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This is a list of all verifiable organizations that claim to be a Masonic Grand Lodge.
A Masonic "Grand Lodge" (or sometimes "Grand Orient") is the governing body that supervises the individual "Lodges of Freemasons" in a particular geographical area, known as its "jurisdiction" (usually corresponding to a sovereign state or other major geopolitical unit). Some are large, with thousands of members divided into hundreds of subordinate lodges, while others are tiny, with only a few members split between a handful of local lodges. Sometimes there will only be one Grand Lodge in a given area, but the majority of the time there will be at least two. More often, there will be several competing Grand Lodges claiming the same jurisdictional area, or claiming overlapping areas. This fact leads to debates over legitimacy: Not all Grand Lodges and Grand Orients recognize each other as being legitimate. However, such recognition is not relevant to this list, yet recognition is foundational within the fraternal order. Inclusion in this list only requires the establishment of a physical (as opposed to a virtual, or online) presence, and lodges (regular, unrecognized or clandestine) which acknowledge their governance.
Membership numbers are subject to change; for current figures, check the sources which are indicated in the reference section.
Abbreviation | Name | Founded | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
AACEE | Adogmatic Associations of Central and Eastern Europe | 2001 | The AACEE brings together all Liberal Masonic Obediences from Central and Eastern Europe respecting the same values and willing to participate to a common mission. [1] |
L'AMIL | L'Association maçonnique intercontinentale libérale | 1996 | |
CATENA | International Masonic Union Catena [2] | 1961 | Grand lodges with male and female membership. |
CGLREU | Confederación de Grandes Logias Regulares de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos | An association of Mexican state grand lodges, many of whom are in amity with CGMNA jurisdictions and UGLE. Some older and larger CGLREU jurisdictions have also joined the multi-national association of CMI, although the two organizations are not linked. | |
GLIM | Gran Logia Itinerante de Mexico | 1788 | A military-founded masonic body. The itinerant lodges were established by the Spanish soldiers that arrived to Mexico previous to the Independence Movement. Their lodges were inherited by their founders descendants, all part of the freemasonry on their cities. This lodges have the attribution to work anywhere there are at least 3 Master Masons. |
CGLEM | Confederation of Grand Lodges of Europe and Mediterranean [3] | An association of grand lodges in the Mediterranean area and Southern Europe. Not to be confused with GLUDE. Established by the Traditional and Modern Grand Lodge of France, the National Grand Lodge of Freemasons of Italy, Grand Lodge communities of Andalusia, The Regular Grand Lodge of Portugal, and The National Grand Lodge of Morocco ( GLNM). | |
CGMNA or COGMNA | Conference of Grand Masters in North America | 1928 | An organization of Grand Lodge leaders, representing 64 sovereign jurisdictions located throughout the US, Canada, Mexico and Germany. Its members are broadly recognized by jurisdictions throughout the world. Today, these CGMNA jurisdictions serve over 2 million Freemasons in North America. [4] Its oldest constituent Grand Lodge dates itself to 1733. [5] |
CIMAS | Confederación Interamericana de Masonería Simbólica | 2002 | Independent Liberal and Adogmatic body. [6] |
CLIMAF | Centre de Liaison International de la Maçonnerie Féminine | 1982 | An association of women's grand lodges, mostly in Europe. |
CLIPSAS | Centre de Liaison et d'Information des Puissances maçonniques Signataires de l'Appel de Strasbourg [7] | 1961 | Organized by the Grand Orient of France (GOF), member jurisdictions reject Anderson's 1723 constitutions, do not require belief in a supreme being, and make no distinction regarding participation by men or women. |
CMI | Confederación Masónica Interamericana (CMI) (Interamerican Masonic Confederation) | 1947 | An organization of South and Central American Grand Lodges. Its members are broadly recognized by CGMNA grand lodges and the United Grand Lodge of England. Founded by the grand lodges of Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, by 2014 the CMI had almost 75 member grand lodges. [8] |
CMB | Confederacion Masonica Bolivariana | An organization of grand lodges within Bolivia, and neighboring countries. | |
CMC | Confederacion Masonica Colombiana | An organization of state and national lodges within Colombia. | |
CMCA | Confederacion Masonica Centroamericana | An organization of state and national lodges in Central America. | |
COMAB | Confederação Maçônica do Brasil | 1973 | An association of independent Grand Orients in Brazil [9] |
COMAM | Conferencia Masónica Americana (American Masonic Conference) | This Masonic organization, formed by Grand Lodges and Grand Orient of the American continent, was created in Santiago de Chile in order to serve as a nexus and union of the Liberal and adogmatic, male, female and mixed Obediences that aim at the work of individual perfection with absolute freedom of conscience. | |
CMSB | Confederação da Maçonaria Simbólica do Brasil | 1965 | An association of grand lodges in Brazil |
DH | Le Droit Humain | 1893 | International mixed (male and female) Freemasonry. Also known as "Co-Masonry". |
