First Metropolitan Grand Master of London Announced

At the September Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge, the Pro Grand Master announced that if Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter approve the proposals for London in March and May 2003 respectively, the Grand Master intends to appoint RW Bro the Rt Hon Lord Millett, PJGW, to be the first Metropolitan Grand Master and Grand Superintendent for London and RW Bro Rex Thorne OBE, PJGW, to be Past Metropolitan Grand Master and Past Metropolitan Grand Superintendent.
    Lord Millett in turn, has chosen VW Bro Russell Race, PGSwdB, GStwd, Deputy Provincial Grand master for East Kent, as his intended Deputy Metropolitan Grand Master and Deputy Metropolitan Grand Superintendent.
    The proposed new rank structure will be similar for Craft and Royal Arch, retaining London Rank, and London and Senior London Grand Rank, and introduce a new level for Past Masters – Junior London Grand Rank which will also be used to reward and encourage those deserving of early recognition.
    The active officers for Metropolitan Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter will all be holders of Senior London, London, or Junior London Grand Rank. Uniquely, this will mean that there will be no past ranks since at the end of the year of office a brother will rank as a holder of the appropriate London rank. However, in acknowledgement of his service he would wear a special collar jewel which will be the same for all ranks.
    Adjustments can still be made to all proposals and the consultation process, a vital part of the process of change, is continuing.

New Provincial Grand Master for Somerset

In April, the Assistant Grand Master, David Williamson, at a special meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge held in The Winter Gardens, Weston-super-Mare, installed David Jenkins as the new Provincial Grand Master for Somerset. He is the 16th Provincial Grand Master since the first was appointed in 1768.
    David Williamson paid tribute to David Jenkins’ past service to the Province and the Grand Charity of which he is Vice-President. He ended by hoping that he would serve as the Provincial Grand Master for many years.
    David Jenkins, in his first speech as Provincial Grand Master, began by thanking those who helped run the Province: including the Provincial Grand Secretary, the Editor of the Provincial magazine Compass, the Widows Association, the Provincial Internet page, the Festival which is well on target with £612,000 banked already, and the Choir of St. Cecilia Lodge, No. 9341, which always sings at Provincial events. The Lodge Secretary being also the Provincial Grand Organist.
    He then spoke about the Craft: he asked all to remember that, "as Freemasons we have been taught in our Lodges to be happy and communicate happiness, to drop a tear of sympathy over the failings of others, and to demonstrate to the world that we always act with courtesy, consideration, and with benevolence and charity. We cannot possibly meet these objectives and pass the test if we closet everything up. History has taught us that lesson and given us a sharp reminder to adjust to the requirements and needs of the 21st century. There can be no argument that we must, for the welfare of the Craft, adapt, adopt and improve."
    "Where there are difficulties I hope understanding and debate will produce the right result, where there is hurt, I hope reconciliation will be the aim. Where there is love, then everything is possible, and nothing impossible. Please don’t let your hearts be so narrow that they shut out all that is unpalatable and just restrict entry to those things which are acceptable. A wide open heart is best placed to accept every challenge and opportunity." MASONIC BIOGRAPHY
David Lloyd Jenkins
1979 Initiated, Taunton School Lodge, No.8215, aged 39.
1981 Joined, Lodge of Unanimity and Sincerity, No.261, Taunton.
1983 Secretary, Somerset Masonic Golfing Society.
1984 Exalted, Old Tauntonian Chapter, No.5735.
1987 Founder Member, Somerset Fairway Lodge, No.9251.
1987 Founder Member, Taunton Deane Chapter, No.5221.
1989 Master, Taunton School Lodge, No.8215.
1989 Master, Somerset Fairway Lodge, No.9251.
1989 Joined, Old Tauntonian Lodge, No.5735.
1990 Joined, Somerset Masters’ Lodge, No.3746.
1991 First Principal, Old Tauntonian Chapter, No.5735.
1992 Master, Lodge of Unanimity and Sincerity, No.261.
1994 Provincial Grand Almoner.
1996 Master, Old Tauntonian Lodge, No.5735.
1996 Council, The Grand Charity.
1997 Junior Grand Deacon.
1997 First Principal, Taunton Deane Chapter, No.5221.
1998 Assistant Provincial Grand Master.
2000 Vice-President, The Grand Charity.
2002 Master, Somerset Masters’ Lodge, No.3746.
2002 Provincial Grand Master – Somerset.
Other orders:
Ancient and Accepted rite: Wedmore Chapter No.912.
Sedgemoor Chapter No.966.
Knights Templar: King Ina Preceptory No.211.
Knight Templar Priests: King Ina Tabernacle No.4.
Royal Order of Scotland: South Western Counties.



