DOCSLIB.ORG

THE ANTIENT LANDMARKS - November 2015

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

THE ANTIENT LANDMARKS - November 2015 Our Masonic History gives us a fuller understanding of Freemasonry. I have always held the view that our history is intrinsically associated with education. As Education Officer of Lodge St Alban some of my contributions will therefore, be of an historical nature. My first contribution relates to The Antient Landmarks. Does a Masonic Landmark have a different meaning, compared to the meaning normally put into the word? A navigator sees a landmark as a certain easily detectable mark in the landscape. In the VSL "you shall not remove a neighbours landmark," be it a certain tree, a big stone or a little brook, marking the boundaries for a farm, a village or for another certain area. Landmarks in history include, the battle of Trafalgar, the Hiroshima atomic bomb, the landing on the moon. In medical domain the discovery of the blood circulation, the introducing of antiseptic surgery and discovery of penicillin. All these landmarks have something in common: Each of them is special and distinct. The Landmarks most commonly referred to are those listed by Mackey in 1858. 1. Modes of recognition. 2. The division of symbolic masonry into three degrees. 3. The legend of the Third Degree. 4. Government of the Fraternity by an elected Grand Master. 5. The prerogative of the Grand Master to preside over every assembly of the Craft. 6. The prerogative of the Grand Master to grant dispensations for conferring degrees at irregular times 7. The prerogative of the Grand Master to give dispensations for opening and holding lodges. 8. The prerogative of the Grand Master to make Masons at sight. 9. The necessity for masons to congregate in lodges. 10. The government of a lodge by a Master and two Wardens. 11. The necessity that every lodge should be duly tiled. 12 The right of every mason to be represented in all general meetings of the Craft and to instruct his representatives 13 The right of every mason to appeal from a lodge decision to Grand Lodge. 14 The right of every mason to visit every regular lodge. 15. No unknown visitor to enter a lodge without examination. 16. No lodge to interfere with the business of another lodge nor give degrees to Brethren who are members of other lodges. 1 17. Every mason is amenable to the laws and regulations of the Masonic jurisdiction in which he resides. 18. A Candidate for Initiation to be a man, unmutilated, free-born, and of mature age. 19. Belief in the existence of God. 19. Belief in the resurrection to a future life. 21. A Book of the Law shall constitute an indispensable part of the furniture of every lodge. 22. The equality of all masons. 23. The secrecy of the institution. 24. The foundation of a speculative science for the purposes of religious or moral teaching. 25. These Landmarks can never be changed. The prerogative of the Grand Master to make Masons at sight is rare, two examples include. Made a "Mason at sight" in 1978, astronaut and politician John Glenn served in the Concord Lodge No. 688 in Ohio. The Grand Master of Ohio decided to induct Glenn after he circled the planet and served four consecutive terms in the Senate. Field Marshall Douglas MacArthur was made a "Mason at Sight" on January 14, 1936, by Samuel R. Hawthorne, the Grand Master of Masons in the Philippines. The ceremony lasted several hours and each Degree was conferred by a Past Grand Master. In the ritual of the Grand Lodge of SA & NT there are four references to the Landmarks and how important they are, but nowhere are they stated. Freemasons are variously told that the Landmarks:- • Are to be adhered to – Charge after Initiation. • Are to be well guarded – Charge after Passing. • Are entrusted to our care – Charge after Raising. • And that Freemasons are to be well skilled in them – Installation of the Master. The first Book