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When a new Brother is Initiated into a Craft Lodge, he is invested with an apron during the ceremony. When a new Companion is Exalted into a Chapter, he is invested with a different apron and also has an additional jewel and sash to wear.

The ribbons and the background to the Royal Arch logo on the apron change from white to red then blue as the Companion progresses in the order.

Happy Valentines Day to our NHS

100 Doctors and Nurses at Stoke Mandeville Hospital received Chocolate Hearts or Chocolate Roses courtesy of Buckinghamshire Freemasons.

Bill Smithson, a member of   went on a shopping spree across Bucks from Milton Keynes to Aylesbury to buy the chocolates ready for Valentines Day.  Bill said “ In an overstretched NHS the staff don’t stop caring and neither should we”

The chocolates were donated to Elaine at the Hospital’s Acts of Kindness Team, for her to distribute, and later this morning she wrote “Thanks again Bill, I have shared them with A&E, the Medical Doctors team, the same day emergency assessment department, and wards 15,16,17 & 18….They were delighted !”

A further 20 gifts were left by Bill for The   staff to let them know they are always close to our hearts in Freemasonry.

 

The Officers in a Royal Arch Chapter have different names to those in a Craft Lodge but have equivalent roles.

A Chapter is conjointly ruled by the Most Excellent Zerubbabel, Haggai and Joshua and are called the Principals whereas a Lodge is ruled over by the Worshipful Master. They each carry a sceptre and wear colourful robes.

Scribe Ezra is the equivalent of a Secretary and Scribe Nehemiah is like the Inner Guard. The Janitor outside the door is the same as a Tyler.

A Chapter has 3 additional officers called Sojourners. They are an integral part of the joining ceremony which is known as an Exaltation.

The remaining officers have the same names as their Craft counterparts: Treasurer, Director of Ceremonies, Almoner, Charity Steward, Assistant Director of Ceremonies and Stewards.

All officers wear collars with the jewel of their office appended but are coloured red.

When Initiated into a Lodge, a Brother joins Craft Freemasonry. The Supreme Degree of the Royal Arch is a continuation of his Masonic Journey which has an indissoluble link to the Craft. The Joining Ceremony for the Royal Arch is called an Exaltation. The members are called Companions and they meet in Chapters.

Chapters, like Lodges, are grouped into Provinces, based on old County boundaries, with the Supreme Grand Chapter overseeing all of the Provinces.

Joining the Royal Arch is the natural progression from the Craft as the Ceremony addresses the missing knowledge from the events described in Third Degree Ceremony. Membership of the Royal Arch is also a gateway into joining many other Orders within Freemasonry.

This week, eight lodges in Buckinghamshire have initiated 14 new members into Freemasonry.
Our centres in Aylesbury, Marlow, Slough, Beaconsfiled, Wolverton, Stony Stratford, and Bletchley all celebrated 12DX (Twelve Days of Christmas) in style, with a final total of sixty initiations being conducted in the season.

There were many amazing highlights, including triple initations at both Temple Manor Lodge and Dagmar Lodge. 
Newly made Bro Toby was initiated into Temple Manor Lodge by his father, in the company of his uncle and grandfather. 

In total, Buckinghamshire Freemasons have presented the 'Gift of Freemasonry' to over 150 people during the last three seasons of 12DX. Over 80 lodges have participated in this annual event. 

For general enquiries about joining:
If you are based in Buckinghamshire, please use this link: https://buckspgl.org/joinFor people elsewhere in the UK and around the world, please use this link: https://www.ugle.org.uk/.../find-your-nearest.../lookup-area

One Can Trust, Registered Charity Number 1148626 has operated a Food Bank and offer advice to struggling families in high Wycombe since 2011 to serve the Town and the wider area of South Buckinghamshire. They have since expanded to hold two Toddler Groups, a Children & Adults Clothes Bank, Community Café and Anti Natal Class

BMCF have donated £2,000 which will go towards ensuring that deprived families with children receive support including Children’s Presents over Christmas and have recently received the following Testimonial:

Christmas is a particularly difficult time for many of our clients and last year so many asked for help with Christmas decorations, food and even gifts for their children. We found the Buckinghamshire Masonic Centenary Fund on-line. The application process was very simple and we were delighted to hear back quickly that our application of £2000 had been granted. This money will allow us to have a Christmas Fund that we can draw upon to provide much needed gifts and festive items for the many families who simply cannot afford Christmas this year.

