# Scottish Rite Craft Lodges (Red Lodge)



## MRichard (Feb 16, 2016)

I am referring to the ones that confer the first 3 degrees. I know that are some in the New Orleans area and a few other places. I was just wondering if anyone had ever been to one and how are they different. Are they in English or French?


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## Warrior1256 (Feb 16, 2016)

I haven't been to one. Here in Kentucky the AASR doesn't confer the first three degrees.


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## MRichard (Feb 16, 2016)

This is an outdated list of some of the "different" lodges. http://www.themasonictrowel.com/masonic_talk/stb/stbs/63-08.htm


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## Glen Cook (Feb 16, 2016)

Corrected. See posts below


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## MRichard (Feb 16, 2016)

Glen Cook said:


> In the US, English



There are foreign language lodges in the US according to the link I posted above. It actually shows that some of the Scottish Rite Craft lodges as being foreign language. Now the issue is how accurate is that information. Posted on themasonictrowel.com.


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## Brother JC (Feb 16, 2016)

Etoile Polaire No. 1, New Orleans, is a Red Lodge and is French-speaking as well. Sadly, I have yet to visit, but it is high on my list.


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## Glen Cook (Feb 16, 2016)

Brother JC said:


> Etoile Polaire No. 1, New Orleans, is a Red Lodge and is French-speaking as well. Sadly, I have yet to visit, but it is high on my list.


They now longer perform the degree in French. I've attended. I confirmed that this evening. 

I think the lodge in San Francisco does still perform the EA in French.


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## dfreybur (Feb 17, 2016)

Glen Cook said:


> They now longer perform the degree in French. I've attended. I confirmed that this evening.
> 
> I think the lodge in San Francisco does still perform the EA in French.



Valley de France still meets in my mother lodge's building in Pasadena, CA.  They work in French in all of their meetings.  They were chartered out of Louisiana and when they joined GLofCA they were given permission to continue their red-style version of the first degree.  It's quite a pageant.

At one point they were going to consolidate with my mother lodge.  I'm not sure why that fell through.  They probably got someone to serve as their Inspector (DDGM) and ritual instructor so they were able to continue functioning independently.


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## The Traveling Man (Mar 15, 2016)

MRichard said:


> I am referring to the ones that confer the first 3 degrees. I know that are some in the New Orleans area and a few other places. I was just wondering if anyone had ever been to one and how are they different. Are they in English or French?



Before joining my current Jurisdiction I was a member of a Co-Masonic Order and they confer the Scottish Rite Craft degrees. The business aspect was conducted in the same manner as my current Lodge. The rituals are slightly different, with elemental aspects added. Gives a different view of the Craft. Very nice to see. They also employ the C of R, which I personally feel should be used in all Lodges. I recommend anyone who is in an area (such as Louisiana) where there is a Lodge that uses the Scottish Rite Craft degrees to go see the degrees conferred.


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## Bloke (Mar 23, 2016)

The Traveling Man said:


> Before joining my current Jurisdiction I was a member of a Co-Masonic Order....


 Interesting.. would it be rude to ask you why you swapped ?


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## The Traveling Man (Mar 23, 2016)

Bloke said:


> Interesting.. would it be rude to ask you why you swapped ?



Not at all. It was mainly schedule and distance. I was driving 80 miles to Lodge every month. My schedule conflicted with the Lodge's stated meeting day. Those were the driving factors. I missed 2 years of meetings (while staying current on dues and sending monthly donations) and felt disconnected. No one ever checked on me or reached out to me....There were little things I didnt particularly like, such as the extra secretiveness and the fact that the Order was vegetarian. They didn't force it upon the menbers but we couldn't bring meat into building. The Supreme council were all vegans, and while that doesn't bother me, it could've halted my progress, as I don't think I would be willing to swear off meat to join the Condistory. They are definitely not a social Order (they told me that from the beginning) and outside of the Lodge there were no real opportunities to bond with Brothers. . .

But on a positive note, they take Masonry seriously. They are heavily focused on education, had guest speakers, require numerous papers on various topics, send out what they call "pieces of architecture" every month, and take the ritual Very seriously. They broke down the entire constitution, paragraph by paragraph, one paragraph per meeting. That was impressive. And they also cross over to Operative, requiring work of the hands. The GL was even built exclusively by the members. They also required a minimum of 12 months from 1st to 3rd (which I agree with), a year per degree (for most degrees) after that and 14 years to join the Consistory.

So it wasn't all negative by any means, but I felt in my heart that I had to make a decision.


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## Bloke (Mar 23, 2016)

Thanks Brother



The Traveling Man said:


> .....I missed 2 years of meetings (while staying current on dues and sending monthly donations) and felt disconnected. No one ever checked on me or reached out to me........



Masonic Mistake 101.... see we *are* universal ! We all make the same mistakes !!!!! I've got a member in my lodge who I picked up because I heard he was in trouble and kept in contact.. he was a friend of a friend and I visited his lodge and he seemed to need support.. he stopped attending due to a sick child and divorce and not one call... except to say when is he going to pay his dues... terrible...




The Traveling Man said:


> ....that the Order was vegetarian..



Was that peculiar to the lodge or the actual order ?  Was it _Le Droit Humain _or another another body... I've never heard of that sort of thing before..




The Traveling Man said:


> Not at all. It was mainly schedule and distance. I was driving 80 miles to Lodge every month.......So it wasn't all negative by any means, but I felt in my heart that I had to make a decision.



Our gain ! 

But sorry you faced that challenge..


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## The Traveling Man (Mar 23, 2016)

Bloke said:


> Thanks Brother
> 
> 
> 
> ...



The vegetarian thing was the Order. They voted to change that rule right as I was leaving. It wasn't LDH. The Order didn't officially recognize LDH because LDH allows atheists (although visitation did occur).

The no contact thing did affect me. I received maybe 3 emails in 3 years. They were related to either dues or fundraising, which I continued to assist in right up til the end. If you missed a meeting you just missed the lesson. That was hard for me as someone in search of Light. I almost felt like I had on a h.w. for those years.


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## Bloke (Mar 24, 2016)

Thanks for the reply.. always interesting to hear this sort of experience...


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