of Constitutions of The Grand Lodge of Antient, Free and Accepted Masons of South Australia was published in 1885 and on pages 106-108 contained a list of Landmarks based on Mackey’s list. However, when the second Book of Constitutions was being prepared in 1892, much controversy raged over whether this list of Landmarks should be retained or omitted. Finally by a majority of 28 to 12 in the Board of General Purposes they were omitted. From that time the Grand Lodge has published no list of what it considers the landmarks to be. I think the answer to the question, why not? is revealed in the next two paragraphs The Grand Lodge of England has never defined the Landmarks that form the basis of Freemasonry. Grand Lodge having agreed the basic form of our ceremonies, and has never entered into discussion as to what the meaning of the ritual is. This has been done in the firm belief that it is part of the individual’s personal journey to form their own understanding of the ritual. Discovering the Landmarks surely forms part of the individual’s journey, providing an opportunity to make his own study and increase his own understanding of the Craft. Over the years much discussion has taken place in regard to the Landmarks. John Hamill¹ prefers the definition, first put on paper by the late Harry Carr² that a Landmark is something in Freemasonry that would, were it removed, materially alter the basis of Freemasonry. Using the Carr definition Hamill suggests that there are six landmarks: 2 1. Belief in the Supreme Being, that being the one thing, in a very disparate membership, that we all have in common. 2. The presence of the three great lights, particularly the Volume of the Sacred Law, which underpins our system of morality. 3. The three great principles of brotherly love, relief and truth, they being the embodiment of our basic principles and tenets. 4. The use of ritual using allegory and symbolism, as well as the allusions within the ritual to King Solomon’s temple, but not the detail of the ritual itself, which has changed over time. 5. The ban on the discussion of religion and politics at masonic meetings, which if it were removed would undoubtedly lead to dissention and disharmony. 6. The taking of an Obligation to uphold the principles of Freemasonry and to preserve inviolate the signs, tokens and words used as a test of membership. When discussing Landmarks some years ago with the late Ken Brindal³ his view was their was only one! "A belief in a Supreme being" MW Bro R.K. (Rob) Casson PGM - Education Officer, Lodge St Alban November 2015 Further Reading - "Understanding Freemasonry" Chapter 16. A W Martin OS PGW PGL Google - <Masonic Landmarks> ¹ John Hamill is Special Projects Officer at UGLE and assists the Grand Chancellor (who is responsible for UGLE external relations), a former Director of Communications at UGLE, a former Librarian and Museum Curator at UGLE, Past Master of Quatuor Coronati Lodge (the premier Lodge of Research), Masonic researcher and author. ² Harry Carr Past Junior Grand Deacon P.M., (Secretary and Editor 1961 - 1973) of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge, No. 2076, London P.M., 2265, 2429, 6226, 7464 Honorary Member of 236, 2429, 2911, 3931, 7998, 8227 Fellow of the American Lodge of Research, N.Y., Honorary Member of Ohio Lodge of Research, Masonic Research Lodge of Connecticut, Loge Villard d'Honnecourt, No. 81 Paris (France), Mizpah Lodge, Cambridge, Mass., Arts and Crafts Lodge, No. 1017, Illinois, Walter F. Meier Lodge of Research, No. 281, Seattle, Washington, Research Lodge of Oregon, No. 198, Portland, Victoria Lodge of Education and Research, Victoria, B.C. Honorary P.A.G.D.C. Grand Lodge of Iran ³ Ken Brindal P.M. SA Lodge of research DipMEd, PGSwdB Kellerman Lecturer 1992 THE ANTIENT LANDMARKS - St Alban Education Folder 3 .
Recommended publications
  • The Issue of Masonic Regularity, Past and Present John L