EMA | European Masonic Alliance | The EMA (AME) is referenced in the Register of Transparency of the European Commission, and has several meetings a year with the president or vice-president of the European Commission, as well as meeting European Senators. [10] | |
EME | L'Espace Maçonnique Européen | 2002 | Promotion of human rights and secularism |
GLMAE | Gran Logia Mixta de los Andes Ecuatoriales (GLMAE) | 2011 | Ecuadorian association of mixed (male and female) lodges |
GLUDE [11] | Confédération des Grandes Loges unies d'Europe | 2000 | An organization of grand lodges using the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, founded by the Grand Lodge of France (GLdF), la Grande Loge Traditionnelle et Symbolique Opéra (of France) and la Grande Loge Nationale de Serbie (then Yugoslavia). |
HC [12] | High Council (HC) or Masonic High Council (MHC) | 2005 | An association of jurisdictions styling themselves as High Councils. Organized by the Regular Grand Lodge of England (RGLE), which serves as the HC's Mother High Council. Highly volatile, These groups do not publish member counts nor addresses, and may exist only on the internet or as a function of one or two persons. External citations needed. |
IMF | Institut Maçonnique de France | 2002 | Instigated by the GOF, with collaboration by the GLdF and seven other French masonic bodies, the IMF allows low-level cooperation on promotion of Masonic book fairs and events that address the conditions of man and society. The GLdF left this organization in 2006. |
Int. FM | International Freemasons | An African-American oriented group of grand lodges in the United States | |
LFB | Les Franc-maçons Belges | An organization of Belgian grand lodges | |
National Compact | Prince Hall - National Compact | 1847 | Subordinate Grand Lodges of the Prince Hall National Grand Lodge |
NUGLB [13] | National United Grand Lodges of Bulgaria | 2016 | Association of Grand Lodges in Bulgaria (Shared United Bulgarian Orient - shared jurisdiction) |
PHA | Prince Hall Affiliation (PHA) | 1870 | An association of 49 historically black Grand Lodges located throughout North America, the Caribbean, and Liberia, which trace their origin to Prince Hall, of Massachusetts. Many of these GLs are in amity with their CGMNA counterparts and with the United Grand Lodge of England. Today there are over 4,500 PHA lodges worldwide, and of them, the oldest constituent PHA lodge dates itself to 1797. [14] |
PHCGM | Prince Hall Conference of Grand Masters | 1887 | An organization of Prince Hall Affiliated (PHA) Grand Lodge leaders, [15] from 49 Prince Hall Affiliated (PHA) grand lodges. |
REHFRAM | Rencontres Humanistes et Fraternelles Africaines et Malgaches | An organization of African regular and liberal lodges, meeting annually in an African capital. | |
SCIC | Suprême Conseil International du Canada (International Supreme Council of Canada) | 2019 [16] | SCIC is the governing body that maintains uniformity for the 4th–33rd degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite practiced by the Grand ANI Lodge of Canada and the Grand Orient of Quebec. [16] |
SIMPA | Secrétariat international Maçonnique des Puissances Adogmatiques | 1998 | Some of the larger Grand Lodges in CLIPSAS left in 1998 to form their own organisation. Most have now rejoined and SIMPA is currently dormant. |
SOGLIA | Society of Grand Lodges in Alliance | 2010 [17] | SOGLIA is confederation of Grand freemason Obedience's which all members obey principles of Regularity. Assembled annually, in different places of the world, in order to share fellowship and to promote Masonic tradition, SOGLIA members are respecting the autonomy of each Grand Lodge. That is expressed by variety of accepted and recognized Rituals practiced in our Grand Lodges around the world. Our association was born in the year 6010.Y:T:L: by signing the Treaty of Arezzo, in the city that welcomed eight Grand Masters representing eight Grand Lodges. Subsequently, more Grand Lodges have join SOGLIA spanning our society to the five continents. |
UMM | L’Union Maçonnique de la Méditerranée (UMM) (Masonic Union of the Mediterranean) | 2000 [18] | An association of fifteen adogmatic and liberal jurisdictions from countries bordering the Mediterranean and Mediterranean culture. Since 2012, the UMM has been controlled by the Grande Loge Féminine de France and the Fédération Française du Droit Humain. |
UMMT | Unione Mondiale Massonica Tradizionale (UMMT) (World Traditional Masonic Union) [19] | 2013 | Self-reported as "approximately 30 members", the UMMT includes European jurisdictions not in amity with UGLE or the larger jurisdictions in their nations. Admits mixed Grand Lodges and use of the Ancient and Primitive Rite de Memphis-Misraïm. |
VGLvD | Vereinigte Großlogen von Deutschland (United Grand Lodges of Germany) | 1958-04-27 | A sovereign federation of five autonomous Grand Lodges, it serves as the national Grand Lodge of Germany to all outside German Masonry (Masons of other nations and the German public) [20] |
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to 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. Modern Freemasonry broadly consists of two main recognition groups: Regular Freemasonry, which insists that a volume of scripture be open in a working lodge, that every member professes belief in a Supreme Being, that no women be admitted, and that the discussion of religion and politics do not take place within the lodge; and Continental Freemasonry, which consists of the jurisdictions that have removed some, or all, of these restrictions.
