Chapiter Lodge
4677
Chapiter Lodge NEWS November 2024
At our meeting on 1st November 2024 we were pleased to initiate and welcome to the lodge Brother Tristan Dennis (photo top centre with Worshipful Master Steve Smith). Brother Tristan is also shown with the lodge members and visitors in the photo on the left. On the right of the photo is W. Bro Daniel Beckwith of the Lord Kitchener of Khartoum Lodge no 2767. The lodge has a reciprocal visiting arrangement with this lodge and the photo on the right shows W. Bros. Steve Smith and George Mawby and Bro. Rob Mawby with W. Bro. Paul Lake at their meeting on 7th November 2024. Freemasons’ Hall was beautifully lit up for the in remembrance of the fallen in the two world and subsequent wars.
Chapiter Lodge News July 2024
Our Worshipful Master Steve Smith and Immediate Past Master Antony Watts are involved, via the Henley Chapter no 1472, in the initiative to bring Royal Arch Masonry to Romania. Henley Chapter is a Metropolitan Chapter but is in the process of being removed to the Province of Essex from where it will be exported as one of the founding Chapters of the Romanian Grand Chapter when it comes into existence. W. Bro. Steve Smith has been a visitor at two of the meetings where Romanian Masons were Exalted into the Epping Forest Chapter and the Albert Lucking Chapter both part of the Province of Essex who have been charged with the responsibility of preparing Romanian Masons for Royal Arch Masonry, in tandem with the province of Monmouthshire, Wales.
In the picture taken on 25.07.24 is W. Bro. Steve Smith (third from left) with five newly Exalted companions from Timisoara and Arad and the Pax Lodge no 21, the Eugeniu de Savoya Lodge no 302, and the Sapetre Lodge no 473, now members of the Epping Forest Chapter no 4263.
Chapiter Lodge News June 2024
This year we were able to resume our annual Masonic visit to Romania. We visited the Transylvania Lodge no 216, in Cluj (photo top right) and were very well received by the Worshipful Master and Brethren, renewing our acquaintance with Bro. Alex Stan who we had met on our first visit to Bucharest in 2011. The lodge kindly translated their opening ceremony and performed it in English for. W. Bro. Steve Smith gave a presentation about the history of the Royal Arch degree in England as a precursor to Royal Arch Masonry coming to Romania.
We attended the installation meeting of our good friend Otto who was installed as Master of the Nicolae Alexandru Iorga Lodge no 49 , Bucharest (photo top middle) where we were again well received and presented with a plaque from the Grand Lodge of Romania to mark our visit (Photo top left). W. Bro. Steve Smith delivered the address to the Master at installation from our English ritual.
Our visit started in Cluj ( Photo bottom left) and continued via Sibiu, Brashov, Bran (photo middle) ending up in Bucharest. We were ably guided by our good friend Florin Dinu of the Nicolae Alexandru Iorga Lodge no 49 throughout the trip and our equally good friend Mihai Manescu of the same lodge kindly made arrangements for us in Bucharest.
In the pictures are W. Bros. Steve Smith and Antony Watts of this lodge, W. Bros. Richard Holmes and Nigel Stothard of the West Essex Round Table Lodge no 9310 and W. Bro . Peter Holmes of the Old Church Lodge no 7070.
Chapiter Lodge News April 2024
At our meeting on 5th April 2024 Bro. Hafizer Rahman was raised to the degree of a Master Mason. The lodge was honoured with a visit of the Metropolitan Grand Inspector W. Bro Keith Alexander who was welcomed by the Worshipful Master W. Bro. Steve Smith. He was assisted by W. Bro. George Mawby who conducted the first half of the ceremony. A cheque in the sum of £1000.00 was presented to W, Bro. Keith as a donation to the London Air Ambulance Appeal. After the meeting the Lodge dined at the Double Tree Hilton in Southhampton Row and the sum of £305.00 was raised for the Master’s list.
Chapiter Lodge News November 2023
At our meeting on 3rd November 2023 Bro. Hafizer Rahman was passed the the degree of a Fellow Craft Freemason in a ceremony opened by the Worshipful Master W. Bro. Antony Watts and conducted by W. Bro. Steve Smith who also provided an explanation of the Second Degree tracing board. W. Bro. George Mawby delivered the Charge after Passing. The brethren voted to elect W. Bro. Steve Smith Worshipful Master for the Lodge year commencing January 2024. After the meeting the Lodge dined at the Double Tree Hilton in Southhampton Row and the sum of £185.00 was raised for the charity Children in Need.
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Chapiter Lodge News September 2023
At our meeting on 1st September 2023 we were pleased to welcome our new Visiting Officer W. Bro. Stephen Lovelock SLGR MetGStB and look forward to working with him in the future. After the meeting the Lodge dined at the Double Tree Hilton in Southhampton Row and the sum of £200.00 was raised towards the Master’s List (charity).
The Lodge also received a talk by W. Bro. Steve Smith titled ‘The History of Freemasonry and the terms ‘Operative’ and ‘Speculative’ Freemasons‘ which related historically how these terms came about and what they meant to Freemasons in the early eighteenth century when the Grand Lodge was formed in London in 1717 and what they might mean to Freemasons today. A lively discussion followed this which arose from questions the brethren raised about it. W. Bro. Steve emailed this paper to the brethren following the meeting together with other papers and documents that he had referred to in the paper delivered.
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Chapiter Lodge News April 2023
At our meeting on 11th April 2023, we initiated into the Lodge a new member – Hafizur Rahman, in a ceremony conducted by the Worshipful Master W. Bro. Antony Watts assisted by W. Bro. George Mawby who delivered the Ancient Charge and W. Bro. Steve Smith who gave the Explanation of the First Tracing Board. The members and guests dined at the Double Tree Hilton in Southampton Row and the charity collection raised £185.00 for the Master’s List.
Chapiter Lodge News January 2023
At our regular meeting held on Friday 20th January 2023 at Freemasons Hall:
Brother Leonardo Zea Reyes was raised to the degree of a Master Mason in an impressive ceremony which included the ‘Charge after Raising’. The Brethren dined afterwards at the Double Tree Hilton in Southampton Row.
Bro. Leonardo being congratulated by W. Bro Steve Smith who conducted the
ceremony of Raising
Chapiter Lodge News November 2022
Brother Samir Ali Nicholls (front row 2nd left) was raised to the degree of a Master Mason by Worshipful Master W. Bro. Antony Watts assisted by W. Bro. Steve Smith (Traditional History, Tracing Board, and Working Tools) and W. Bro George Mawby (Charge After Raising). There were 22 members and guests at the meeting and the Festive Board was held at the Double Tree Hilton in Southampton Row. The sum of £200.00 was raised for BBC Children in Need appeal.
