New Provincial Grand Master for Hertfordshire

The new Provincial Grand Master for Hertfordshire, Colin Harris was installed in the Grand Temple of Freemasons’ Hall, London on Wednesday 24 September by the Pro Grand Master, Lord Northampton.
    The formality of installing the new Provincial Grand Master was carried out before nine hundred and fifty Brethren.
    In his inaugural address Colin Harris spoke of the expectations that he and all newly-appointed Brethren would do more and better in the future. ‘The contributions that we all make,’ he said, ‘will be a test of whether we deserve the ranks we have been given. If we pledge ourselves to work as effectively as we can for our masonic association, then this our Province of Happy Hertfordshire can with confidence continue to look the 21st century in the face. It is,’ he continued, ‘only by being happy about our membership of the Craft and communicating that happiness to others that we prove to the world the beneficial effects of our ancient and honourable institution.’
    Afterwards, some six hundred and twenty Brethren sat down to enjoy the celebration banquet in the Grand Hall of the Connaught Rooms.

        MASONIC BIOGRAPHY
         Colin Harris
         1971 Initiated in Old Albanian Lodge No 4999
         1973 Exalted into the Royal Arch
         1987 Advanced in Mark Masonry
         1990 Joined Hertfordshire Masters’ Lodge
              Provincial Grand Registrar
         1992 Provincial Dep Grand Director of Ceremonies
              Past Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies
         1993 Elevated into Royal Ark Mariners
         1996 Provincial Grand Director of Ceremonies
         1999 Assistant Provincial Grand Master
         2000 Senior Grand Deacon
              Provincial Grand Senior Warden (Mark)
         2001 Master Hertfordshire Masters’ Lodge
         2002 Commander Royal Ark Mariners
         2003 Past Asst Grand Director of Ceremonies (Mark)


United States Mass Initiations

In issue 25, Freemasonry Today reported on the disturbing tendency in the United States for state Grand Lodges to hold what are called Grand Master One-Day Classes, in which several hundred, and in some cases thousands, of men are initiated, passed and raised all in the same day, with one candidate acting as an exemplar and the rest deemed to have had the degrees conferred on them by proxy. Some candidates did not know to which lodge they belonged.
    Freemasonry Today has had a variety of responses. The vast majority were from Brethren, on both sides of the Atlantic, sharing the negative view of the practice put forward, with only two dissenting. One was from a Brother in the United States who broadly shared the view expressed, but did not agree with the detail in the article.
    The other was a response from a very senior mason in New York, who said that the story was unsubstantiated and untruthful, and while he questioned the integrity of the writer, he failed to address the central question of whether this practice is acceptable at all. Accordingly he was asked, if the Grand Lodge of New York had held mass initiations, to show where was the mistake in the report, and reiterating that this practice, from the perspective of this magazine, appeared contrary to the ethos of Freemasonry.
    In his reply, he questioned our account of what had actually happened at the New York event, held on 29 March 2003. He said that ‘the vast majority of the candidates did know what lodge they were joining’. He said that he ‘understood the article, some of which I do agree with’. Freemasonry Today replied pointing out that New York Brethren themselves had been quoted. How many of his Brethren felt the same as those who had been spoken to in New York? Even one candidate not to know which lodge he joined appeared unacceptable. He was asked to express his views about mass initiations vis-à-vis the personal nature of the masonic journey.
    Freemasonry Today looks forward with great interest to his reply. Other Brethren, from any country or masonic jurisdiction, are invited to communicate their views to Freemasonry Today.
    This is an issue which is not going to easily disappear and which, if not addressed honestly, may prove divisive thus removing the apparent short-term benefits to those Grand Lodges which hold such mass classes.

Staffordshire New Provincial Grand Master

The Installation of the recently appointed Provincial Grand Master for Staffordshire, Tom Lloyd, was conducted by the Pro Grand Master Lord Northampton, on Wednesday, 14 May 2003. The ceremony took place prior to the Annual Meeting of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Staffordshire, at the County Showground, Stafford. Over 1,000 Staffordshire Freemasons and those from other Masonic Provinces attended the Installation.
    In his inaugural address the new Provincial Grand Master spoke of his intention to make greater use of Grand Lodge Officers by appointing them as Visiting Officers to specified Lodges. He impressed upon Lodges the need to maintain their own high standards and principles when recruiting, by visiting potential candidates and ensuring that they were worthy individuals to join the Craft. The work, teachings, behaviour and courtesies in the Lodge Room combined to establish our standards. Nevertheless, we should try and make our masonry a little more user friendly. He is also forming a Strategy Committee, which will consider long term planning. The brief of this Committee will include the economic use and maintenance of the 23 Masonic Halls across the Province.