Cornwall Masonic Festival Raises Over £2.8 Million

The culmination of ten years fund-raising by Cornish Freemasons came with the news at the Royal Cornwall Showgrounds in July that £2,831,730.51 had been presented to the Royal Masonic Benevolent Insitution to mark the 250th anniversary of the Province and its Festival year. This announcement was made to the Provincial Grand Master, Nicholas Barrington and over 900 Freemasons and guests by Peter Gray, the Chief Executive of the RMBI, at a special dinner at Wadebridge. He brought congratulations and gratitude for the "tireless work and generosity in this tremendous achievement". The total included a gift from Her Majesty The Queen.
    The Marquess of Northampton, the principal guest at the dinner, who attended with the Marchioness, described it as "an historic occasion". He thanked the Cornish members and committee who had worked to make it such a success towards the support of older Freemasons and their dependants. He also stressed the value of gifts to local charities by the lodges and Cornwall’s Provincial links with Truro Cathedral down the years. He pointed out that nationally over £100 million had been given over the past five years to such worthy causes as cancer research and the hospices. The amphasis on the principle of charity and the moves towards more openness and awareness in its public approach had been of great value. The movement today was in "great heart" and was as relevant as it had ever been.
    A week earlier 800 Cornish Freemasons and their families had attended a thanksgiving service in Truro Cathedral to mark the 250th anniversary of the masonic Province. The service was led by the Dean, Michael Moxon, who accepted from the Provincial Grand Master, the gift of a new altar for the St. Margaret’s Chapel together with a commemorative boss to be fixed to the roof of St Mary’s Aisle. The Dean said that the intention of the architect of the Cathedral was to bring people to their knees in awe and wonder. He spoke also of the medieval years where masons and patrons in the cathedrals of Western Europe worked together in a spirit of cooperation.

Northamptonshire Festival Raises £2,002,622 in 2002

In June, at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, over 1000 Northamptonshire and Huntingdonshire Freemasons, together with their wives and friends, celebrated the culmination of six years special fund-raising for the Grand Charity by the eighty-four lodges in the Province with a Festival Banquet. During the evening a cheque representing the amount raised by all Brethren in the Province over the last six years, was presented by the Provincial Grand Master, Nicholas Hart, to Raymond Lye, President of the Grand Charity. The Guest of Honour at the event was the Pro Grand Master, the Marquess of Northampton who attended with his wife. Lord Northampton had first been initiated in the Province, into Ceres Lodge, No.6977. Also present were the Provincial Grand Masters from many regions and the Mayor of Solihull.
    The Provincial Grand Master, in his speech, particularly thanked the Lodge Charity Stewards who worked so very hard to ensure that all the lodges reached their targets. He added his thanks too, to "the other Orders that work in the Province…I am so grateful to the Heads of all those Orders, and their members, for their wonderful support. After all, through their membership of the other Orders, these Brethren will have contributed towards our Festival several times over."
    He added, in a personal note, "I have also been overwhelmed by the generosity of so many of the Provinces in England and Wales, the nearest of whom are represented here this evening, and from some of the Districts Grand Lodges Overseas."