Grand Lodge of the Philippines

Last updated
Grand Lodge of the Philippines
The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippines
HeadquartersNew Plaridel Masonic Temple
Location
  • Manila, Philippines
Region served
  • Philippines
  • China (formerly)
  • Japan
  • South Korea
  • Marianas Islands
  • South Vietnam (formerly)
Grand Master
Don Ramas-Uypitching
Website grandlodge.ph

The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippines is the organizational body based on the Philippines that governs Freemasonry. It currently has its offices at the Plaridel Masonic Temple, a historic building in Ermita, Manila.

Contents

History

Historical marker installed in 2012 Grand Lodge of Masons of the Philippines historical marker (English).jpg
Historical marker installed in 2012

In 1912, three American Lodges owing allegiance to the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of California were already established in the Philippines. Those were Manila Lodge No. 342, Cavite Lodge No. 350 and Corregidor Lodge No. 386. The three lodges held a meeting on November 17, 1912 to fix a date for the First Convention of the delegates selected and to be selected for the purpose of considering the organization of a Grand Lodge.

The Grand Lodge was officially formed on December 19, 1912. At first, this Grand Lodge remained a Regional Grand Lodge, convoking its own Grand Assembly in 1915. Throughout 1915 and 1916 it was engaged with correspondence with the Grande Oriente Español in Spain, who also chartered lodges in the Philippines. The long process of establishing the proper agreements finished in February 1917. The American Grand Lodge Constitution was used as a basis, keeping in mind issues such as equality of all races and working languages for ceremonies. In the same month a group of 27 lodges still under the Grande Oriente Español elected to affiliate under the Philippine Grand Lodge and Grand Officers were elected. [1]

Modern era

As of April 2024, the Grand Lodge of the Philippines has approximately 27,000 members, spread over 503 lodges.<ref> https://grandlodge.ph/lodges

Related Research Articles

Co-Freemasonry is a form of Freemasonry which admits both men and women. It began in France in the 1890s with the forming of Le Droit Humain, and is now an international movement represented by several Co-Freemasonic administrations throughout the world. Most male-only Masonic Lodges do not recognise Co-Freemasonry, holding it to be irregular.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Captaincy General of the Philippines</span> 1565–1898 Spanish possession in Southeast Asia

The Captaincy General of the Philippines was an administrative district of the Spanish Empire in Southeast Asia governed by a governor-general as a dependency of the Viceroyalty of New Spain based in Mexico City until Mexican independence when it was transferred directly to Madrid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masonic bodies</span> Auxiliary organization of Freemasonry

There are many organisations and orders which form part of the widespread fraternity of Freemasonry, each having its own structure and terminology. Collectively these may be referred to as Masonic bodies, Masonic orders, Concordant bodies or appendant bodies of Freemasonry.

This is a general survey on the historical and modern presence of Freemasonry in countries located in Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariano Trías</span> Vice President First Philippine Republic (1868–1914)

Mariano Trías y Closas is considered to be the first de facto Philippine Vice President of that revolutionary government established at the Tejeros Convention - an assembly of Philippine revolutionary leaders that elected officials of the revolutionary movement against the colonial government of Spain. When that assembly broke into factions, a truce known as the Pact of Biak-na-Bato was signed by the group and also recognized the elected officials and Trias as the vice president of Emilio Aguinaldo, who is also considered to be the first President of the Philippines. With the promulgation of the Malolos Constitution by the Malolos Convention, the First Philippine Republic was born. Under the Aguinaldo administration, Trias served in the cabinet initially as Secretary of Finance and, later, as Secretary of War.

