England rugger star joins the Craft

Former England rugby star, Steve Thompson MBE, has joined the Craft. The hooker who lifted the Word Cup in 2003 has joined ... Webb Ellis Lodge No 9740.

Here is how the news was reported on the Northamptonshire and Huntingdonshire provincial website

Webb Ellis Lodge No 9740 was honoured to initiate former England and Northampton Saints hero, Steve Thompson MBE on the 14 June. 104 masons attended the initiation at Sheaf Close Northampton.

 

(l to r) Bro Steve Miles SW, Bro Steve Thompson, VWBro Wayne Williams WM & WBro Steve James JW

At the festive board in response to the Masters Toast, the Worshipful Master, VW Bro Wayne Williams, Past Assistant Provincial Grand Master, had everybody in stitches when he recounted his pleasure in undertaking the initiation.

"As I sat there in my chair elevated by the pedestal, a mere lad from the Rhondda Valley, there standing before me appeared the man mountain, Stephen Thompson MBE, hooker for ten seasons for Northampton Saints, 73 caps for England – England's the most capped hooker – British Lion and World Cup winner.

The temple hushed in expectation as I said, 'You will kneel on your left knee.' Something many a Welsh front row would have loved to have achieved - but regrettably, never did."

I should get a few beers on that story in Cardiff when attending Provincial Grand Chapter in South Wales!"

Here is Steve in a more familiar look..

 

 

Freemasonry used for fraud in Kenya

This article from the Nairobian is a warning to any place where Freemasonry has suddenly become popular...

Every afternoon from 3pm, a procession of posh cars with tinted windows delivers an average of 70 ‘worshipful brothers’ — many of them prominent Nairobians — to the Masonic temple located off Nyerere Road.
Long considered a preserve of the rich and famous, the secretive Freemasons now seem to be attracting hordes of potential followers from unlikely quarters.
Not too long ago, any association with the organisation, which some believe worships the devil and has bizarre rituals, would have inspired deep furrows of the brow. But, as The Nairobian found out in its investigations, things seem to be changing — and they are not all glittery.
Desperate Nairobians out to do everything to join this exclusive fraternity, are now falling into the hands of conmen, who at a fee are promising membership.
“They (the con artists) hang around the gate and speak to curious visitors, who want to join. Since it is not easy for anyone to just walk in here, the promise to give access is usually given at a high price,” a worker at the Masonic Hall, who sought anonymity for fear of losing his job, told us.
The cons have gone the extra mile by setting up blogs and websites that hawk their services. One of the sites has the banner, “How to join Freemasonry worldwide” and goes on to boast: “In Freemasonry we believe that we were born in paradise and no member should struggle in this world. Hence all our new members are given Money Rewards once they join in order to upgrade their lifestyle.”
This site that lists registration fees of up to Sh20,000 to join Freemasonry promises a reward of  $200,000 (Sh16.6 million) immediately after joining.
Facing hard times, a number of Kenyans, who regard the mysterious organisation as a short cut to riches, are also posting their numbers online in sites where Freemasonry is mentioned, hoping that someone will contact them.
When we called one of the numbers listed, the man who answered the call said he was ready to pay Sh1 million to be a Freemason while another pledged to offer any sacrifice asked for, in a shocking revelation of the lengths some are prepared to go for supposed wealth found in Freemansonry.
“To ensure that I only deal with serious people and also limiting the number of petitions, I require that you send Sh1,500 through M-Pesa to (number redacted) after which I will call you to arrange on how we can socially meet and get to introduce you to a lodge of convenience,” a statement in one of the online fraudsters reads.
With such enticement, it is no wonder then that some have been conned. Take one Jacob Ouma, who posted his experience in one of the sites: “I met a guy who promised to help me. I sent the amount to him then he switched his phone off until now.”
The increased efforts to join the Freemason come at a time when the organisations, once a shadowy and exclusive fraternal society, that dates back to medieval Britain, has been putting efforts to open up to the public.
Early this year, the fraternity released a book titled Freemasonry Explained Pocket Book of Facts, Myths, Misconceptions and FAQ’s on Freemasonry authored by their ‘Orator' (someone allowed to speak to the public) Prof Bill Lore. We were unable to reach the professor as he was said to be out of the country.

Admiral Jellicoe masonic pic for sale

This photograph of Earl Jellicoe (1859-1935) in his masonic attire is one of two pictures of the Admiral that will go under the hammer at International Autograph Auctions in London on June 8.

He was Admiral of the Fleet during World War One, and this picture is signed by him. They are estimated to sell for £100-120.

From Wiki: Admiral of the Fleet John Rushworth Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, GCB, OM, GCVO SGM (5 December 1859 – 20 November 1935) was a Royal Navy officer. He fought in the Egyptian war and the Boxer Rebellion and commanded the Grand Fleet at the Battle of Jutland in May 1916 during World War I. His handling of the fleet at that battle was controversial: he made no serious mistakes and the German High Seas Fleet retreated to port – at a time when defeat would have been catastrophic for Britain – but at the time the British public were disappointed that the Royal Navy had not won a victory on the scale of the Battle of Trafalgar. Jellicoe later served as First Sea Lord but was removed at the end of 1917 as a result of his pessimistic view, declaring that nothing could be done to defeat the U-boats. He also served as the Governor-General of New Zealand in the early 1920s.