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.
In Freemasonry, regularity is one of the factors by which individual Grand Lodges judge whether to recognise one another for the purposes of allowing formal interaction at the Grand Lodge level and visitation by members of other jurisdictions. Each individual Grand Lodge determines which other Grand Lodges it considers Regular.
The Grand Orient de France (GODF) is the oldest and largest of several Freemasonic organizations based in France and is the oldest in Continental Europe. The Grand Orient de France is generally regarded as the "mother lodge" of Continental Freemasonry.
Prince Hall Freemasonry is a branch of North American Freemasonry for African Americans founded by Prince Hall on September 29, 1784. There are two main branches of Prince Hall Freemasonry: the independent State Prince Hall Grand Lodges, most of which are recognized by State grand lodges, and those under the jurisdiction of the National Grand Lodge. Prince Hall Freemasonry is the oldest and largest predominantly African-American fraternity in the United States.
A Grand Lodge, also called Grand Orient or by another similar title, is the overarching governing body of a fraternal or other similarly organized group in a given area, usually a city, state, or country.
Masonic landmarks are a set of principles that many Freemasons claim to be ancient and unchangeable precepts of Masonry. Issues of the "regularity" of a Freemasonic Lodge, Grand Lodge or Grand Orient are judged in the context of the landmarks. Because each Grand Lodge is self-governing, with no single body exercising authority over the whole of Freemasonry, the interpretations of these principles can and do vary, leading to controversies of recognition. Different Masonic jurisdictions have different landmarks.
Freemasonry has had a complex relationship with women for centuries. A few women were involved in Freemasonry before the 18th century, despite de jure prohibitions in the Premier Grand Lodge of England.
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.
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, TRACIA, 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".
The Grand Lodge of British Freemasonry in Germany is a Masonic Grand Lodge in Germany working in the English language and following English Masonic traditions. It was founded as a District Lodge in 1957 and after various transformations was eventually recognised as Grand Lodge in 1980. This Grand Lodge is one of the five United Grand Lodges of Germany (VGLvD). It currently has members from a variety of nations and in addition to the "resident members" in Germany, there are "non-resident members" all over the world. Currently, 19 lodges work under the GL BFG, mainly in North Rhine-Westphalia, but also in Lower Saxony, Hamburg, Munich, Berlin and also near Frankfurt.
Anglo-American Freemasonry is a loose network of overlapping chains of mutually recognized Grand Lodges, forming a Regular Masonic jurisdiction. For the most part these trace their descent from one of "original" British Grand Lodges, with mutual recognition based on adherence to certain core values, rules and membership requirements.
Freemasonry in Germany started in several places during the second quarter of the Eighteenth century. After the extinction of the Rite of Strict Observance, which had a wide following and claimed Templar origins for its higher degrees, the several Grand Lodges in Germany defied all attempts at unification, although a largely ineffectual central organisation came into being with the unification of Germany. During the 1920s Freemasons were harassed alongside Jews by those taken in by the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and blamed for the German surrender of 1918. This culminated with the suppression of Freemasonry by the Nazis in 1935, with many Masons in Germany and occupied countries being executed or sent to concentration camps. Freemasonry returned to Germany after World War Two. A single central body now represents five "regular" Grand Lodges. Liberal, women's, and mixed lodges also exist.