In Craft Freemasonry, sometimes known as Blue Lodge Freemasonry, every Masonic lodge elects or appoints Masonic lodge officers to execute the necessary functions of the lodge's life and work. The precise list of such offices may vary between the jurisdictions of different Grand Lodges, although certain factors are common to all, and others are usual in most.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grande Loge de France</span> Masonic organization in France

Grande Loge de France (GLDF) is an independent Masonic obedience based in France. Its conception of Freemasonry is spiritual, traditional, and initiatory. Its ritual is centred on the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. It occupies a unique position in the landscape of French Freemasonry but maintains its closest relationships with obediences belonging to Continental Freemasonry, and shares its motto Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité with the French Republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Lodge of Indiana</span>

The Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of Indiana is one of two statewide organizations that oversee Masonic lodges in the state of Indiana. It was established on January 13, 1818. In 2016 the number of Freemasons in the Grand Lodge of Indiana was 55,553 amongst its 394 separate lodges, currently making it the sixth largest Masonic jurisdiction in the U.S. The Grand Lodge of Indiana's offices and archives are located in the Indianapolis Masonic Temple. The historically black Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Indiana F&AM is the second regular Masonic grand lodge in the state, and it was originally established in 1856 as the Independent Union Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of Indiana. The two grand lodges agreed to mutual recognition in May 1998, and they jointly share sovereignty over the Masonic fraternity in Indiana.

With 84 lodges and 3’350 members, the Grand Lodge Alpina of Switzerland (GLAS) is a Swiss Masonic obedience founded in 1844.

The first known Freemasons in Portugal were the Swiss John Coustos and two other Portuguese members of his lodge, who were arrested by the Portuguese Inquisition and questioned under torture in the 1740s. Coustos wrote a book detailing his sufferings under the Inquisition and pointed to 1728 as being the year of the first Lodge, although nothing is known of the first years of this Lodge and it was not then recognised by the Grand Lodge of England. Today there are several Masonic Obediences in Portugal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masonic Temple of Santa Cruz de Tenerife</span>

The Historic Masonic Temple of Santa Cruz de Tenerife is a Masonic Temple located in the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, on Calle San Lucas. The building was constructed for use by the Añaza Lodge between 1899 and 1902. It is considered one of the main Masonic temples in Spain, and the first in the Canary Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conrado Benitez</span> Filipino statesman, writer, and educator

Conrado Benitez was a Filipino statesman, writer, and educator. He founded the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement and was one of the drafters of the 1935 Constitution of the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teodoro Kalaw</span> Filipino writer

Teodoro Manguiat Kalaw was a Filipino scholar, legislator, and historian.

The Most Worshipful National Grand Lodge Free & Accepted Ancient York Masons Prince Hall Origin National Compact USA is a body of Masonry in the United States of America composed predominantly of African American Freemasons. It governs Grand Lodges within the United States and the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

Freemasonry or Masonry refers to a civic movement promoting fraternity and good works. Freemasonry defines itself as “a regular system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols.” In particular masonic meetings are characterized by initiations and rituals. As such masonry has been viewed historically by churches and governments as secret societies.

Freemasonry in Italy dates to the first half of the eighteenth century. Its success largely depended on the lack of enthusiasm with which Papal bans on the order were enforced in the various states. After the end of the Napoleonic regime, Freemasonry was suppressed in most of the peninsula. The start of the unification process in 1859 saw a revival in Freemasonry. Giuseppe Garibaldi, a leader of Italian unification, was an active Mason and a keen supporter of the craft. In the 1920s, Freemasonry was again suppressed under Italian fascism but revived again after the fall of Benito Mussolini. Into the 21st century, Italy contains a wide variety of Masonic observances, regular, liberal, male, female and mixed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Symbolic Grand Lodge of Spain</span>

The Symbolic Grand Lodge of Spain is one of the main grand obediences in Spain. It is one of group of obediences included in CLIPSAS, and can be defined as a mixed or egalitarian, liberal and non-dogmatic Grand Lodge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Lodge of New Mexico</span> Masonic lodge

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ambrosio Flores</span> Filipino politician

Ambrosio Flores y Flores was a Filipino general in the Philippine Revolution and the first governor of the province of Rizal.

References

  1. "History of Masonry in the Philippines. Chronology, 1901-1918 - Philippine Center for Masonic Studies" . Retrieved 2016-09-28.