    The Issue of Masonic Regularity, Past and Present John L

    Proceedings of the Policy Studies Organization New Series, No. 31 1527 New Hampshire Ave, NW Washington DC, 20036 Tel: (202) 483 2512 Fax: (202) 483 2657 www.ipsonet.org http://bit.ly/proceedingsofpso The Proceedings appear four times a year as an adjunct to all of the PSO journals and are among the most widely distributed sources in the policy world. All Proceedings are permanently available online at http://bit.ly/proceedingsofpso. Material for the Proceedings, including syllabi, meeting and professional announcements, scholarships and fellowships should be sent to the Proceedings editor, Daniel Gutierrez at [email protected] Sponsored by American Public University System Advisory Board Karen McCurdy Carol Weissert Southern Political Science Florida State University Association William Morgan Mark Vail Midwest Political Science Tulane University Association Catherine E. Rudder Norman A. Bailey George Mason University Norman A. Bailey Inc. David Oppenheimer Edward Khiwa Prime Oppenheimer Langston University Charles Doran Mark B. Ryan School of Advanced International Wisdom University Studies, Johns Hopkins University Guillermo Izabal Kingsley Haynes PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP George Mason University Frank McCluskey Wallace E. Boston American Public University American Public University System System Fred Stielow American Public University System John Cooper and Problems in Masonic Research We are fortunate to have scholars like John Cooper who are also Freemasons. The history of secret and ritualistic organizations has never received the attention that the subject deserves. Although their influence has been and continues to be considerable, they are viewed as having members who are enjoined to be tight- lipped about the activities. Despite the manifest differences between the branches of this fascinating group, their culture has a commonality whose consideration has been neglected, and the research problems they present for scholars have similarities.
  • 1 the ANCIENT* LANDMARKS of the ORDER *Throughout I Have

    1 the ANCIENT* LANDMARKS of the ORDER *Throughout I Have

    THE ANCIENT* LANDMARKS OF THE ORDER *Throughout I have used the spelling “Ancient” rather than “Antient.” W.BRO. A.D. MATTHEWS PPGReg Issue 4: - 9th April 2013 Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set. Proverbs 22: 28 What are the Landmarks? How many are there and where are they defined? I turn for guidance, first to the Book of Constitutions of the United Grand Lodge of England, which states in: Rule 4: “The Grand Lodge possesses the supreme super-intending authority and alone has the inherent power of enacting laws and regulations for the government of the Craft, and of altering, repealing and abrogating them, always taking care that the ancient Landmarks of the Order be preserved.” 1 Rule 55 “If it shall appear to the Grand Master that any proposed resolution contains anything contrary to the ancient Landmarks of the Order, he may refuse to permit the same to be discussed.” 1 Rule 111 “Every Master Elect, before being passed to the Chair, shall solemnly pledge himself to preserve the Landmarks of the Order.” 1 Rule 125(b) “No Brother who is not subject to the Grand Lodge shall be admitted unless his Certificate shows that he has been initiated according to the ancient rites and ceremonies in a Lodge belonging to a Grand Lodge professing belief in TGAOTU…… nor unless he himself shall acknowledge that this belief is an essential Landmark of the Order ……..” 1 These are the only references to the Ancient Landmarks in the Book of Constitutions and there is no defined list therein, so all we can determine so far is that a professed belief in TGAOTU is an Ancient Landmark of the Order and the only one specifically defined as such by the United Grand Lodge of England.
  • LIST of PAPERS in ARS QUATUOR CORONATORUM Website: Author 1 – 1886-8 on Some Old Scottish Masonic Customs R.F

    LIST of PAPERS in ARS QUATUOR CORONATORUM Website: Author 1 – 1886-8 on Some Old Scottish Masonic Customs R.F

    LIST OF PAPERS IN ARS QUATUOR CORONATORUM website: www.quatuorcoronati.com Author 1 – 1886-8 On Some Old Scottish Masonic Customs R.F. Gould The Steinmetz Theory Critically Examined G.W. Speth On an Early Version of the Hiramic Legend Hayter Lewis Freemasonry and Hermeticism A.F.A. Woodford On the Orientation of Temples Warren Connecting Links between Ancient and Modern Freemasonry W.J. Hughan The Religion of Freemasonry Illuminated by the Kabbalah W.W. Westcott The Quatuor Coronati – Arundel MS A.F.A. Woodford English Freemasonry before the Era of Grand Lodges (1717) R.F. Gould The Apostle St Paul, a Mason Tendler The Threefold Division of Temples Simpson Indian Relics Spainhour Unrecognised Lodges & Degrees of Freemasonry before & after 1717 J. Yarker Shall I be a Mason? Tempels Effigy of a Reputed GM of Freemasons in Winchester Cathedral Jacobs Legends of the Compagnonnage – Part I W.H. Rylands Two New Versions of the Old Charges (Wilson, Phillipps, Stanley) G.W. Speth Scottish Freemasonry before the Era of Grand Lodges G.W. Speth The Roman Legend of the Quattro Incoronati Russell Forbes Classification of the Old Charges of the British Masons Begemann Masters’ Lodges Lane The Quatuor Coronati Abroad G.W. Speth Scottish Freemasonry in the Present Era Macbean Relations between Grand Lodges of England & Sweden in Last Century Kupferschmidt 2 – 1889 The Worship of Death Simpson Legends of the Compagnonnage – Part II W.H. Rylands The Foundation of Modern Freemasonry G.W. Speth Freemasonry in Rotterdam 120 Years Ago Vaillant The Origin of Freemasonry Cramer The Grand Lodge at York Whytehead Free and Freemason Schnitger Hogarth’s Picture Night W.H.
  • Cuban Antifascism and the Spanish Civil War: Transnational Activism, Networks, and Solidarity in the 1930S

