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First, it was explained how the three-man committee is newly restaffed. Previously, the committee was comprised of Chairman Piers Vaughan with Richard Powell and Daniel DiNatale. Today it’s Chairman Hubbard with Stephan Carter and Briggs Houston—both also of Alcyone Lodge—with the three previous committeemen now serving as advisors.
There are four lodges at labor under our Grand Lodge (of 427 lodges) that have been certified as Observant: Queensbury 121, Alcyone, Harmonie 699, and Ecclesia 1189. (It’s worth mentioning how no certified Observant lodges are found in New York City! I’m not sure what to make of that.) Chairman Hubbard writes:
“With only four out of over 400 lodges certified as Observant, it became clear that this committee in its previous format was servicing less than 1 percent of New York lodges in any practical manner. Our objective was to redefine the scope of work beyond a mere certifying body, and expand it to provide resources that would be relevant to 100 percent of the lodges in the jurisdiction. The true purpose of the Observant Masonry movement and this committee is to ensure the survival and prosperity of the Craft by disseminating resources which can be implemented by any lodge to revitalize and revolutionize its Masonic practice. Whether that lodge seeks the path of Masonic Observance or picks and chooses which aspects work for their lodge culture is their choice, but in either circumstance the committee is there to assist.”
It’s time to reminisce a little. There is no connection between the Grand Lodge of New York and the Masonic Restoration Foundation. I hereby promise and swear I don’t know the reason for that, but I once was told that about a decade ago, the Grand Lodge made it known it wouldn’t want its lodges aligned with the MRF. New York lodges then listed on the MRF’s website soon were delisted.
This reminds me of that essential cabal meeting* at Gadsby’s in February 2008 when the discussion of what then was called Traditional Observance Masonry included the caution “You can’t serve two masters,” meaning a lodge looking to include T.O. ideas into its practices had better understand that fealty to its grand lodge should dwarf any appreciation of the MRF.
Back to the present. W. Bro. Hubbard goes on to say the GLNY’s Observant certification guidelines were redefined “to create a flexible, but comprehensive standalone document that described not only the objectives of the initiative, but provided a practical template for lodges to implement.”
If I understand correctly, this is in the form of a book, Guidelines for Practice and Certification, a copy of which I now am seeking to obtain. Got it. Click here. Hubbard continues:
“Another aspect of the new Guidelines was to revise the mission statement of the GLNY Observant Masonry initiative to reflect the mandate of expanded relevance mentioned previously in this report. Part of that included redefining the controversial OM designation–the only of its kind in existence–from a perceived title of exclusivity to one of service. Lodges choosing to pursue and bear the OM designation henceforth must commit to bettering the Craft at large by serving as an exemplar and ambassador of the program, offering themselves as a practical regional resource to other lodges that wish to implement Observant practices.”
For more on this forward thinking project, visit the Observant Masonry page on Grand Lodge’s website here.
Bravo to the committee! Huzzah!
Really strange there aren’t OM certified lodges in the city.
*There is no cabal.
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