        MASONIC BIOGRAPHY
         Thomas Derek Christopher Lloyd
         Past Master Old Eversley Lodge No 5259
         Past Master Foster Gough Lodge No 2706
         Past First Principal St James’ Chapter No 482
         Member Staffs First Principal’s Chapter No. 2706
         Past Provincial Grand Scribe N
         Past Eminent Preceptor Godefroi de Bouillon No 42 (Knights Templar)
         Past Senior Grand Deacon (United Grand Lodge of England)


Changes Proposed in Royal Arch

At the Supreme Grand Chapter meeting on Wednesday 12 November the Pro First Grand Principal, Lord Northampton, questioned whether the description of the Royal Arch as the completion of the third degree was correct. He pointed out that membership of the Royal Arch in England was about 100,000 which, if that description were correct, meant that approximately two-thirds of all Masons had not completed their third degree. He also remarked that active participation was far less than the membership figure. At a time when other Orders in masonry were flourishing, this suggested that the Order was no longer meeting the needs of its members. Changes had been proposed to the ceremony of exaltation, but these were very few - the description of the Royal Arch as a completion of the third degree would be removed and the Order would thus be given its own independent status. It was important, he said, that we correct now something which had been logically wrong for nearly two hundred years. The Symbolical and Mystical Lectures had been very substantially re-written, and were now considerably shorter and clearer. In the Mystical Lecture in particular, care has been taken to retain some of the original text. The revised versions would still give the candidates plenty to think about, but they would be discretionary within each chapter. A Notice of Motion would be brought forward at the Supreme Grand Chapter in April 2004, and the substantive motion would be debated a year from now.

New Deputy Grand Master

It has been announced that Peter Lowndes, well known to many Freemasons as Grand Director of Ceremonies, has been appointed Deputy Grand Master in succession to Iain Ross Bryce. Peter Lowndes will be invested at Grand Lodge in March 2004.
    He was initiated in 1972 and is a member of seven Craft lodges. He was Deputy Grand Director of Ceremonies from 1984 - 1986, Grand Director of Ceremonies from 1995 - 2003 and was appointed Past Junior Grand Warden in 2000. He is also a high-ranking member of the Royal Arch, Mark Master Masons, Royal Ark Mariner and Rose Croix.
    In his new job as Deputy Grand Master, Peter Lowndes will be required to deputise for the Grand Master and the Pro Grand Master. As such, he will doubtless preside at the installation of some Provincial and District Grand Masters, to attend Charity Festivals around the Provinces and other important landmarks such as bicentenaries of lodges. He will also be called on to take charge of other matters that need dealing with at a high level.

