 Seal of the Grand Lodge of Connecticut A.F. & A.M. | |
| Formation | May, 1789 |
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| Location | |
Region | Connecticut |
| Website | ctfreemasons.net |
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| Freemasonry |
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The Grand Lodge of Ancient Free & Accepted Masons of the State of Connecticut is the main governing body of Freemasonry in the U.S. state of Connecticut as recognized by the United Grand Lodge of England. [1] The Grand Lodge of Connecticut is headquartered at Wallingford, Connecticut.
Freemasonry was first established in Connecticut from the city of New Haven in 1750. [2] David Wooster was the charter Master of "The Lodge at New Haven", which later became Hiram Lodge No. 1. This lodge was formed under warrant from St. John's Provincial Grand Lodge at Boston. [3]
The Grand Lodge of Connecticut was founded on July 8, 1789 with Pierpont Edwards as its first Grand Master. At the founding of the Grand Lodge of Connecticut, it had 14 lodges with five more being chartered in the following two years. The first lodge chartered by the Grand Lodge of Connecticut was Moriah Lodge No. 15 in Brooklyn Connecticut constituted on October 15, 1790.
In 1887, Hiram Lodge challenged the authority of the Grand Lodge of Connecticut to dictate the style of ritual it would use. [4]
As in most Masonic jurisdictions, membership in a Masonic Lodge under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Connecticut is open to any male over 18 years of age who believes in a Supreme Being and is of sound moral character. One member of a Local Lodge being petitioned must be willing to sign his petition as Recommender, and any other Master Mason must sign as Avoucher. His election is by unanimous consent. In addition, Connecticut Lodges require a candidate to be a Connecticut resident for at least one year.
On October 14, 1989, the Grand Lodge of Connecticut became the first Mainstream Grand Lodge in the United States to formally recognize and maintain the recognition of Prince Hall Freemasonry. Both Grand Lodges allow dual-membership rights for its members.
Freemasonry, sometimes spelled Free-Masonry or simply Masonry from 'freestone mason', includes various fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 14th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities and clients. Freemasonry is the oldest fraternity in the world and among the oldest continued organizations in history.
The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry is a rite within the broader context of Freemasonry. It is the most widely practiced Rite in the world. In some parts of the world, and in the Droit Humain, it is a concordant body and oversees all degrees from the 1st to 33rd degrees, while in other areas, a Supreme Council oversees the 4th to 33rd degrees.
A Masonic lodge, also called a private lodge or constituent lodge, is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry.
The history of Freemasonry encompasses the origins, evolution and defining events of the fraternal organisation known as Freemasonry. It covers three phases. Firstly, the emergence of organised lodges of operative masons during the Middle Ages, then the admission of lay members as "accepted" or "speculative" masons, and finally the evolution of purely speculative lodges, and the emergence of Grand Lodges to govern them. The watershed in this process is generally taken to be the formation of the first Grand Lodge in London in 1717. The two difficulties facing historians are the paucity of written material, even down to the 19th century, and the misinformation generated by masons and non-masons alike from the earliest years.
Prince Hall was an American abolitionist and leader in the free black community in Boston. He founded Prince Hall Freemasonry and lobbied for education rights for African American children. He was also active in the back-to-Africa movement.
Prince Hall Freemasonry is a branch of North American Freemasonry created for African Americans founded by Prince Hall on September 29, 1784. Prince Hall Freemasonry is the oldest and largest predominantly African-American fraternity in the United States.
Freemasonry in Malta has a lengthy history dating from the eighteenth century. The main masonic influences have been from the United Grand Lodge of England, the Grand Lodge of Scotland, and the Grand Lodge of Ireland. Today Regular Freemasonry is under the jurisdiction of the English Constitution since 1815, the Sovereign Grand Lodge of Malta, which was formed in 2004 as well as the Grand Lodge of Scotland.
The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, officially The Right Worshipful Grand Lodge of the Most Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania and Masonic Jurisdictions Thereunto Belonging, sometimes referred to as Freemasons of Pennsylvania, is the premier masonic organization in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Grand Lodge claims to be the oldest in the United States, and the third-oldest in the world after England and Ireland, having been originally established as the Provincial Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania in 1731. This claim is disputed by both the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts and the Grand Lodge of Virginia.
This is a general survey on the historical and modern presence of Freemasonry in countries located in Asia.
This is a chronology of the formation of "regular" or "mainstream" Masonic Grand Lodges in North America, descending from the Premier Grand Lodge of England or its rival, the Antient Grand Lodge of England. A Grand Lodge is the governing body that supervises "Craft" Freemasonry in a particular jurisdiction or geographical area.
The Grand Lodge of Kansas Ancient Free & Accepted Masons is the governing body that supervise Freemasonry in the U.S. state of Kansas. The Grand Lodge of Kansas is headquartered in Emporia, Kansas.
Continental Freemasonry, otherwise known as Liberal Freemasonry, Latin Freemasonry, and Adogmatic Freemasonry, includes the Masonic lodges, primarily on the European continent, that recognize the Grand Orient de France (GOdF) or belong to CLIPSAS, SIMPA, CIMAS, COMAM, CATENA, GLUA, or any of various other international organizations of Liberal, i.e., Continental Freemasonry. The larger number of Freemasons, most of whom live in the United States–where Regular Freemasonry holds a virtual monopoly–belong to Masonic lodges that recognize the United Grand Lodge of England and do not recognize Continental Freemasons, regarding them as "irregular".
A Research lodge is a particular type of Masonic lodge which is devoted to Masonic research. It is a lodge, and as such has a charter from some Grand Lodge. However, it does not confer degrees, and restricts membership to Master Masons of some jurisdiction in amity with the jurisdiction that the research lodge is in. Related to research lodges are Masonic research societies, which serve the same purpose but function fundamentally differently. There are research lodges in most countries where Freemasonry exists.
The Grand Lodge of Ohio, formally known as the Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of Ohio, is the governing body of the largest group of Masonic lodges in Ohio. The Grand Lodge of Ohio follows the Anglo-American tradition of Freemasonry that is common in the United States. In 2023, the Grand Lodge reported a total membership of 75,000 Master Masons.
Freemasonry in Lebanon started with the chartering of a Lodge by the Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1861, and has expanded to include Lodges working in Arabic, English, and French and chartered under multiple jurisdictions and streams. There are four regular and recognised Jurisdictions, and over two dozens of clandestine and irregular lodges
The Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free And Accepted Masons of New Mexico is the oldest and largest of the two regular Masonic Grand Lodges in the State of New Mexico. It was founded on August 7, 1877, in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
African Lodge, No. 459 was the founding lodge of Prince Hall Freemasonry. It is the lodge from which all modern Prince Hall Lodges trace their descent.
Freemasonry in the United States is the history of Freemasonry as it was introduced from Britain and continues as a major secret society to the present day. It is a fraternal order that brings men together to gain friendship and opportunity for advancement and community progress. It has been nonpolitical except for a period around 1820 when it came under heavy attack in the Northeast. That attack reduced membership, but it recovered and grew after 1850. Growth ended in the late 20th century, and membership has declined.