    Cuban Antifascism and the Spanish Civil War: Transnational Activism, Networks, and Solidarity in the 1930S

    Cuban Antifascism and the Spanish Civil War: Transnational Activism, Networks, and Solidarity in the 1930s Ariel Mae Lambe Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 2014 © 2014 Ariel Mae Lambe All rights reserved ABSTRACT Cuban Antifascism and the Spanish Civil War: Transnational Activism, Networks, and Solidarity in the 1930s Ariel Mae Lambe This dissertation shows that during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) diverse Cubans organized to support the Spanish Second Republic, overcoming differences to coalesce around a movement they defined as antifascism. Hundreds of Cuban volunteers—more than from any other Latin American country—traveled to Spain to fight for the Republic in both the International Brigades and the regular Republican forces, to provide medical care, and to serve in other support roles; children, women, and men back home worked together to raise substantial monetary and material aid for Spanish children during the war; and longstanding groups on the island including black associations, Freemasons, anarchists, and the Communist Party leveraged organizational and publishing resources to raise awareness, garner support, fund, and otherwise assist the cause. The dissertation studies Cuban antifascist individuals, campaigns, organizations, and networks operating transnationally to help the Spanish Republic, contextualizing these efforts in Cuba’s internal struggles of the 1930s. It argues that both transnational solidarity and domestic concerns defined Cuban antifascism. First, Cubans confronting crises of democracy at home and in Spain believed fascism threatened them directly. Citing examples in Ethiopia, China, Europe, and Latin America, Cuban antifascists—like many others—feared a worldwide menace posed by fascism’s spread.
  • Masonic Landmarks (Presentation at the Nairobi Lodge of Instruction on Monday 24Th June 2013)

    Masonic Landmarks (Presentation at the Nairobi Lodge of Instruction on Monday 24Th June 2013)

    MASONIC LANDMARKS (PRESENTATION AT THE NAIROBI LODGE OF INSTRUCTION ON MONDAY 24TH JUNE 2013) Wor.Master and Brethren, In our ritual teachings and the Book of Constitutions, you will come across references to the “Ancient Landmarks” severally. However, you will note that there is no clear mention in the Ritual Books or the Book of Constitutions as to what constitutes an Ancient Landmark apart from rule 125(b) of the Book of Constitutions which refers to “belief in T.G.A.O.T.U” as an essential Landmark of the Order. On further research of this topic, you will find that there are varied opinions and suggestions given by Masonic Scholars and Researchers which may lead you to further confusion than when you started. This is probably one of the most widely debated subjects in Masonry. There is also some degree of confusion or rather lack of consensus with regards to its definition and therefore what constitutes a “Landmark”. The two requisites which have been generally accepted amongst Freemasons as to what constitutes a Landmark are firstly, that it must have existed from time immemorial and secondly that a Landmark is the element in the form or essence of Freemasonry, and that Freemasonry would no longer be there if it were removed. Therefore the next question that you may ask is how many Landmarks are there and what are they. This is again a contentious issue as some English masonic scholars have come up with three, others five, whilst some have listed more such as Dr. Albert Mackey, a famous American Freemason researcher who had produced twenty five.
  • Knights Templar Eye Foundation