Charity begins at home

The Masonic Temple in Detroit narrowly avoided heading to auction over unpaid back taxes. (Max Ortiz)

From the Detroit News


The Masonic Temple has paid off its back tax bill to the city of Detroit, after an anonymous donor contributed the entire outstanding total of $142,000. According to the Wayne County Treasurer’s office, the payment posted Thursday, just four days before the June 3 deadline that would have sent the world’s largest Masonic Temple to the county auction block.
“That was a blessing,” Masonic Temple Association President Roger Sobran said Thursday.
The payment had been wired much earlier in the month, according to David Szymanski, Wayne County’s chief deputy treasurer, but information identifying the parcel was missing so the payment wasn’t credited until Thursday. An earlier payment of $10,000 on the bill was made in April, Sobran said, and a Masonic lodge contributed additional money Wednesday.
The building takes up the entire 500 block of Temple Street just north of downtown. It has 1,037 rooms and multiple theater and entertainment venues. It was placed on the state’s Historic Registry in 1964 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Generations of Metro Detroiters have seen stage productions, concerts, graduations and other events at the facility. Construction began in 1920 and the temple was dedicated in 1926.
The temple association fell behind on its taxes after a brief partnership last year with a management company that left the association $500,000 in debt. That partnership has ended and there now is a lawsuit between the two parties, Sobran said. While the threat of a tax auction has been stayed, the partnership that prompted the Masonic’s financial difficulty has emerged as another threat to the association’s continued ownership of the temple.
A lawsuit and counter lawsuit over breach of contract and related issues pending in Wayne County Circuit Court show that the Masonic Association entered into a purchase agreement to sell the building to Halberd Holdings LLC, which was also contracted to manage the temple. But the Masons terminated the contract because the management company “failed in its mission” to operate the temple. The formal relationship between the two began in October 2011 and ended in November 2012, according to court documents.
In the suit, the association contends Halberd failed to pay bills or employees on time, stole parking lot revenue, lost deposits from clients and allowed underage drinking at the concert of DJ Pauly D, star of the “Jersey Shore” reality show. The suit also alleges a Halberd employee may have made “racially derogatory comments about African-Americans.”
The lawsuit further claims that Halberd hired a convicted sex offender, and that a worker overseeing tax and accounting services had been convicted of bank fraud.
The lawsuit states: “Halberd completely failed in its mission ... resulting in promoters refusing to do business with the Masonic Temple, vendors refusing to provide services without upfront payments.” Attorneys for the group declined comment Friday.
The counter-suit filed by Halberd says the Masonic Temple was overwhelmed with $900,000 debt when the management company stepped in and the relationship with the association quickly deteriorated.
The suit is still wending its way through court. In the meantime, the Temple has hosted a sold-out show that sold 4,200 tickets to see Sixto Rodriguez, the Detroit guitarist and singer who toiled in obscurity until he was highlighted by the recent Oscar-winning documentary of his career, “Searching for Sugar Man.”
Upcoming shows include both Engelbert Humperdinck and Adam Ant, plus the temple is used as a film location for movies and television shows, and is rented for weddings, Sobran said, including two this weekend.

boconnor@detroitnews.com
(313) 222-2145
Staff Writer Louis Aguilar contributed.

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130531/BIZ/305300063#ixzz2VGL7fFPO

Priest in trouble over Freemasonry

The BBC has the following report of an issue in France involving the Catholic Church and Freemasonry.

Pic caption: Father Pascal Vesin is seen outside his church in Megeve on Friday

A Roman Catholic parish priest at an elite French ski resort has been stripped of his Church functions for refusing to renounce Freemasonry.

Father Pascal Vesin was ordered by his bishop to cease his work in the Alpine resort of Megeve, the parish said.

Bishop Yves Boivineau had warned Fr Vesin about his "active membership" of the Grand Orient de France lodge.

Freemasonry has been condemned as anti-Christian and anti-clerical by various popes through history.

Bishop Boivineau ordered the priest to cease his functions "at Rome's request", the parish said.

In March, the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith - effectively the Church's watchdog - asked for the priest's departure.

Three members of the diocese of Annecy then met him but Fr Vesin said he would not leave the lodge.

A statement from the diocese quoted by Le Figaro newspaper stressed that the penalty imposed on the Freemason priest was not final and could yet be lifted because "mercy goes hand in hand with truth".

Fr Vesin has been parish priest of Sainte-Anne d'Arly Montjoie in Megeve since 2004, according to another French newspaper, Le Messager.

In an interview in January, he set out liberal views of the Church's role. He said he favoured allowing some priests to marry and said he had refused to endorse a demonstration against same-sex marriage in Paris.

Conspiracy theories and controversy have dogged the Freemasons throughout their existence, fuelled by their secretive image, though for some they are just a gentleman's club devoted to charitable giving.

Victoria Cross

This object featured in the latest edition of the Knole News - the newsletter for Masons meeting at The Knole in Bournemouth, Dorset, where there is a splendid museum. Here follows the article about it.

Probably our most prized jewel is a Founders jewel from Hope Chapter No.2153 which meets at
Horndean, Hants and IOW. It belonged to Norman Finch VC. He won his decoration at the Battle of
Zeebrugge in 1918 which cost the lives of 188 men and 384 wounded. This action was so heroic
that the War Office decided to award a VC but were unable to select the actual recipient. Most
unusually, they decided to ask the survivors themselves to ballot and Norman Finch won by a large
majority for his action, when despite being seriously wounded himself, he continued to man the
surviving machine gun under enemy fire thus saving many lives until his gun was hit and put out of
action. He was further honoured by being invited to be a member of the burial party at the interment
of the Unknown Soldier at Westminster Abbey in 1919. This jewel was loaned to the Grand Lodge
Museum for inclusion in the exhibition “Most Glorious of them All” in January 2006 where it was one of very few genuine Masonic artefacts associated with a winner of the VC on display at the
Exhibition.