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by Christopher Hodapp NOTE: THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED AS OF MONDAY APRIL 7, 2025 AT 6:40PM: I've had it confirmed that on March 21st, 2025, David Ray Pyle, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge AF&AM of West Virginia, issued a directive ordering all chapters of the Order of the Eastern Star to...

by Christopher Hodapp Last Saturday I was supposed to be in New York to make a presentation at the 2025 College of Freemasonry, sponsored by the Scottish Rite Valley of Rochester. The theme of the event was the 200th anniversary of the disappearance of William Morgan in nearby Batavia back...

by Christopher Hodapp The Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library in Lexington, Massachusetts is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. If you've never visited, make the effort. It's one of the top Masonic museums in the U.S. The Museum & Library first opened as the 'Museum of Our...

Christopher Hodapp A couple of years ago, the Midwest Conference on Masonic Education posted a lineup of "The Three Books Every ( ) Mason Should Read," and they broke the lists down according to general subject matter – historical, ritualist, esoteric, philosophical, leadership, and so...

by Christopher Hodapp The Grand Lodge of Arizona has apparently resolved its disagreements with Arizona DeMolay. On March 6th, MW Grand Master Michael A. Dale officially rescinded Edict 2025-01, which had briefly forbidden Arizona Masons from sponsoring or participating in any activities...

by Christopher Hodapp Lodges in rural and economically depressed areas all too often have a tough time surviving these days. I received word last week that Fairfax, Oklahoma's Grayhorse Lodge No. 124 has lost its charter and closed its doors. That's sad — all lodge closures are — but lodges...

by Christopher Hodapp California's newest lodge, Sonora Lodge No. 887, in the historic Sonora Masonic Hall held its grand opening on Saturday, February 22, 2025. According to a press release about the event, membership interest has been growing statewide, and the new lodge has already welcomed...

by Christopher Hodapp In an edict issued on Monday, MW Michael Dale, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Arizona, cut off the Masonic-related youth group DeMolay International from Arizona Freemasonry. (Click the image above to enlarge) In his edict, GM Dale (photo at left) - a 27-year...

by Christopher Hodapp The assembled members of the Grand Lodge F&AM of Utah have voted to expel Gerald J. Everett, Past Grand Master, from Freemasonry. In a letter dated Monday, it was reported that Everett appealed a conviction by his lodge to the Grand Master, and Utah's Grievances &...

Friar No. 113 Ric Berman by Christopher Hodapp At quite literally the very last minute on Thursday, I flew to Washington D.C. to catch a couple of events at Masonic Week: the Consistory of the Society of Blue Friars, and the Friday night banquet for the Philalethes Society. The Society of...

by Christopher Hodapp From now until May 11th, 2025, downtown Cincinnati's Taft Museum of Art is displaying an exhibit of fraternal folk art featuring some 80 pieces from the Freemasons and the Odd Fellows. From the museum's website description: The Taft Museum is open Wednesdays...

by Christopher Hodapp If you've watched British television shows over the last 40 years or so that are set anywhere from the 1930s to modern day, I'll guarantee you've seen scenes shot in and around the United Grand Lodge of England's London headquarters, Freemasons Hall, at 60 Great Queen...

by Christopher Hodapp A trial opened this week in France against 8 defendants accused of a neo-Nazi terrorist plot to attack a Masonic lodge back in 2020-21. Translated from the French website Notretemps.com: Details of the alleged plot are not revealed in the article, but a story on the...

Photo: MWPHGL of South Carolina by Christopher Hodapp On Sunday, January 19, 2025, MW Victor C. Major, Grand Master of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of South Carolina, made then-President Joe Biden a Master Mason "at sight" in a private ceremony in Washington, D.C., "in...

(Reuters) by Christopher Hodapp In the wake of the massive devastation from the Southern California wildfires over the last few weeks, the Grand Lodge of California's Masonic Homes website has posted the following message offering assistance to Freemasons and their loved ones: Note: If...

by Christopher Hodapp (Thanks to Chris Ruli, author of The White House and the Freemasons for originally posting a story about this on Facebook.) Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter passed away over the weekend at the amazing age of 100. Almost immediately upon the announcement early Sunday...

by Christopher Hodapp A former secretary of the Saladin Shriners in Grand Rapids, Michigan has just been charged with embezzling $1.39 million from the Saladin Temple's Children's Trust Fund. According to police reports, it seems Richard Ivan Williams has been siphoning off money from the...

PHOTO: SARAH MEYSSONNIER / REUTERS by Christopher Hodapp The near-miraculous rebuilding of Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral after the horrific fire of 2019 culminated in its internationally celebrated reopening over the weekend, with great fanfare and well-deserved accolades from all corners of...

Credit: Rick McKee, Counterpoint / CTNewsJunkie via Cagle Cartoons by Christopher Hodapp Hopefully, all of my readers had a happy – and mostly harmless – post-election Thanksgiving surrounded by family and friends, with as few fights on the lawn as possible. WB Carlos Diez Jr., Grand Orator...

by Christopher Hodapp From the always informative Hiram.be Blog Maçonique French language website comes a report that the Grand Lodge of the State of Israel's headquarters in Tel-Aviv were damaged last month when a Hezbollah missile fired from Lebanon struck the building next door...