    Knights Templar Eye Foundation

    VOLUME LXIII JANUARY 2017 NUMBER 1 KT_EliteCC_Bomber_0117_Layout 1 11/15/16 12:53 PM Page 1 Presenting a Unique Knight Templar Fine Leather Jacket As A siR KnighT YOU hAvE EARnEd ThE RighT TO WEAR This JACKET! • Features include your choice of black or brown fine leather, tailored with outside storm flap, pleated bi-swing back, knit cuffs and waistband, two side-entry double welt pockets, two large front- Featuring A York Rite Bodies Woven Emblem flapped cargo pockets, nylon inner lining with fiberfill and and Optional “Concealed Carry” Feature heavy-duty jacket zipper. • A further option is two inner pockets to secure valuables, which are also fitted with LAST CALL “concealed carry” holster FOR WINTER straps for those licensed 2017! to carry a firearm. • Bomber Jacket comes in sizes ranging from small to 3XL (sizes 2XL–3XL are $25* extra.) • Your satisfaction is guaranteed 100% by Masonic Partners and you may return your jacket within 30 days of purchase for replacement or refund - no questions asked. • Thank you priced at just $199*, with an interest-free payment plan available. (See order form for details). Military Veterans can add their Service Branch or ORdER TOdAY Vietnam Veteran patch to their Jacket. (See choices below.) And RECEivE A * FREE “PROUd TO BE A MAsOn” ziPPER PULL! *United States Marine Corps patch provided by Sgt. Grit Marine Specialties. CALL TOLL FREE TO ORDER: IF YOU WEAR THIS SIZE: 34-36 38-40 42-44 46-48 50-52 54-56 † † sizing ORDER THIS SIZE: SML XL XXL 3XL 1-800-437-0804 MON - FRI 9AM - 5PM EST.
  • List of Freemasons from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia Jump To: Navigation , Search

    List of Freemasons from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia Jump To: Navigation , Search

    List of Freemasons From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation , search Part of a series on Masonic youth organizations Freemasonry DeMolay • A.J.E.F. • Job's Daughters International Order of the Rainbow for Girls Core articles Views of Masonry Freemasonry • Grand Lodge • Masonic • Lodge • Anti-Masonry • Anti-Masonic Party • Masonic Lodge Officers • Grand Master • Prince Hall Anti-Freemason Exhibition • Freemasonry • Regular Masonic jurisdictions • Opposition to Freemasonry within • Christianity • Continental Freemasonry Suppression of Freemasonry • History Masonic conspiracy theories • History of Freemasonry • Liberté chérie • Papal ban of Freemasonry • Taxil hoax • Masonic manuscripts • People and places Masonic bodies Masonic Temple • James Anderson • Masonic Albert Mackey • Albert Pike • Prince Hall • Masonic bodies • York Rite • Order of Mark Master John the Evangelist • John the Baptist • Masons • Holy Royal Arch • Royal Arch Masonry • William Schaw • Elizabeth Aldworth • List of Cryptic Masonry • Knights Templar • Red Cross of Freemasons • Lodge Mother Kilwinning • Constantine • Freemasons' Hall, London • House of the Temple • Scottish Rite • Knight Kadosh • The Shrine • Royal Solomon's Temple • Detroit Masonic Temple • List of Order of Jesters • Tall Cedars of Lebanon • The Grotto • Masonic buildings Societas Rosicruciana • Grand College of Rites • Other related articles Swedish Rite • Order of St. Thomas of Acon • Royal Great Architect of the Universe • Square and Compasses Order of Scotland • Order of Knight Masons • Research • Pigpen cipher • Lodge • Corks Eye of Providence • Hiram Abiff • Masonic groups for women Sprig of Acacia • Masonic Landmarks • Women and Freemasonry • Order of the Amaranth • Pike's Morals and Dogma • Propaganda Due • Dermott's Order of the Eastern Star • Co-Freemasonry • DeMolay • Ahiman Rezon • A.J.E.F.
  • The Master's Letters

