New Grand Master Installed in Denmark

More than 700 Freemasons from Denmark and abroad gathered in Copenhagen to witness the inauguration of the new Grand Master, Hans Martin Jepsen, in the Danish Order of Freemasons, Grand Lodge of Denmark,
    ‘Light and darkness are symbols of two great forces – good fortune and evil – to which we are all subject’ the new Grand Master said. ‘As the Grand Master of the Danish Order of Freemasons I felt most humble when lighting the candle which is to enlighten our work. The light is a symbol of the eternal truth. I promise that I shall defend and protect that light in order that it may shine bright and steady on every evening in the lodge, and my sincere hope is that it may become a reflection of the love by which we shall perform our work as well as of the friendship that unites us in the chain of Brethren’ More than ever, he said, there was a need to find a sanctuary where old virtues and traditions could be upheld, a sanctuary where values of life are more than just material needs, a sanctuary we find in the Order of Freemasons.
    The Grand Chancellor, Jens Lassen, expressed the thanks of the Order and a warm welcome to the many guests from abroad. ‘Your presence is a confirmation of the friendship and co-operation between the lodges of our countries’. The Grand Master of Iceland, Sigurdur Örn Einarsson, spoke on behalf of the foreign guests. ‘You have taken upon you a great office which places a great responsibility on you, but in which you will receive the respect, the confidence and the fidelity of all the Brethren.
    Also present were the Pro Grand Master of England, Lord Northampton, the Grand Master of Sweden, Anders Fahlman, the Grand Master of Norway, Magne Nygaard, the Grand Master of Finland, Arto Uusitalo and many others.

Robert Cooper International Lecture Tour

When Bob Cooper, Curator of the Grand Lodge of Scotland Museum and Library in Edinburgh, was asked if he would undertake a round the world tour, all expenses paid, he answered ‘yes’ without a great deal of thought. The catch was, three lectures a week, a lot of travel, and a book to be written at the end.
    The Australian and New Zealand Masonic Research Council (ANZMRC) undertook this bold project, driven mostly by their Secretary, Kent Henderson. The ANZMRC is an umbrella organisation dedicated to networking with all masonic Research Lodges and groups particularly in Australia and New Zealand. As well as an annual conference and various publications, the council invites, every two years, a masonic lecturer to tour Australia and New Zealand. Bob decided to add South Africa, India and the United States to the itinerary.
    ANZMRC member Lodges were able to opt to take part in the tour and pay part of the expenses and arrange accommodation. Synopses of the available lectures were circulated in advance of the tour and lodges chose which presentation they wished to receive. The lectures on offer included: The Operative Legacy with Scottish Freemasonry; The Airlie MS 1705, The Oldest Masonic Rituals in the World; Rosslyn Chapel in its Ecclesiastical and Historical Context; and The Kirkwall Scroll.
    There were highs and lows on such a long tour. The highs of course included meeting a large number of wonderful Freemasons. Seeing at first hand how Freemasons in different parts of the world deal with common problems was particularly interesting. Now that he has returned, he is embarking on the book containing the lectures, which will be published by Australian and New Zealand Masonic Research Council.
    Websites: www.anzmrc.org and www.anzmrctour.org

Bulgaria Adopts Emulation Working

The Immediate Past Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of Bulgaria Borislav Sarandev requested the United Grand Lodge of England to arrange a demonstration of Emulation working in Lodge Sofia Star in Sofia, Bulgaria. The Province of Hertfordshire was approached and asked to provide a team to carry out this request.
    The Demonstration team travelled under the auspices of Hertfordshire Installed Masters Lodge, No. 4090, accompanying the Provincial Grand Master, Colin Harris.
    The demonstrations took place in the Temple set up in a conference room at the Hotel Park Moskva. The Master, Grigorii Vazov, opened Lodge Sofia Star using the modern German Rite as practised by the Lodge and then proceeded to call the Lodge off, when the Temple was transformed into an English Lodge Room.
    The English demonstration team took their positions. The Lodge was opened in all three degrees and then resumed in the first degree, after which the ceremony of initiation was demonstrated, followed by a second degree ceremony. The demonstration concluded with the closing of the Lodge.
    The following day the ceremony of raising was demonstrated, and that of installation, in which Colin Harris acted as Installing Master.
    At the dinner afterwards Borislav Sarandev replied to the toast to the visitors, and presented each member of the English party with a bottle of rakhiya (a fiery Bulgarian spirit) and a poster of a piece of art by a prominent Bulgarian artist and Brother, who was present and signed each poster.
    The weekend was most successful. The already good relationship existing between England and the United Grand Lodge of Bulgaria, has been strengthened further. The Bulgarian hosts organised everything with great skill and their hospitality was both friendly and extensive.

Freemasonry in the Czech Republic

In 1939 there were about 3,000 Freemasons in Czechoslovakia. In March of that year, following the invasion of Czechoslovakia, the Grand Lodge ‘Lessing’ was dissolved and the National Grand Lodge went underground. Its members fought the occupying army. Many were jailed, tortured, and executed. A small number managed to escape and emigrate. In England, with consent of the of the United Grand Lodge, they met in the Moravian Church Chapel in London to work. This would be the first time in the history of English Freemasonry that a lodge belonging to a foreign jurisdiction was permitted to work their own ritual. Later this lodge met regularly in Freemasons Hall in Great Queen Street WC2 in London and continued to meet there until March 1948.
    During the time of the communist regime, Lodge Three Stars (U Tri Hvezd) continued to work in Munich, and in the Czech republic itself the brethren kept meeting secretly in small groups of 3 or 4 at an agreed time. Although age and persecution thinned their ranks over those 39 years, the Brethren kept watching and hoping.
    After November 1989, a small group of about 28 survivors discussed how to rekindle the flame of Freemasonry and in 1999, after ten years of hard work there were 6 lodges with about 200 members. Today Czech Freemasonry is continuing to prosper with an annual growth rate or around 10 percent. There are 12 lodges with some 300 members and many candidates for initiation.