Category Archive: News

In commemoration of the fifth anniversary of the founding of The Masonic Society, we are proud to announce that we have commissioned a special medallion to be given to new members who join between May 1, 2013 and April 30, 2014. This beautiful medallion was designed and created by our good friend and brother John Bridegroom, and will be mailed to new members along with their patents, member pin, and member card.

Current members will be able to order this medallion, for a nominal cost (including domestic shipping and handling), from The Masonic Society store at http://www.themasonicsociety.com/cart/.

Thank you all for your continued support of The Masonic Society.

Sincerely and fraternally,

John “Bo” Cline
President, The Masonic Society

[NOTE:  These Jewels were sold out and no more will be produced.  Sorry!]

Many of you are aware that Chris Hodapp (founding Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of The Masonic Society) has been dealing with some rather significant health issues over the past few years. Despite this fact, he has endeavored to publish what many consider the best journal in Freemasonry today. Recently, Chris informed us that he is unable to continue as Editor-in-Chief, however he will remain involved with the Journal to the extent his health will allow.

Based on Chris’ revelation, we have secured the assistance of Michael Halleran who will assume the duties of Editor-in-Chief of the Journal. Michael is a freelance writer and a practicing attorney in the Flint Hills of East-Central Kansas. A lecturer at Emporia State University, he is also an active Freemason, and an officer in the Grand Lodge of Kansas A.F. & A.M. Michael is the author of the highly acclaimed book regarding Freemasonry during the American Civil War entitled The Better Angels of Our Nature and he previously was the editor of The Plumbline (quarterly newsletter of the Scottish Rite Research Society). In addition to Michael, Chris, and Jay Hochberg (Submissions Coordinator), I am pleased to announce that John Bridegroom will bring his extensive graphics design expertise to the editorial staff as Layout Editor.

Additionally, as some of you are acclaimed for your journalistic excellence or are associated with others through Lodges of Research and Masonic Research Societies who may or may not be published, please consider submitting your articles and/or inviting others to submit their articles for future editions of the Journal to Jay Hochberg at articles@themasonicsociety.com . Articles may also be submitted to editor@themasonicsociety.com . Thank you for your understanding during this time of transition and thank you for your continued interest in and support of The Masonic Society.

May I also wish for you and your family a very joyful and safe holiday season and a prosperous new year.

Sincerely and Fraternally,

John R. “Bo” Cline, President
The Masonic Society

The Officers and the Board of Directors
cordially invite you to attend

The Fifth Annual Dinner and Meeting
of
The Masonic Society

At Masonic Week 2013
The Hyatt Regency Hotel
Reston, Virginia

Friday Evening, February 8, 2013
6:00 PM

Featured Speaker:
Andrew Hammer
Past Master, Alexandria-Washington Lodge No. 22, A.F.&A.M.
Author, Observing the Craft

All Freemasons and Ladies are Welcome!

Please make all reservations through the Masonic Week 2013 Website:

http://yorkrite.org/MasonicWeek

PLEASE NOTE:
The Masonic Society will not have tickets for sale.
All tickets MUST be purchased in advance from the Masonic Week organizers.
Tickets will NOT be available at the door.

RESERVATIONS MUST BE MADE AND CHECKS RECEIVED BY THE MASONIC WEEK STAFF BY JANUARY 31, 2013.

Masonic Week Hospitality Suite

The Society will once again sponsor a hospitality suite at Masonic Week 2013. Please check at our membership table for the room number.

UPDATE: Schedule and Registration Information Are Now Available!

Direct Link to Eventbrite Registration (Link no longer active)

Initiatives like the International Conference on the History of Freemasonry, the Worldwide Exemplification of Freemasonry, and UCLA’s Freemasonry and Civil Society demonstrate an ever growing interest from the academic community in the history and philosophy of our fair Craft. It is gratifying to witness this increased attention from the non-Masonic community, and it presents a challenge for us as Masons to ensure that we retain control of our story and our heritage. The most significant aspect of this challenge is that few Masons hold the same level of knowledge and abilities as those in the academic community. To help rectify this discrepancy, The Masonic Society and the Masonic Library and Museum Association have joined forces to establish The Quarry Project. Phase one of this endeavor will be the Conference on Masonic Research and Preservation to be held at the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, VA on September 27-29, 2013. The conference is open to anyone interested in Masonic research and preservation, but will be specifically targeted toward two groups: members of Masonic lodges of research as well as authors, writers, and researchers, both published and aspiring, and Masonic librarians and museum curators.

The conference will draw from both the Masonic and academic communities to provide detailed instruction on Masonic research and the editing of same. In addition, the recommendations of a committee created to establish a set of voluntary standards for future Masonic research, writing, and editing will be introduced. Professional librarians, museum curators, and experts on display and preservation will address that area of interest. Multiple concurrent presentations on both fields of endeavor will be offered on all three days. A few success stories that will enthuse and inspire the participant will be mixed in along the way.

