MasonicWorld’s Blog and News

In pursuit of his Christian duty, the Rev. Matthew Wissell used to dress up as a clown.

Pastor of Eastham United Methodist Church on Cape Cod and a Freemason, Wissell spent six years entertaining young burn victims at Shriners Hospital for Children in Boston. The Shriners are part of the Freemasons, the global fraternal organization founded in 18th-century England that spends millions of dollars on charitable works, motivated in part by its minimalist religious requirement that members profess faith in one God.

Wissell followed his grandfather’s footsteps into the Freemasons 15 years ago.

"As a United Methodist, we understand that faith is more than simply adhering to a group of beliefs," he said. "It’s living out our beliefs in the world in a very tangible way."  Read more…

Long before Sun Valley Co. cut ski runs on Bald Mountain, a group of men trekked to its peak each summer to confer upon one another the ancient and secretive rites of Freemasonry. They came from all walks of life; some were wealthy community leaders, others labored in the mines. All were "on the level," and considered equals in "the craft" of Masonry.

Hailey’s Masonic Lodge No. 16, one of the oldest in Idaho, was given status on the National Register of Historic Places last month. The occasion brought forward three "master masons" from Hailey to discuss the rituals and symbols of this ancient fraternal order.

"The Masons are much more open these days in terms of discussing the meaning of their symbols," said Ted Angle, the current "worshipful master" of the lodge, an archaic title that he believes adds too much religious connotation to his leadership position.  Read more…

The new Limestone Medical Center won’t officially open for about four month, but the ceremonies have already begun.

Masons for across Texas converged on Groesbeck last Friday to ceremoniously level two cornerstones at the facility.

"This is a special time for this city and county," said David B. Dibrell, past grand master of the Grand Lodge of Texas. "And this is special for us. It’s unusual for us to have the chance to level two cornerstones at one time."  Read more….

They are popularly known as a shadowy organization connected with the Holy Grail, the global illuminati and who knows what other manner of shadowy conspiracy theories.

But now the freemasons are hoping to reveal a new image to the public after years of misinformation.

Richard Goddard, the provincial grand master for Worcestershire, says he is hoping to radically modernise the public profile of freemasonry with a new policy of openness.

The secretive order was driven underground by persecution from the Nazis in the darkest days of the Second World War, and has kept itself hidden from the public eye ever since.

But Mr Goddard – whose order takes in much of Birmingham and has its headquarters in Kings Heath – said he wanted to shed the secret image.  Click here to read more.

This is your chance to win a one-of-a-kind limited edition 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8! There is only one left, and it will be auctioned off online this fall.

Powered by a 6.1 liter HEMI® V-8 engine that produces 425 horsepower and 420 lb.- ft. of torque, this muscle car stays true to Challenger heritage while delivering many modern amenities.

Win the online auction, and you’ll also be helping kids defy the odds at Shriners Hospitals for Children – a one-of-a-kind international health care system of 22 hospitals dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing pediatric specialty care to children with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate.

Win the Auction!!!

Shriners of North America.

The Masonic Temple of Philadelphia has always been shrouded in levels of mystery, but one of those will begin being lifted in time for the temple’s 135th anniversary Sept. 26.

"I think you’ll see scaffolding start to come down in the early fall," said Andrew A. Zellers-Frederick, executive director of the Masonic Library and Museum of Pennsylvania, who is overseeing the exterior restoration, expected to cost $8 million to $10 million.

The temple, on Broad Street just north of City Hall, is home of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania.

Continue Reading Click Here

Now not only are there an estimated 20,000 women freemasons in Britain alone, but their male counterparts in the United Grand Lodge of England have decided to give the ladies a pat on the back by celebrating their centenary year with a special exhibition at their headquarters in Covent Garden, starting on June 4. It will be the first British exhibition on women and their involvement with freemasonry.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/court_and_social/article3620126.ece

Other links:

One hundred years ago a new Masonic organisation was formed in London. It was the first Grand Lodge founded in England to admit men and women as members on an equal basis. From its formation in 1717, the governing body of English freemasonry had restricted its membership to men. By the end of the nineteenth century women were campaigning for full civic and legal rights and wanted to join Masonic lodges too. Women and Freemasonry: The Centenary exhibition at the Library and Museum of Freemasonry at Freemasons’ Hall in Covent Garden traces the history of their campaign. Women and Freemasonry: The Centenary runs from Wednesday 4 June to Friday 19 December 2008 (weekdays only) and is free of charge to all visitors.

http://www.freemasonry.london.museum/exhibits/women-freemasonry.php

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL, Minn., April 10 /PRNewswire/ — The University of Minnesota has received its largest gift ever — $65 million from Minnesota Masonic Charities — to the University of Minnesota Cancer Center. With this pledge, Masonic support of cancer research and care at the University of Minnesota over the past 53 years totals $100 million. In recognition of this record-breaking gift, the University of Minnesota Cancer Center will now be called the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota.

"The Masonic Fraternity is proud to expand its partnership with the Masonic Cancer Center for a cure. The gift is new, but the giving is not," said Raymond G. Christensen, M.D., Grand Master of the state’s nearly 17,000 Masons.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/masons-give-u-of-minnesota-65-million-for-cancer-research,347520.shtml

We updated our screensavers today.

The new screensavers were developed from our "premium" graphics we launched last month at MasonicSoftware.com. 

You can download your free screensavers at: http://www.masonicworld.com/screensaver

Enjoy!

Aspiring for world supremacy? Then the Russian Freemasons are not the group to join.

"Many walk away disappointed when they don’t find buttons to operate the world behind my armchair," Russia’s top Freemason, former presidential candidate Andrei Bogdanov, said jokingly in his office in central Moscow.

Freemasonry — whose obscure origins have been traced to sometime between the building of King Solomon’s temple in the 10th century B.C. and the 16th century A.D. — once boasted an elite following in Russia, including 18th- and 19th-century nobility, poet Alexander Pushkin, architect Vasily Bazhenov and war heroes Alexander Suvorov and Mikhail Kutuzov.

These days, however, it is a more modest order. Indeed, the secret fraternity does not count any billionaires or senior politicians as members, said three Freemasons and two historians.

Continue reading: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2008/03/28/002.html