We cannot thank the Buckinghamshire Masonic Centenary Fund enough for their support this year. It is going to make such a difference to so many.

Thank you

Kim, Carrie and Shannon. 

This week, ten lodges in Buckinghamshire have initiated 15 new members into Freemasonry.
Our centres in Aylesbury, Beaconsfield, Marlow, Slough, and Newport Pagnell all celebrated 12DX (Twelve Days of Christmas) in style, and our running total now sits at 48 initiations.

There were many amazing highlights, including bell ringing at the Festive Board at Old Pals Lodge in Slough by volunteers from Friends of Langley Park.

We also welcomed a new member to the Lodge of Concorde; Bro. Paul embarked on his Masonic journey with the help of the Lodge's airside safety unit, complete with ceremonial marshalling paddles at the ready. 

In total, Buckinghamshire Freemasons will present the 'Gift of Freemasonry' to over 60 people during the season. Over 40 lodges are participating between now and the 19th of December. 

For general enquiries about joining:
If you are based in Buckinghamshire, please use this link: https://buckspgl.org/joinFor people elsewhere in the UK and around the world, please use this link: https://www.ugle.org.uk/.../find-your-nearest.../lookup-area

The superstition that Friday the 13th is unlucky may have become associated with Freemasonry through the Knights Templar, a group that is said to have discovered secrets of the Masons: 

The Knights Templar
According to conspiracy theorists, the Knights Templar discovered information about the Holy Grail and the bloodline of Christ, and may have had connections with Freemasons. In 1307, King Philip IV ordered the arrest of de Molay and other Knight Templar leaders which then led to the torture & execution of Templars in a number of European countries on Friday, October 13. This date is said to have influenced the superstition of Friday the 13th

Founded around 1118 as a monastic military order devoted to the protection of pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land following the Christian capture of Jerusalem during the First Crusade, the Knights Templar quickly became one of the richest and most influential groups of the Middle Ages, thanks to lavish donations from the crowned heads of Europe, eager to curry favour with the fierce Knights. By the turn of the 14th century, the Templars had established a system of castles, churches and banks throughout Western Europe. And it was this astonishing wealth that would lead to their downfall.

For the Templars, that end began in the early morning hours of Friday, October 13, 1307.

In the days and weeks that followed that fateful Friday, more than 600 Templars were arrested, including Grand Master Jacques de Molay, and the Order’s treasurer. But while some of the highest-ranking members were caught up in Philip’s net, so too were hundreds of non-warriors; middle-aged men who managed the day-to-day banking and farming activities that kept the organization humming. The men were charged with a wide array of offenses including heresy, devil worship and spitting on the cross, homosexuality, fraud and financial corruption.

In the spring of 1314, Grand Master Molay and several other Templars were burned at the stake in Paris, bringing an end to their remarkable era, and launching an even longer-lasting theory about the evil possibilities of Friday the 13th.

This week seven lodges in Buckinghamshire have delivered the Gift of Freemasonry to their candidates.
Our centres in Aylesbury, Bletchley, Marlow, Slough, Thame and Wolverton all celebrated 12DX (Twelve Days of Christmas) in style.
There were many amazing highlights, including the annual hat-wearing dinner at Haddenham Lodge. We extend our congratulations to everyone involved in the raucous carol singing at the festive board! Kudos to our Provincial Junior Grand Warden for delivering a stunning solo rendition of "In the Bleak Midwinter" to a hip-hop beat.

In total, Buckinghamshire Freemasons will present the gift of Freemasonry to over 60 people during the season. Over 40 lodges are participating between now and the 19th of December. 

