Christopher L. Hodapp's Blog, page 33

Indiana University Establishes New Research Center for Fraternal Organizations

by Christopher Hodapp

Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana is now home to the newly established Center for Fraternal Collections & Research (CFCR), headed up by Dr. Heather Calloway. The CFCR will collect, preserve, and provide fraternal objects and ephemera for study and research in a permanent and accessible collection. 
During the "Golden Age of Fraternalism" from the end of the American Civil War until the Great Depression, over a thousand fraternal, ritual-based or "secret societies" fo...

Tennessee Joint Recognition Treaty Signing October 2nd

by Christopher Hodapp

Back in March, the assembled members of the Grand Lodge F&AM of Tennessee voted in favor of joint recognition with the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Tennessee. On Saturday, October 2nd, the Grand Masters of both jurisdictions — MW Charles W. Mixon of the GLofTN and  MW L. Lamont Banks — will sign an official treaty of joint recognition at a public ceremony.
The open event will be held at the downtown Nashville Masonic Temple at 100 7th Avenue, beginning at 2PM.
Th...

Templar Eye Foundation Offers Historic 19th Century 'Knight Templar Monitor' Reprint

by Christopher Hodapp

In the late 1880s, Sir Knight George Cooper Connor of Tennessee made a florid, handwritten transcript of the rituals of the Masonic Knights Templar Orders of the Red Cross, Malta and the Temple for use in the Grand Commandery of Tennessee. His manuscript later became a basis for the development of the adopted Templar Orders we know today. Now researchers and students of the evolution of Masonic-related rituals have a beautiful new historical reprint to pore over, thanks to t...

Knightly News from 2021 Grand Encampment Triennial

NOTE - My apologies for the delay of this post. I've been experiencing tech issues off and on for several weeks and this one somehow got caught in a queue that said it was published when it really wasn't.
by Christopher Hodapp

The 68th Triennial Conclave of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar is wrapping up in Minneapolis this evening. The following Sir Knights have been elected to serve the Grand Encampment for the 69th Triennium: Most Eminent Grand Master: Michael Burke Johnson Right Eminent...

Masks on! Masks off! Masks on! Masks off!

by Christopher Hodapp

Regardless of what your personal opinion may be concerning news about the resurgence of COVID infections and the controversies swirling around masks, lockdowns and vaccines, one thing is certain: if you're a Grand Master, anything you say or do (or choose to NOT do) concerning these topics will result in hellfire and brimstone raining down on your head from your membership. 
No matter what you say or do, there will be a great gnashing of teeth. (And fortunately, thanks to fed...

Masonic Book Club Will Publish Samuel Pritchard's 1730 'Masonry Dissected'

by Christopher Hodapp

The newly resurrected Masonic Book Club (MBC) has announced its upcoming second volume: a new edition of Samuel Pritchard's 1730 Masonic exposure, Masonry Dissected , featuring commentary by the late Harry Carr, and revised and updated by Arturo De Hoyos and S. Brent Morris. The pre-order window for Masonry Dissected will be announced in late Fall 2021 or early Winter 2022.
Pritchard's book included the first known publication of the details of the Master Mason degree, which h...

Grand Master of Florida Condemns Cuban Human Rights Violations

by Christopher Hodapp

On July 19th, MW Jeffrey S. Foster, the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Florida F&AM, issued a letter condemning human rights violations in Cuba, and encouraging all other grand lodges to do the same. (Click the image below to enlarge.)

This comes in the wake of two weeks of anti-government demonstrations against Cuban president Miguel Diaz-Canel and crackdowns by authorities.
The Grand Lodge of Florida is in amity with the Gran Logia de Cuba.

North Carolina Masonic Foundation Seeks New Development Officer

by Christopher Hodapp

The North Carolina Masonic Foundation is hiring a new chief development officer. Established in 1929, the Foundation helps fund operations at the Grand lodge of North Carolina's Masonic Home for Children at Oxford, and WhiteStone, a Masonic and Eastern Star retirement community in Greensboro. The NCMF also financially assists the Charles Edward Cathey Scholarship Fund, the Masonic Historic Preservation Fund, numerous lodge-sponsored scholarship funds, and more.
The Foundation...

Arson Fire in Hempstead, New York Damages Prince Hall Lodge

by Christopher Hodapp

Nassau County police in Hempstead, New York are seeking information about a “person of interest” after an arson fire at the local Prince Hall Masonic hall on July 15th. The fire was set at the front door of Hempstead's Doric Lodge 53, causing an unspecified amount of damage.

According to a story on Patch.com, police say the call for the fire came in at 4:10 a.m. at 95 Westbury Blvd. in Hempstead. The local fire department responded quickly to the scene and got the blaze und...

Grand Lodge of Cuba Issues Statement on Protests

by Christopher Hodapp
Anti-government demonstrations have rocked Cuba all week as that nation's economy continues to collapse. Thousands of Cubans have filled the streets protesting the nation's Communist leadership over the economy, food and medicine shortages, price hikes, and the government's handling of the pandemic. 
Protests began on Sunday in the city of San Antonio de los Baños, southwest of Havana, but have quickly spread across the country. Observers say these are Cuba's worst anti-gover...