Christopher L. Hodapp's Blog

by Christopher Hodapp
UPDATED: Texas Past Grand Master Reese L. Harrison has passed to the Celestial Lodge Above. A post on the Grand Lodge of Texas Facebook page from Grand Master Reader this afternoon says he actually passed on August 29th, and was laid to rest at a private ceremony today, September 4th.
It would be nearly impossible to accurately recount the vast Masonic resumé of PGM Harrison. His longstanding devotion to the fraternity and its many appendant bodies over the decades is unmatc...

Photo: Yeng Abinales for Daily Tribune
by Christopher Hodapp

A Catholic priest on the Philippine island of Leyte has been temporarily suspended from performing his duties after blessing a Masonic marker at a dedication ceremony in August.
Rev. Fr. Luigi Kerschbamer, OAD, Prior Provincial for the Order of the Discalced Augustinians (OAD) for the Province of St. Nicholas of Tolentino, temporarily suspended Rev. Fr. Libby Daños from performing his priestly activities, pending an investigation by the a...

by Christopher Hodapp

Registration is already up and running for next February's Masonic Week at the Crystal City Double Tree by Hilton in Arlington, Virginia. Mark your Masonic calendar for February 4th through 8th. 
Held continuously around the Washington DC area ever since 1938, Masonic Week (or more officially known as AMD - Allied Masonic Degrees - Week) is an event that brings together numerous small, generally invitational, Masonic organizations for their annual meetings, officer elections,...

by Christopher Hodapp

The George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria has been undergoing a major (and painstaking) exterior restoration project for the last eleven years. The monument to Brother George was built over a century ago and suffered from increasing water damage, limestone degradation, and even cracks from a 2011 earthquake. Work started on the iconic 9-story tower in 2014 and has at long last been completed.

An article in the local Zebra publication two weeks ago written ...

by Christopher Hodapp

Most Worshipful Brother Thomas 'Tommy' E. Watson, the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge AFM of South Carolina , passed away unexpectedly at his home on Monday. A message was forwarded to members yesterday by Deputy Grand Master A.C. Flora, IV. 
Brethren are asked to keep his family in their prayers.


Grand Master Watson was elected in 2025 to a two-year term of office, the standard in South Carolina. Presumably, DGM Flora will now assume the office and serve until 2027.
From GM Wat...

by Christopher Hodapp

The National Parks Service has announced it will restore and re-install the iconic bronze statue of Scottish Rite sage Albert Pike on its former plinth in Washington, DC's Judiciary Square. On June 19, 2020, the statue was toppled by rioters, covered in paint, doused with lighter fluid, and ignited, a victim of the national Confederate-related statue-toppling mania that went on in the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
According to a press release from the NPS ...

(Google Maps)
by Christopher Hodapp

The Scottish Rite Valley of Cincinnati  has just sold their 1928 downtown Masonic Center and Taft Theater to real estate development firm Western & Southern. The new owners are currently in the research phase of just how to renovate and develop the historic 30,000 square foot complex and are working with the city to determine their future plans.
But the Valley has amazingly bucked the usual trend of Masonic organizations over the last half century of shucking thei...

by Christopher Hodapp

I'll be speaking tonight at Crowned Martyrs Lodge 771 in Valparaiso, Indiana on the topic of the William Morgan Affair. The disappearance of Morgan two hundred years ago next year set off the most notorious anti-Masonic period in American history. My presentation will put the Morgan affair in its wider historical context, discuss some of the after-effects it had on the fraternity, and explore the most bizarre story ever inspired by mysterious fate of Morgan himself, the 19th...

Photo: BatesvilleTribune.com
by Christopher Hodapp

The scope of the death and destruction from the horrific floods in Texas over the weekend continues to grow as recovery and relief efforts increase in the region. In the wake of this disaster, Grand Master Rayborn Reader of the Grand Lodge of Texas AF&AM has issued the following message on social media:

Brethren, Family and Friends,

In the wake of the devastating floods that have struck Central Texas, our hearts are heavy with sorrow. Lives have bee...

by Christopher Hodapp
Landrum Lodge 48 in Savannah, Georgia is partnering with the appropriately-named Lodge Cast Iron company to create the first-ever Masonic cast iron mini skillets.

As a fundraiser they are offering this unique set of three miniature cast iron skillets representing the three degrees of Freemasonry: the Entered Apprentice with the square, compass, sun & moon; the Fellowcraft with the square, compass, and two pillars; and the Master Mason with the square, compass, and sprigs of ...