The Northern Conference of the Cornerstone Society

Light is of course important in Freemasonry. Yet nowhere was mention of light more appropriate than at the Northern Conference at Sheffield in November. Fabio Venzi spoke of one of the most beautiful images given to us by Neoplatonism, the ‘openness to contemplation’. This he said was diametrically opposed to scientific discipline. Contemplation was to be seen as a sinking into the unfolding of nature, a model for the experience of being. Marsilio Ficino, whose pupil Pico della Mirandola was, stated with great emphasis that the main purpose of human life was contemplation, a spiritual experience. This experience starts with a detachment of our mind from the outside world (as with blindfolding at initiation), proceeds through various degrees of knowledge, and finally culminates in the immediate vision and enjoyment of God. But in the end, for Pico and his followers, Man’s happiness does not come from the possession of truth, but rather from the pursuit of truth. It is in this extreme display of free will that one’s spiritual power is demonstrated.
    John Wade, delivering a lecture by Andrew Prescott, delved into three centuries of British Freemasonry. In England, Freemasonry had always adhered to the principle that it did not exclude anyone of any religion. Isaac Newton was a friend of William Stukeley and Desaguliers and all three influenced the early development of English Freemasonry in opposition to William Anderson, author of the famous Constitutions, who criticised those who saw God as no more than simply a clockmaker or architect. William Preston, in his Illustrations of Masonry, held that the roots of Freemasonry lay in the contemplation of the symmetrical beauties of nature which revealed the hand of a divine creator. But it was a now forgotten Freemason cleric, Sir Robert Dunnico, who in 1935 dubbed Freemasonry ‘a sacred heritage’, who set the seal on English Freemasonry as a sacred pursuit when he said ‘Brotherhood to us is no mere sentiment . . . but an eternal law embedded in the very fabric of the Universe, which the world must obey or perish’.
    Philip Davies asserted that we may never know for certain whether Solomon’s Temple actually existed, but thanks to work done in the last 35 years we can get close. There certainly was a temple during the period of the Kings of Judah, and the later temple constructed by Herod has left many valuable clues. We learned that the Tabernacle was divided into a court and the Tabernacle itself. In this ‘house of God’ there was a small structure called the Sanctuary, containing the ark of the covenant. There was certainly a temple in Solomon’s time, but Solomon probably did not build it - physically at least - because he probably did not exist. If we focus on the symbolism behind the temple legend, we may better understand what it is we are really being told.
    Kirk MacNulty, giving his all to what lies behind masonic symbolism, laid emphasis on the limitless nature of the Deity. He reminded us that the Neoplatonist understands the Deity to have projected itself into existence as nothing less than the entire universe, and quoted the Hermetica ‘...for God contains all things, and there is nothing that is not in God, and nothing which God is not’. Thus the universe, the macrocosm, and Man, the microcosom, are both created, formed and made ‘in the image of God’. This was fundamental to Renaissance thought. There was always a correspondence between activity in the ‘greater’ and ‘lesser’ worlds, and the relevance of this to the three masonic tracing boards was inescapable.
    Edward Patnick reminded us that cornerstones are laid at the north east corner of the building, a nice juxtaposition between the north (darkness) and the east (light). The north east, being midway, is thus also a point of equilibrium, symbolically the beginning of the spiritual superstructure, the erection of a spiritual temple in the initiate’s heart. It is not people alone that are the foundation or cornerstone of any organisation, but rather their aims and objects. The cornerstone or foundation stone is a constant reminder to practise brotherly love, relief and truth, and if that can be a true cornerstone in our lives, then our Masonic profession will not be in vain.

Gloucestershire Masons Annual Cathedral Service

The masonic Province of Gloucestershire and the Cathedral of Gloucester have enjoyed fraternal relations over a number of years. The annual service in 2003 was held on 22 June and was attended by some 950 persons including many Freemasons with their wives and families.
    On these occasions, the Provincial Grand Master, the Provincial Executive and Brethren all in full regalia enter the Cathedral from the cloisters in procession. They are followed by the Grand Superintendent and Royal Arch Masons of the Province. The Dean, the Very Reverend Nicholas Bury welcomed all in the congregation. One of the lessons was read by Peter Marsh, Provincial Grand Master. Neil Collings, the Third Grand Principal, gave an enlightening address.
    The collection taken during the service raised £850 which was donated to the Cathedral maintenance fund.
    At a tea break in the Chapter House afterwards, the Provincial Grand Master presented a cheque for £7,500 to the Dean. Of this amount, £2,500 which had been raised in the Province had been donated to assist in repairing the cloister windows that had been damaged by vandalism, and £5,000 was on behalf of the Grand Charity for restoration work in the Cathedral itself. This latter donation was made to mark the 250th anniversary of Freemasonry in Gloucestershire and the long and happy relationship between Freemasonry and the Cathedral.

Reunion of the Anglo Foreign Lodges Association

On Thursday 15 May 2003, 200 Brethren gathered in the Grand Temple at Freemasons’ Hall London to celebrate the bi-annual reunion, with Pilgrim Lodge No. 238 as the Banner Lodge.
    While the Lodge called off, Brethren attended a demonstration of the ceremony of passing in German by members of the lodge Die Freunde zur Eintracht (Friends in Concord) No. 203 from Mainz, within the Grossloge der Alten Freien und Angenommenen Maurer (Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons) United Grand Lodges of Germany, with Dr. J Dahm in the Chair.
    The Anglo Foreign Lodges Association was founded by six lodges including Loge La France, Pilgrim Lodge and America Lodge in March 1910. The current members are America No. 3368, Anglo-Dutch No. 5862, L’Entente Cordiale No. 2796, La France No. 2060, Hellenic No. 7270, Helvetica No. 4894, Italia No. 2687, and. Pilgrim No. 238.
    A re-union has been held at various times since 1910. Originally meeting annually, there were gaps during troubled times, and after its revival in 1964, it switched from annual meetings to bi-annual in 1970. The next re-union is planned for May 2005.
    Pilgrim Lodge is a regular English Lodge, belonging to the United Grand Lodge of England. It is not a German Lodge, but has worked in the German language ever since 1779 when it was founded.
    In 1852 the Lodge adopted the Schröder ritual. This beautiful ritual was compiled by Brother Schröder at the end of the 18th Century from the old English Ritual and from contemporary German ideas and philosophy, combining the best features of each. The Schröder Ritual is derived in part from the working used by the Antients Grand Lodge.

