Christopher L. Hodapp's Blog, page 55

Meet Alec from Shriners Hospitals

This being "Giving Tuesday" today, here is the perfect story to highlight.
Last Sunday, the CBS program Sunday Morning did a special and lengthy profile of Shriners Hospitals' TV spokes-kid, 17-year old Alec Cabacungan. It seems like most Americans recognize Alec from the last five years' worth of commercials he's appeared in, which is no mean feat in the fractured media age in which we find ourselves. Onscreen, he's outgoing, personable, totally genuine, and absolutely memorable. 

The...

Cornerstone Stolen from Phoenix, Arizona Lodge

Have you seen this cornerstone? Because it's missing.
It seems that exterior displays of the square and compasses within reachable height are occasionally attractive to the destructive-minded miscreant. 

For reasons known only to himself, a thief bashed out and made off with the 1963 cornerstone of Paradise Valley Lodge No. 61 in Phoenix, Arizona earlier this month. 

That temple is now the home of the combined Paradise Valley Silver Trowel No. 29. 

An unidentified white...

'Masonic Gold' — A New History of California Freemasonry

The Grand Lodge of California has just released a brand new coffee table-sized book of its history just in time for the holidays, Masonic Gold chronicles the history and development of twenty Masonic lodges in California’s Mother Lode country, spanning more than a century and a half from the Gold Rush through the 21st century. 
It's been written and created by Grand Master John E. Trauner, who is a member of Madison Lodge No. 23, in the heart of Gold Rush country.


From the California...

Kamel Oussayef's Book 'Saint Edoüard' Brings 1748 Paris Lodge To Life

In previous posts, I have mentioned two unique books translated by Illustrious Brother Kamel Oussayef from French into beautiful English language editions for the Scottish Rite Northern Masonic Jurisdiction: The Book of Wisdom (2013) and The Spirit of Freemasonry (2017). Both were originally written in the early 1800s by Jean Frédérique Doszedardski, a Polish member of French lodges in Paris, and eventually, New Orleans. They are filled with early descriptions of hauts grades...

GL of New York Issues Statement About New Rochelle Campus Purchase

On Monday, a New York bankruptcy court approved the $32 million bid by the Grand Lodge of New York's Trustees for the purchase of the former 15.6 acre campus of the College of New Rochelle. In the wake of that official acceptance by the court, New York's Grand Master William M. Sardone has issued a statement to their membership concerning the purchase.

According to his message (above - click to enlarge), the Trustees have been searching for some time for a suitable site closer to the...

Masons and 'Jeopardy!'

I'm not sure if it's a plus or minus that Freemasons are the subject of a trivia game recently. Somebody who works on the American TV gameshow Jeopardy! seems to have taken an interest in the Masons. 
Last December, a $2000 Double Jeopardy clue was "It's not a secret - one of two branches of advanced Freemasonry; both have British names." The ultimate champion of that night, Jackie Fuchs, successfully answered "What is the Scottish Rite"? 

Then last night, a question was featured that...

'National Treasure 3' Rumored: Here We Go Again

The film National Treasure was released 15 years ago this week, and it quickly became the surprise monster box office hit of 2004. So it wouldn't be a proper November without yet another rumor of there finally being a new National Treasure 3  sequel in the works. After the even more successful sequel National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets premiered in 2007, NT3 has been announced in 2010, 2013, 2015, and at least brought up publicly by somebody from the original cast or production team...

Illinois Lodge of Research Announces Speakers Bureau

Freemasons in Illinois have a new statewide educational resource and opportunity. The Illinois Lodge of Research has announced the official creation of a Speakers Bureau. According to their November 16th announcement, some sixty Brethren have expressed interest in traveling around the state to give presentations on Masonic topics in three categories: Symbolism & Esoterica; Historical; and Ritual & Literature. It's an impressive lineup, and you'll find several regulars from the ...

New York Masons Buy 15 Acre College Campus

The Grand Lodge F&AM of New York's Trustees of the Masonic Hall and Asylum Fund are the proud new owners of the 15.6 acre campus of the now former College of New Rochelle. The Catholic college was forced to close last year and liquidate its property after declaring bankruptcy with more than $80 million in debts and unpaid taxes.

According to press reports over the weekend, the Masonic Trustees' $32 million bid beat out two others for the property after eight rounds of bidding over two days...

Universal League of Freemasons: How Masons and Esperanto Were Going to Save the World

The journal Ritual, Secrecy and Civil Society Volume 6/S pring 2019  included a fascinating paper by Denis LeFabvre about a group of starry-eyed Masons who created the 'Universal League of Freemasons' - a global association of lodges that began in 1905 to help affect the spread of Esperanto,  a newly-created, neutral and purportedly "universal" language. But their ultimate dreams were much greater than that. They hoped that a universal language combined with a universal...