Wise was shot and killed in the lodge parking lot the evening of July 10, 2023, allegedly by an anti-Mason named Julio Diaz, who actually shot a video of th...

UPDATE: Texas GM Smith Ignores Trustees and Removes Grand Secretary From Office

by Christopher Hodapp
Just a few days after The Texas Masons For Truth website reported on a failed attempt to remove Grand Secretary Justin Duty (photo above) from office at a called meeting of the Grand Lodge Trustees, Texas Grand Master G. Clay Smith apparently has now decided to ignore that Trustee vote and just go it alone.
The following story appeared today :

Information is fluid, but it is currently our understanding that Grand Master G. Clay Smith has removed Grand Secretary Justin Duty fro...

Texas: Attempt To Remove Grand Secretary Fails

by Christopher Hodapp

Backroom intrigues continue in the Grand Lodge of Texas as their annual communication approaches in January. The Texas Masons For Truth website is reporting on an unsuccessful attempt by current Grand Master G. Clay Smith and Deputy GM H. Bart Henderson to remove Grand Secretary Justin Duty from office prior to their annual meeting.
During the weekend of the Texas Grand Chapter and Grand Council annual gatherings, a closed-door meeting of the Grand Lodge Trustees was called ...

Anti-Masonic Vandalism: Freemasons' Hall in Belfast, Northern Ireland Damaged

by Christopher Hodapp

Historic Freemasons Hall in Belfast, Northern Ireland was damaged last Tuesday when one or more unknown vandals smashed a window and damaged the building's exterior.
From a story in the Belfast Telegraph by Niamh Campbell:

It was reported that a window above a door at the property in Arthur Square was smashed sometime between 8.45pm on Monday evening and 11am on Tuesday morning.

A male was observed acting suspiciously in the area at around 10pm on Monday evening, and officers s...