‘Exploring the Role of Masonic Research Lodges in the 21st Century’

    

The announcement is out, so let me be the last to share the great news of a conference being planned to discuss the purpose of research lodges in Freemasonry today. This collective effort will be hosted by William O. Ware Lodge of Research in Kentucky with support from the Rubicon Masonic Society, Lexington Lodge 1, and the Philalethes Society at Spindletop Hall on the weekend of September 19.

Being active in three research lodges, I certainly will be there.

Rubicon Masonic Society

A glimpse of last year’s festive board.

On the night of Friday, September 19, a festive board awaits us. This thirteenth annual Rubicon Masonic Society black tie affair will bring MW John L. Cooper, III, Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of California, to the lectern for the keynote address “Delivering the Message of Freemasonry.”

The conference itself, “Exploring the Role of Masonic Research Lodges in the 21st Century,” will follow on Saturday. W. John Bizzack, the principal organizer of this event, will begin the day; and W. Brent Morris will share the findings of his current survey of research lodges and societies.

During the majority of the day, all in attendance will be expected to participate (and, man, do I have a lot to say!), so there will be no schedule of speakers, and this definitely is not a meeting for presenting research papers.

Conference moderators will be MW David Cameron of Ontario; RW David Daugherty of Ohio; RW Andrew Hammer of the Masonic Restoration Foundation; and W. Rich Hanson of Kentucky.

Three dozen research lodges and societies from across North America, plus the British Isles and Australia, have committed to attend this conference. If you are a research lodge Mason, you should get there too. Read all about it here, and I’ll see you there.