Federation of Police Lodges

There is a small number of lodges and chapters drawing their membership from serving, retired or former Police Officers and Support Staff and additionally a number of social groups whose membership is made up of ‘police Masons’. Because clashing dates are a perennial problem for serving members, intervisitation has been difficult. The Federation of Police Lodges was therefore formed to meet once a year, hosted by one of the member bodies, in order that Brethren from all over the country could meet together during the ‘closed season’. It was also decided that this would be an opportunity for the Brethren to be accompanied by their ladies, to join them at the Festive Board.
    The First Festival Meeting was hosted by Francis Burgess Lodge No. 9287, at Stechford Masonic Hall, Birmingham in the Province of Worcestershire on Saturday 21 June 2003. While the business meeting of the Federation was in session, the ladies paid a visit to the Jewellery Quarter Museum and the surrounding shops.
    Following the business meeting the Brethren gathered in the Temple for the Lodge meeting, which was presided over by David Hope, the Immediate Past Master. A second degree ceremony was conducted in which David Baker was passed to the degree of a Fellowcraft.
    This was followed by a white table Festive Board at which toasts and wine taking were kept to a minimum. Charlie Wass, the Secretary of the Federation, announced that the second Festival Meeting would be hosted by Sovereign’s Peace Lodge No. 8911 on Saturday 19 June 2004.
    Further information on the Federation of Police Lodges can be obtained from the Chairman, W. Bro. David Hope (0121 308 7746) or the Secretary Charlie Wass (01704 831294).

Berkshire Masons Supporting Sue Ryder Care

In July 2003 Robert Faulkner, the Grand Superintendent for Berkshire, hosted the conclusion of the Sue Ryder Appeal Festival Dinner. The evening marked the end of a major project undertaken by Royal Arch Freemasons of Berkshire which had been started in 1992 by Leslie Longbotham, then Grand Superintendent. A target of £25,000 was set. The goal was to commission two new care rooms at the home.
    The appeal was so successful that it raised £75,000. However after the appeal was closed, Sue Ryder Care asked if some of the £75,000 could be used to purchase a new ambulance, to replace their ageing vehicle. This was agreed.
    In view of this development it was decided to extend the appeal and in next to no time a new total of £96,000 was reached. Following the death of Leslie Longbotham it was decided to launch a final appeal for Sue Ryder Care in his memory. This appeal would be dedicated to the restoration of the Lay Light Window in the home. Sue Ryder Care agreed that the Royal Arch logo and the square and compass should be incorporated in the stained glass.

Hereford Cathedral Honours Freemasons

On 5 June 2003 the Grand Master, His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent, attended a private ceremony to view the completion of the restoration of the five Lady Chapel windows in Hereford Cathedral and their dedication. The round window was crafted by local stained glass specialist Jim Budd, and completes the restoration of the Lady Chapel’s five windows. The Dean of Hereford, the Very Reverend Michael Tavinor, acknowledged and gave fulsome tribute to the generosity shown by Freemasons to the Cathedral. ‘The west end of the Cathedral, completed in the early years of the 20th century, was achieved through the great support of Herefordshire Freemasons in that generation,’ he said. ‘We are delighted that this tradition is continuing today - now at the other end of the building.’ Repairing the glass, lead and metal frames cost £37,000 and has taken 18 months, with the first phase begun in the autumn of 2001 and the second phase in October 2002. The Dean is continuing the happy relationship between the Church of England and the Craft cemented by his predecessor, the Very Reverend Robert Willis. The Provincial Grand Master, Rodney Smallwood, invited the three highest contributors to the dedication - Eric Beasley, Brian Lambert and Peter Simkins.
    The Grand Master also opened the new Junior School classrooms and presented the Masonic Scholarship Medallion to Patrick Dunachie, who is sponsored by the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys.