Notes published on the Lodge site.
The current fleet of London Air Ambulances is proudly supported by our governing body, Metropolitan Grand Lodge, and all London lodges. But, the current fleet is reaching the end of its life and will need to be replaced with two new aircraft by 2024.
We are thrilled to announce that our next meeting will be taking place at Mark Masons’ Hall on 25 January 2023. This special event will be a double Second Degree ceremony, which is an exciting milestone for everyone who will be participating.
One of Masonry’s governing bodies, Metropolitan Grand Lodge, made its charitable activities even more visible last Thursday by parking the first of two ‘Super Hi-Lift’ turntable fire engine vehicles outside the building where hundreds of London Freemason’s met for their annual meeting.
Like it or loathe it, we cannot escape the reality of an increasingly digital future with everything from currency exchange to ordering a pie and pint in a pub now very readily accessible online and via smartphones.
Its been quite a while since our last meeting and everyone is looking forward to renewing contact. Our usual dining arrangement is not available and so our new dining venue is another thing to which we look forward.
Over the last few days, I have received a number of heart-warming congratulations from fellow Lodge members at the news that their Lodge Secretary has been awarded London Grand Rank in recognition of services to Freemasonry in London.
People not connected to Freemasonry may not be aware that nearly all lodges hold no meetings between late June and early September. So why is this?
Last week at the request of a Freemason friend, I travelled into London to meet with one of his acquaintances to chat very informally about Freemasonry and whether it might be a good fit for him. We had a lovely chat and will meet again.
A little more than a month ago, I responded positively to an invitation to arrange for any new members of the Covenant Lodge to attend a welcome presentation at our headquarters in Great Queen Street, London.
I am reporting on this a little late but it is nonetheless appropriate. Our website has recently been given a big facelift which now includes this very useful blog section.
For too long, London Freemasons had kept rather quiet about their record of success at charitable giving. How so? The truthful answer is more complicated than I would like.
Freemasons are discouraged from discussing religion or politics in lodge meetings. The basic idea behind the rule is to reduce possibilities of divisive arguments. Secondly, the rule is intended to put "roadblocks" in the way of Freemasonry somehow morphing into a quasi-religious or political organisation. Yet, if Lodge members are not able to communicate freely and openly, the camaraderie that develops between them will just end up being rather shallow and stunted. Herein lies the problem and also the basis of a lot of misunderstanding by Freemasons about the "no religion or politics" rule.
There is little doubt that Freemasonry has come a long way in the last 20 years. From an inward-looking anachronistic organisation happy in its own isolation; now, it is becoming outward looking, more public than ever and, in the process, enjoying significantly more public support. Freemasonry has begun to drop its veil of secrecy and the public likes what has been revealed so far.
At our Lodge meeting two years ago, we enjoyed a lecture on the topic of the early recorded history of UK Freemasonry. Here is a precis with some additions of my own.
Over the last five years or so, a great deal of navel gazing has been done within Freemasonry. Prompted by a sense of failure to connect properly with society as a whole, declining membership and an unsettling distrust of Freemasonry amongst the general public, clearly something had to be done to understand the problem and make any necessary corrections.