From the Grand Secretary: Freemasonry Universal

From the Grand Secretary

Freemasonry Universal

Mansour Hatefi, PGM

Grand Secretary

Once again, our constituent lodges came scope and content and a source of much pride for together recently in a spirit of brotherhood us all. Universal Lodge is comprised of representaand fellowship to celebrate the diversity and tives of our constituent lodges occupying a station or universality of our noble Craft. place, at one point or another during the meeting, and What had been at one time a relatively minor weekend program with the participation of a limited group of brothers, has evolved communicating in almost a dozen different tongues, providing yet another manifestation of the universality of Freemasonry. into a major celebratory The Universal Lodge series of events, with Masons from both sides of In the final decade frequently serves as the venue for conducting one the Atlantic wending their or more highly impressive way to America’s capital city for fraternal exchanges of the last century “Twinning Ceremonies”, a precedent established and Masonic fellowship. This annual gathering, now and overflowing into since the inception of these annual celebrations. called Universal Brotherhood Celebration, provides the new millennium, These ceremonies bring together lodges sharing a an unforgettable assortspecial affinity with their ment of inter-cultural experiences, fraternal and what initially began counterpart lodges in other parts of the world, social, in which men of diverse ethnicities meet on as an earnest effort further strengthening the global ties of our fraternity. the level and in the interest of universal benevolence and understanding. The activities of the to promote diversity within our fraternity, How and when did all this begin? I do not intend to recount the story of one of the most significant chapUniversal Brotherhood ters in the history of our Celebrations, without question, immensely strengthen eventually turned Grand Lodge, as it is a matter of record and is the ties by which we are linked, Masonically, with into a quest to briefly covered elsewhere in this issue of The Voice. like-minded men throughout the world. By their spread the axiom of However, I deem it necessary to mention how this presence, high ranking evolution came about in delegations, representing sister Grand Lodges from near and far, add a new dimension to the richness and diversity of Freemasonry in our own jurisdiction. this jurisdiction. The 1990 admission of Mehr Lodge No. 90, as a new constituent lodge in our Grand Jurisdiction, at the request of a good numMasonic universality. One of the program highlights of the Celebration ber of brethren with Iranian Masonic background, is the Universal Lodge meeting, now a permanent was the result of the recognition of the need for a fixture of this highly praised annual Masonic festival, culturally diverse lodge operating in tandem with in Washington, DC This event is truly unique in its traditional lodges located in Washington DC. Mehr