    The Master's Letters

    The Master’s Letters Jorge Luis Romeu, M.M. Liverpool Syracuse Lodge No. 501 Onondaga Masonic District of the GL NY A Compilation of my 10 monthly Master’s Letters appearing in The Word, The Masonic Monthly Newspaper of the Four Districts in Central New York. To other Lodge Masters and to my Brother Freemasons With the hope that these letters help them in their Lodge work. Copyright 2019 About the Author Jorge Luis Romeu is a Master Mason, Initiated in January, in Estrada Palma Lodge, and Raised in his Island Lodge No. 56, Havana, Cuba, in April of 1969. These were difficult times to be a Mason, in Communist Cuba, especially for a young man. In 1980 Romeu moved to the US. The social and economic conditions of an immigrant, plus the differences between Masonic Rituals and language, made it difficult for him to join an American Lodge. However, he kept his links with individual Brethren and Masonic listserves. After a long hiatus, where he remained unaffiliated, Bro. Romeu joined the Jose Celso Barbosa Lodge No. 106, in Bayamon, San Juan, Puerto Rico, the land of his paternal family, where he regularly visited his brother and other family members. Romeu later joined Liverpool Syracuse Lodge No. 501, in the state of New York, where he resides and teaches. He was the Worshipful Master of Liverpool Syracuse Lodge 2018-2019. Bro. Romeu is a 32nd Degree Scottish Rite Mason, with the Syracuse Valley, AASR, NMJ, and the Onondaga Masonic District Mentoring Chair, where he leads the North Star Mentoring Program.
  • The Landmarks of Freemasonry

    The Landmarks of Freemasonry

    THE L,ANDMARKS OF FREEMASONRY By CHARLES CLYDE HUNT Grand Secretary GRAND LODGE OF lOW A, A. F. & A. M. Printed by LAURANCE PRESS COMPANY CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA 1943 • Price SOc per Copy CHAPTER I INTRODUCTORY I once visited an optician to have my eyes tested for a new pair of eye glasses. I offered hiln the glasses I was then wearing as a guide, but he declined, saying, "I will look at them later. I prefer to make an independent exam­ ination first." I have thought of that remark many times since when I have found myself being led astray by relying on the work of other students instead of making an independent investigation. Such is the case with the subject of the present paper. I have made statements on the subject, based on the writings of other students, which I now, believe, after making an independent investigation, to have been errone­ ous. In making such an investigation we should first consider the meaning of the term "land­ Inark" independent of its connection with Free­ masonry, and then consider its Masonic applica­ tion. The best source of information about the -meaning of words is to be found in the' una- 3 - -~ -.:-- --_ .. --. ::~ THE LANDMARKS OF FREEMASONRY bridged dictionaries, and I have therefore con­ . suIted the four best known and recognized Eng­ lish authorities as to the meaning of the word "landmar k." I found that all four agree in holding that a landmark is: 1. A fixed object serving as a boundary mark to a tract -of land. 2.
  • Prestonian Lectures by QC Lodge Members

