Christopher L. Hodapp's Blog, page 50
March 18, 2020
COVID: Appendant Bodies Resist; California Shuttered
On Wednesday, the Grand Lodge of California issued its own official notice suspending all Masonic activity in the state, joining almost forty others so far. As the nation shuts down for the coronavirus pandemic, it's already becoming unusual for grand masters NOT to respond at this point.
Unlike most other jurisdictions, California's notice (above) places no time frame on the suspension of meetings, events and other gatherings - it is open-ended, until further notice.
While I've not been...
March 17, 2020
COVID: UGLE Suspends For Four Months
The Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England, HRH the Duke of Kent, has just ordered all Masonic lodge and Chapter meetings in England and Wales suspended for four months, effective immediately.
The Grand Master's suspension order is based on England's health officials' recommendations.
While the U.K. has a worse outbreak of the COVID virus than the U.S. currently, Americans should probably be aware that this length of time for suspension of activities could well be in our future...
March 16, 2020
"Masonry Never Stops"
COVID closures are coming in thick and fast now across the U.S., and the latest recommendation from the CDC about cancelling large gatherings for eight weeks will only make things more immediate now. Many states are now requiring restaurants to close down, as well.
The Grand Lodge of Washington D.C. sent out their message on Monday shutting down all Masonic activity in that jurisdiction, and it's similar wording other GLs have issued. But what is notable about their message from their...
March 15, 2020
Traveling Without Moving: Masonic Improvement During the COVID Panic
The almost overnight shuttering of nearly all Masonic activity across the U.S. and around the world in response to the COVID 19 virus panic will immediately turn a vast number of Masons into Third-Stage Guild Navigators now. We're now stuck with cruising the Internet or something else for at least the next six weeks as this plays out, because we sure as hell aren't going to clean out the garage in March.
In the science fiction universe created by Frank Herbert for his Dune...
March 14, 2020
Rising Farmer Suicides: Are These Your Brethren?
Are you a member of a rural American Masonic lodge? A recent in-depth USA TODAY report has highlighted an alarming topic that may unexpectedly touch some us directly in our lodges, even if you're not aware of it.
Nationally, suicide rates among men are already higher than they've been in thirty years, especially among the middle class. But the farmer suicide rate is even higher. Between 2014 and 2018, more than 450 farmers killed themselves across nine Midwestern states alone,...
UPDATE: Kansas Downsizes and Moves Annual Meeting
UPDATE: AS OF FRIDAY MARCH 20TH, 2020, THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED ENTIRELY.
The Grand Lodge of Kansas is supposed to hold its annual communication next weekend, which comes at this historically awkward moment in time. Like Masonic meetings of all kinds everywhere, they are running smack dab into the Wuhan Coronavirus Panic of 2020 (which feels like the Burning Hair Festival more and more as each day passes). Every day, state governors, health officials, federal agencies and local...
The Grand Lodge of Kansas is supposed to hold its annual communication next weekend, which comes at this historically awkward moment in time. Like Masonic meetings of all kinds everywhere, they are running smack dab into the Wuhan Coronavirus Panic of 2020 (which feels like the Burning Hair Festival more and more as each day passes). Every day, state governors, health officials, federal agencies and local...
When COVID and Masons Collide: Kansas Downsizes and Moves Annual Meeting
The Grand Lodge of Kansas is supposed to hold its annual communication next weekend, which comes at this historically awkward moment in time. Like Masonic meetings of all kinds everywhere, they are running smack dab into the Wuhan Coronavirus Panic of 2020 (which feels like the Burning Hair Festival more and more as each day passes). Every day, state governors, health officials, federal agencies and local bureaucrats are announcing their latest reaction, overreaction, and exploding head...
Interview: 'Meet, Act and Part' with Roger S. VanGorden
My friend, Brother, and longtime Masonic mentor, Roger S. VanGorden, was interviewed last week by Bill Hosler, Darin Lahners, and Greg Knott on the Meet, Act and Part podcast about the Masonic Renewal Committee and the Be A Freemason public awareness campaign.
If you aren't familiar with Roger, you really should be. He's a Past Grand Master of Indiana, the founding President of the Masonic Society, and he's been a tireless champion for the fraternity for over four decades now. His...
March 13, 2020
Coronavirus Warnings and Cancellations Shutting Down Masonic Meetings Around the World
As you sit trembling in your bunker while awaiting the black market price of toilet paper to go sky high so you can cash in on those pallets of Charmin you snagged from Sam's Club, you might want to know what various grand lodges have decided to do for the next few weeks about Coronavirus warnings.
Every state in the U.S. is being affected as governors and various state health agencies issue their own recommendations or bans on large meetings, so obviously those, in turn, influence what...
March 9, 2020
Masonic Temple Plagued By Bogus Used Clothing Donation Bins
David Traves, president of the Etobicoke Masonic Temple(Photo by Mike Smee/CBC)Here's a scam you don't encounter every day. According to a story today from the Canadian Broadcasting Company website, the city of Etobicoke in Toronto, Canada is being plagued by, of all things, phony used clothing donation boxes. Over the last year and a half, the Etobicoke Masonic Temple has removed a half-dozen of these illegal donation bins. But more than once, another one reappears the very same...