For general enquiries about joining:
If you are based in Buckinghamshire, please use this link: https://buckspgl.org/joinFor people elsewhere in the UK and around the world, please use this link: https://www.ugle.org.uk/.../find-your-nearest.../lookup-area

Stoke Mandeville Spinal Research Charity Number 1183744 was founded in 2006, (SMSR) is an independent, national charity seeking to promote quality of life in people with spinal cord injury (SCI) through research. Our vision is to enable people with spinal cord injury to have life after paralysis without the setbacks of debilitating health complications. They work closely with the National Spinal Injuries Centre (NSIC) and other healthcare settings to help deliver the best research outcomes that will improve the quality of life for those living with SCI.

BMCF have donated £1,000 towards new equipment for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) functions controlled by the cerebral cortex and have recently received the following Testimonial:

The research team is using ‘transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)’, a non-invasive medical procedure that uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain in order to determine how well TMS can assess the extent of damage to the neural pathways. The upgraded equipment for which Stoke Mandeville Spinal Research has been raising funds will allow them to do this in greater depth and with greater accuracy, thus helping them tailor activity-based rehabilitation to each individual’s need . We are most grateful to the Trustees of the Buckinghamshire Masonic Centenary Fund for their interest and support of our efforts to improve the quality of life for people living with spinal cord injury. Your generous gift of £1,000 has gone towards the purchase of new equipment for a study involving 44 patients with tetraplegia at the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke.

The Photos include Dr. Paul Sutton and Rowan Boyles both of Imperial College London

Karen Favell    

Lodges in Buckinghamshire have delivered the Gift of Freemasonry to six wonderful people this week! A warm welcome to you all!
Our centres in Newport Pagnell, Stony Stratford, Little Kimble, Marlow, and Slough all celebrated 12DX (the Twelve Days of Christmas) in style.
There were many amazing highlights, including Bro. Robbie acting as Junior Deacon to escort his father, Bro. Gordon, around the lodge and be the first to welcome him into Freemasonry! We extend our heartfelt congratulations to both Bro. Gordon as a new Freemason and Robbie on his newfound status as a Lewis!

In total, Buckinghamshire Freemasons will present the gift of Freemasonry to 65 people during the season. Over 40 lodges are participating between now and the 19th of December. 

For general enquiries about joining:
If you are based in Buckinghamshire, please use this link: https://buckspgl.org/joinFor people elsewhere in the UK and around the world, please use this link: https://www.ugle.org.uk/.../find-your-nearest.../lookup-area

November 15th 1943 was the day seven Freemasons created a Masonic lodge while imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp and in recent times a sculpture commemorating them was unveiled.

Liberté Chérie (French for "Cherished Liberty") was a Masonic Lodge founded in 1943 by Belgian Resistance fighters and other political prisoners at Esterwegen concentration camp. It was one of the few lodges of Freemasons founded within a Nazi concentration camp during the Second World War.

The lodge was created on November 15th, 1943 inside Hut 6 of Emslandlager VII and located in Esterwegen, Lower Saxony, Germany.

Paul Hanson was elected master. The brethren met for lodge work in Hut 6 around a table, which was otherwise used for cartridge sorting. A Catholic priest stood watch, so that the brethren could hold their meetings, and protected their secrecy.

The seven Freemasons who created the lodge were:
Paul Hanson, Luc Somerhausen, Jean Sugg, Franz Rochat, Guy Hannecart, Amédée Miclotte, and Degueldre.

Olney Masonic Club - Making Dreams Come True!

What started as a simple conversation led W Bro Eugene Matthias, our 'Freemasonry in the Community' coordinator, to the Cowper & Newton Museum in Olney and became something extraordinary.

The museum had long dreamed of a new kitchen and a beautifully redecorated shop to enhance the visitors' experience. Unfortunately, rising costs made those dreams seem unattainable.

But dreams do come true! The Olney Masonic Club stepped in, teaming up with Bathrooms by Harpers (Ed & Mario) to bring this dream to life. 

The museum needed £600 to reach its goal, and we were proud to cover the shortfall. Ed and Mario went above and beyond to ensure everything was perfect.

To celebrate this special occasion, the museum staff and OMC (Freemasons) marked the presentation in style, dressing up to commemorate the moment.