‘World Conference chooses New York for 2027’

    

If you were looking forward to a trip to Cancún next November for the World Conference of Regular Masonic Grand Lodges, forget it—they’re coming to New York City!

The twentieth conference in Cape Town, South Africa concluded about a week and a half ago, but not before choosing the Grand Lodge of New York to host the 2027 event from November 8 to 12. It’s not for the first time, of course, as our Grand Lodge hosted the third conference in 1998.

Gil Calderon photo

MW William Sardone, MW Robert Hogan, and RW Richard Schulz in Cape Town last month at the Twentieth World Conference of Regular Masonic Grand Lodges.

Cancún had been the choice for next year, but—uh, buy me a beer sometime and I’ll tell you —so add this to your calendar. The conference’s theme, agenda, topics of discussion, etc. are yet to be decided, but I’ll certainly keep you updated.

If I had the chance to address the assembly, I’d welcome everyone to New York with an explanation of how Freemasonry here has been naturally international since the 1700s. We invented this kind of thing.

It’s no secret how New York City is not a first choice when national and multi-jurisdictional Masonic bodies look to place their annual meetings and other big events. Scottish Rite NMJ, General Grand Chapter, Grotto, and Shrine—despite having roots in New York—prefer other metropolises, like Grand Rapids. (Some say it’s kind of expensive here.) But now that everyone is talking about how the Masonic Library and Museum Association is coming this October, I guess other planners are giving the city a second look.

Gil Calderon photo

FRONT AND CENTER—MW Robert L. Hogan, Jr., center column on right, at the World Conference of Regular Masonic Grand Lodges in South Africa last month.

Congratulations to the Most Worshipful Robert L. Hogan, Jr., Grand Master of Masons in the State of New York, for landing Conference XXI.