    Prestonian Lectures by QC Lodge Members

    Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076 Prestonian Lectures by Lodge Member Name Adams, Col Cecil Clare MC 1949 Our Oldest lodge Ashby, John F 1999 Freemasonry and Entertainment Batham, Cyril Ernest Kila Northwood 1981 The Grand Lodge of England according to the Old Institutions Bathurst, The Hon William Ralph Seymour TD 1966 The Evolution of the English Provincial Grand Lodge Baxter, Roderick Hildegar 1929 The Antiquity of our Masonic Legends Berman, Dr Richard A 2016 Foundations - a new light on the origins and early years of Grand Lodge Brett, Gerard 1961 King Solomon in the Middle Ages Brett, Sir Lionel 1989 The Constitutions of the Grand Lodge of England Brodsky, Michel 1994 English Freemasonry in Europe 1717-1918 Bruce, Sinclair 1985 '...not only Ancient but useful and necessary Officers...' The Deacons Burt, Prof Roger 2015 Wherever dispersed - the Travelling Mason Calderwood, Dr Paul Richard JP 2013 As we were seen - The Press and Freemasonry Campbell, Dr James William Patrick 2011 Was Sir Christopher Wren a Freemason? Carr, Harry 1957 The Transition from Operative to Speculative masonry Clarke, Joseph Ryle 1969 External Influences on the Evolution of English Masonry Cooper, Frederick John 1980 Robert Freke Gould: Masonic Historian, 1836-1915 Covey-Crump, Rev Canon Walter William 1931 Medieval Master Masons and their Secrets Crane, Robert Alexander 2000 For therein you will be taught - some thoughts on the relationship between Freemasonry and Religion Cryer, Rev Neville Barker 1974 Drama and Craft - The relationship of the Medieval Mystery and other drama to the practice of Masonry Daniel, James W 2017 The Grand Design Davie, Gordon William Sinclair 2005 Women and Freemasonry 22 September 2018 Page 1 of 3 Quatuor Coronati Lodge No.
  • The Catholic University of America Heresy By

    The Catholic University of America Heresy By

    THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA HERESY BY ASSOCIATION: The Canonical Prohibition of Freemasonry in History and in the Current Law A DISSERTATION Submitted to the Faculty of the School of Canon Law Of The Catholic University of America In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree Doctorate in Canon Law By Edward F. Condon Washington, D.C. 2015 ABSTRACT Despite the remarkable continuity, over the centuries, of the Catholic Church’s condemnation of Freemasonry and the clarity of her rationale for doing so, the current canonical discipline of Catholic-Masonic issues is the subject of considerable confusion. The canonical prohibition of Catholic membership of a Masonic Lodge, or society, was expressly articulated in canon 2335 of the 1917 Code of Canon Law, which attached a penalty of excommunication, latae sententiae. Further canonical effects explicitly linked to Masonry were contained in six additional canons spread throughout the Code. The 1983 Code of Canon Law contains no explicit mention of Freemasonry. Canon 1374 provides for indeterminate penalties for those who joins societies which “plot against the Church”, but there is no consensus of what the canonical definition of plotting (machinationem) means, nor which societies, if any, might be intended by the canon. This dissertation seeks, through historical analysis of the origins of Freemasonry itself, and the Church’s teaching against it, to correctly place Freemasonry, specifically membership of a Masonic society by a Catholic, within the penal law of the 1983 Code. Chapter I traces the origins of Freemasonry and the Church’s opposition to it, through to the codification of the 1917 Code of Canon Law.
  • Candidate Selection Process V.02.18.2018

    Candidate Selection Process V.02.18.2018

    THE CANDIDATE SELECTION PROCESS Grand Lodge State of New York The NorthStar Candidate Selection Process The Worshipful Master of each Lodge will have appointed or reappointed a Candidate Selection Officer (“CSO”) who will administer the vetting process for the Lodge. The following process applies to prospects who reach us through a variety of means or whose name is given us by a Brother of the Lodge. All the information obtained by the CSO through this Selection Process will be provided to the Lodge’s Committee upon acceptance and receipt of any Petition from a prospect who has gone through this NorthStar Candidate Selection Process. The process would apply to all candidates. This document consists of two parts. First a guideline to be used by the vetting team and the second a summary document for Lodge use under the coordination of the CSO. The CSO will select a Brother to be the point of contact for each Lodge prospect identified. He will also assign a second Brother to assist. Every Lodge knows its own circumstances and can modify the program to fit their unique resources and characteristics. However the elements of Program should be followed as much as possible for maximum effect. Step One – The Initial Response from a Lodge to a prospect -Phone Call The following is a suggested format for the initial point of contact. The purpose of the phone call is to set the stage and schedule the first face to face meeting. A prospect should be contacted in some way as soon as possible. He should not go more than two weeks without some contact from the Lodge.