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by Christopher Hodapp Alice and I are in Jeffersonville, Indiana this weekend for the arrival Brother General Gilbert Lafayette. (See HERE for my original post in April.) Major General Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de LaFayette, was invited as ‘the Nation’s Guest’ in 1824-25 to tour America...

by Christopher Hodapp Make plans to join with fellow Freemasons on Monday, May 12th, 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky and Jeffersonville, Indiana for a once in a lifetime event! Major General Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de LaFayette, was invited as ‘the Nation’s Guest’ in 1824-25 to tour...

by Christopher Hodapp Richard 'Dick' Fletcher, long-time Executive Secretary of the Masonic Service Association, has passed away. The following message was sent out on Thursday by James Cole, Sovereign Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite Southern Jurisdiction: (Photo: From left...

by Christopher Hodapp The 75th Midwest Conference on Masonic Education in Indianapolis has wound down for 2025, and I'd like to express my deepest thanks to everyone who helped make it a great success. Not only to the other presenters, but to the attendees, as well. Speakers at the...

by Christopher Hodapp Check out the subway station sign in New York City just outside of the Grand Lodge F&AM of New York's beautiful headquarters building on 23rd Street. "Freemasonry is the Path to 33" It's a big secret conspiracy. Everybody knows about it. (H/T to the Scottish Rite...

by Christopher Hodapp After a prolonged public silence, the officers and directors of the Masonic Society have regretfully issued the following official statement: It’s an unhappy epitaph, but epitaphs always are. I will simply add that this was a point none of us ever wanted to reach. As...

by Christopher Hodapp A 23-year-old Belgian woman has been convicted for harassment, defamation and making threats against a Brussels Masonic Lodge after publishing an anti-Masonic TikTok video. According to an account in the Brussels Times, her video received 86,000 views and generated 3,462...

by Christopher Hodapp Historic Hiram Lodge No. 7 in Franklin, Tennessee is undergoing a multi-million dollar restoration campaign to preserve the oldest continuously operating Masonic hall in the state. WKRN-TV in Nashville aired a short report yesterday about the lodge, featuring several...

by Christopher Hodapp WARNING: This is NOT a family-friendly story, I'm afraid. Nor is it pleasant to even describe. But it's been in the internet headlines all week, so I need to. A tempest has been brewing in the international press this week over a story involving the historic Dublin...

Monica Herndon/Philadelphia Inquirer by Christopher Hodapp A Philadelphia Inquirer reporter toured the incredible Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania's magnificent Masonic Temple for a story over the weekend. See "Philly’s own ‘Temple of Doom’ has fossils in the floors, stars in the ceiling, and...

by Christopher Hodapp Grab your Masonic Calendar as the Masonic conference season kicks into full swing. Freemasons are organizing fun and educational events all over the country. The Grand Lodge of New York started off the year with their Masonic Con back in mid-January, but as the weather...

by Christopher Hodapp The national Grand Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star has released an explanatory letter regarding the recent change to the OES constitution which removed the former Masonic family connection for female petitioners. As reported HERE, MW David Ray Pyle, the Grand...

by Christopher Hodapp Don't forget to register for the Midwest Conference on Masonic Education May 2-3, 2025 in Indianapolis. Here's the lineup for what is shaping up to be a truly terrific program. This year's conference will be held at the historic Indianapolis Masonic Temple, located at...

by Christopher Hodapp THIS STORY IS SLIGHTLY EDITED FOR CLARITY FROM ITS ORIGINAL VERSION FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 2025, 12:33AM As reported here on Monday, the Order of the Eastern Star has been evicted from all Masonic buildings in the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge AF&AM of West Virginia. In...

by Christopher Hodapp I'm a total sucker for Masonic degrees performed in unusual settings, and outdoor degrees can be found all over the Masonic world. But for this old veteran of railroad museums from back in my teenaged years (I became a steam locomotive fireman and engineer at 15, before I...

by Christopher Hodapp The MasoniCon season is heating up. Join me this Saturday, April 12th at the Wisconsin MasoniCon in Eau Claire, where I'll be speaking along with Steven Harrison of the Midnight Freemasons blog and author of Freemasons–Tales from the Craft. The day will kick off at 10AM...

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...