Christopher L. Hodapp's Blog, page 16

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...

Grand Priory of America (CBCS) Tries To Halt Texas Educational Lecture

by Christopher Hodapp

WB Roberto Sanchez is an extremely energetic and dedicated Texas Freemason, and has been for more than two decades. He served as Master of Gray Lodge 329 in Houston back in 2006, and was part of a group determined to provide a high-quality lodge experience to their members. Since then, he’s gained an international reputation as a popular speaker, and served as an officer in several appendant organizations. If you regularly attend Masonic Week outside of Washington DC, you mi...

Arizona Anti-Mason Posts Videos of Degree Rituals Taken Surreptitiously

by Christopher Hodapp

Following the statement last week from the Vatican reaffirming the Church's longstanding prohibition of Masonic membership for Catholics, the usual platoon of online anti-Masonic wing-nuts came tumbling out onto the Intertubz to post and re-post all the usual anti-Masonic tropes and conspiracy allegations. Most are easy to ignore, or simply dispense with by citing factual information, if anyone wants to bother wasting that much time and breath. (I've got a whole book dedicat...

November 25: Tri-State Degree Exemplification in Dayton, Ohio

by Christopher Hodapp

This coming Saturday, November 25th, all Master Masons are invited to join the Grand Lodge Officers of Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana for the annual Tri-State Degree Exemplification at the magnificent Dayton Masonic Center . The Grand Lodge of Michigan will present the Entered Apprentice; Ohio the Fellow Craft; and Indiana the Master Mason degrees, using each jurisdictions' degree rituals (and yes, there are differences).
Work begins at 1:00PM Eastern Time, and tickets are no...

UPDATE: VENUE CHANGE FOR CONNECTICUT EVENT NOVEMBER 29th!

by Christopher Hodapp

UPDATE: THE VENUE FOR MY CONNECTICUT SPEAKING EVENT HAS BEEN CHANGED!

I'll be speaking next Wednesday, November 29th at the Grand Lodge of Connecticut's 5th District Blue Lodge Council . When I originally posted this event, I had thought it was to be at Unity Lodge No. 148 in New Britain. However, the venue has changed. It will be Wednesday evening at the East Street Eatery at Farmingbury Hills Golf Club, located at 141 East Street, Wolcott, Connecticut. 
The event will be hos...

Speaking in New Britain, CT November 29th

by Christopher Hodapp

[UPDATE: Yes, I corrected my misspelling of New Briton to New Britain.]

The week after Thanksgiving I'll be speaking at the Grand Lodge of Connecticut's 5th District Blue Lodge Council meeting at the hall of Unity Lodge 148 in New Britain, Connecticut. The lodge is located at 10 Mason Drive in New Britain. Dinner will begin at 6:30PM, and the meeting and program will follow at 7:30PM.
It's been quite a few years since I've been in Connecticut, and I'm truly looking forward to ...

Speaking in New Briton, CT November 29th

by Christopher Hodapp

The week after Thanksgiving I'll be speaking at the Grand Lodge of Connecticut's 5th District Blue Lodge Council meeting at the hall of Unity Lodge 148 in New Briton, Connecticut. The lodge is located at 10 Mason Drive in New Briton. Dinner will begin at 6:30PM, and the meeting and program will follow at 7:30PM.
It's been quite a few years since I've been in Connecticut, and I'm truly looking forward to being there. I've actually had the pleasure of speaking at Unity Lodge tw...

Vatican Reaffirms Ban On Masonic Membership: Catholic Masons Shrug

by Christopher Hodapp

The Roman Catholic Church has officially issued a doctrinal letter this week re-affirming its longstanding ban on Masonic membership among its global flock, but Catholic Masons pretty much remain unmoved by the restriction.
In the letter released by the Vatican's Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) dated November 13th and signed by Pope Francis and DDF Prefect Cardinal Victor Fernández, it is stated that "Active membership in Freemasonry by a member of the faithful i...

'Dinner With A Civil War Soldier' in Gettysburg Next Sunday

by Christopher Hodapp

If you are anywhere near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania next weekend, consider attending historic  Good amaritan Lodge 336 on Sunday night for their 2nd annual Dinner With A Civil War Soldier . The lodge is located at 7 Lincoln Square (right on the town square downtown).
Photo from my visit in November 2010. 

From their announcement:

Good Samaritan Lodge 336 will host its second annual Civil War Dinner on Sunday, November 19 at the Lodge on the Square. Presentations from our Civil War ...