‘Illumination Lodge (UD)’

     
RW Bro. Ted Harrison is leading an effort to lend purpose to this newfangled trend of bringing teenagers into Freemasonry with an approach I can agree with, so I thought I should promote it here.

While I disagree, for reasons I think are obvious, with the growing movement in American Freemasonry to lower the minimum age for initiation to 18, in New York there now is a plan to make it worthwhile for the fraternity to make that change. I still don’t want to sit in lodge with teenagers, but I’ve been an admirer from afar of the United Grand Lodge of England’s Universities Scheme, and I like the idea of New York Freemasonry attempting something similar, although this endeavor is not quite the same thing. (As an aside, years ago I tried to work with my alma mater’s alumni relations department, which was working to organize “affinity clubs,” to create a Masonic club for NYU people, but to no avail.) Ted circulated an e-mail yesterday on the subject:

Courtesy CUNY

“Some of you may be aware that, at our last Grand Lodge session, a motion was passed to lower the admission age to 18. Since then, the Grand Master has formed the Fraternity on Campus Committee which was tasked to establish lodges to be dedicated to serving specific institutions of higher learning, and identifying young men who are interested in Freemasonry and facilitating a safe environment for them to learn and grow. After months of meetings and planning, the Committee is finally ready to start working on a lodge under dispensation which will cater to City University of New York students. Any alumni, faculty, or staff from any CUNY institution, who wishes to take part in this historic event and become founding members of this lodge, are encouraged to contact the committee here.”