We are soliciting support from Grand Lodges, Lodges of Research, and the various Masonic Research Societies to help promote interest in this endeavor and encourage participation. Additionally, we are seeking patronage from those wishing to assist in making this quality event affordable to all who wish to attend. All contributions will be duly noted in The Quarry Project program. For more information on sponsorship levels and lodge promotions, please contact us at: info@thequarryproject.com .

Finally, we wish to hear comments and/or feedback regarding this conference. That feedback may also be sent to info@thequarryproject.com .

Program details and registration information for this event will be available in the fall of 2012.

Sincerely and Fraternally,

John R. “Bo” Cline, President
The Masonic Society

Mark A. Tabbert, President
Masonic Library and Museum Association

[Eventbrite signup applet has been removed as the event is long over.]

The Masonic Society will hold its Semi-Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, July 28, 2012.

Date and Time

Saturday, July 28, 2012
Starts 9:00 AM Eastern Time
Concludes after the Banquet

Locations

The Union League of Philadelphia • The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania

The Union League of Philadelphia, 140 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Dress: Men, Jacket and Tie or Comparable Business Attire. Women should wear comparable attire. Please see the Union League’s Dress Code for more information.

The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, Masonic Temple, 1 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Society requests that attendees follow the Union League dress code for this event.

Registration

Full Conference: $75 per person, includes all events: Grand Lodge of PA tour/lunch, speaker program, and social hour/banquet. TICKET SALES CLOSED 7/21/2012, SORRY.

Banquet Only: $60 per person, includes the social hour/banquet ONLY. TICKET SALES CLOSED 7/21/2012, SORRY.

Program Only: $25 per person, includes the Grand Lodge of PA tour/lunch and the Union League speaker program ONLY.

The registration page is found here. Deadline for registration is Saturday, July 21, 2012. We still have a few presale or walk-in registration tickets left, but only for the day program (including lunch at the Masonic Temple). No more full-program or banquet-only tickets are available. See the reservation page.

NOTICE: Registration for the conference does not include accommodations. See below.

Program

Friday, July 27, 2012
An informal get-together will be held at a local watering hole, location to be determined. This event is open to anyone interested; no ticket required. No food or drink provided by the Society.

Saturday, July 28, 2012
All events are for registered, ticketed attendees only.

Speakers for our afternoon session include

• Thomas Savini, Director, Livingston Masonic Library Grand Lodge of New York – The Robert R. Livingston Library
• Ben Hoff, PM, New Jersey Lodge of Research – The Original Ahiman Rezon
• Howard Kanowitz, New Jersey Lodge of Research – Redemption at Gettysburg: A Study in Masonic Duty
• Ray Thorne, current WM of the New Jersey Lodge of Research – Parallax, Transits and Geometry

Our Banquet speaker will be R. W. Thomas W. Jackson, Past Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, and Executive Secretary of the World Conference of Grand Lodges, who will speak on The Need for Masonic Education.

Accommodations

The following hotels are recommended:

The Inn at the Union League, $159/night. Contact the Union League directly for reservations at frontdesk@unionleague.org or 215-587-5570. LIMITED NUMBER OF ROOMS AVAILABLE. Note dress code.

The DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Philadelphia City Center, $149/night. This Hilton-branded hotel is about a block away from the Union League. A limited number of rooms have been set aside at this rate. Reservations can be made by calling 1-800-222-8733 and giving the group name Masonic Society. We will also have an online reservation link shortly. Please note that the last day a reservation can be made under the group name is June 27, 2012. Reservations made after that date will be accepted based on hotel availability at the prevailing weekend rate.

Please do not contact the Masonic Society for additional hotel information or for reservations. All such contacts should be made with the appropriate hotel.

The Officers and the Board of Directors
cordially invite you to attend

The Fourth Annual Dinner and Meeting
of
The Masonic Society

At Masonic Week 2012
The Hilton Alexandria Mark Center
Alexandria, Virginia

Friday Evening, February 10, 2012
6:00 PM

Our featured speaker is to be announced.

All Freemasons and Ladies are Welcome!

Please make all reservations through the Masonic Week 2012 Website:

http://yorkrite.com/MasonicWeek

PLEASE NOTE:
The Masonic Society will not have tickets for sale.
All tickets MUST be purchased in advance from the Masonic Week organizers.
Tickets will NOT be available at the door.

RESERVATIONS MUST BE MADE AND CHECKS RECEIVED BY THE MASONIC WEEK STAFF BY JANUARY 25, 2012.

Masonic Week Hospitality Suite

The Society will once again sponsor a hospitality suite at Masonic Week 2012. Please check at our membership table for the room number.