The Grand Lodge of Antient Free and Accepted Masons of Scotland
William Ramsay McGhee, MStJ, D.L., Grand Master Mason
Brethren
I hope and trust that you all had a very enjoyable Christmas despite the restrictions.
I have little to report this week given that Grand Lodge staff are on Christmas Leave although Grand Secretary and I have been in regular contact during the holiday period.
Unfortunately, the Craft has suffered quite a few deaths during the past week with both Brethren and wives of Brethren passing away. It is extremely difficult for families who suffer bereavement at this time of the year on top of the many restrictions relating to funerals brought about by Covid-19. I’m sure you would wish to join with me in extending our united condolences to all in our Masonic family who have suffered bereavement at this time.
The Heads of Orders meeting will take place on 13th January. This will be followed on Thursday 14th with a meeting of the Administration Committee. I will provide an update from those meetings in the weekly update on 15th January.
The announcement this week that the vaccine produced by Oxford University has now been given full approval will hopefully mean that the vaccination programme can now go ahead with some speed. This, however, has been dampened somewhat with the significant rise in cases throughout Scotland this week. We will need to remain patient, but I am confident that we will have meetings in the New Year.
Hogmanay is certainly going to be much quieter than normal this year with all the usual celebrations put on hold. Despite the stay-at-home restrictions, I hope that as we step into 2021 you and your families will all be blessed with good health and happiness in the year ahead.
SCFS
An additional 27 new members joined the group which now has a membership of 4240 Brethren from not only the Scottish Constitutions but from many of our Sister Constitutions throughout the world.
This week saw the total examples of charitable giving recorded within the group rise to 599, submitted by 245 of its members.
These updated contributions can now be attributed as to being made on behalf of 294 Lodges, from within 31 Provincial Grand Lodges, 20 District Grand Lodges, Superintendencies and Lodges under the direct supervision of Grand Lodge.
The total identifiable monetary value of the contributions now recorded has risen to £515,971.
SCFS Overseas Report
- Although understandably quiet, due to festive period priorities, we did welcome Brethren from Central South Africa (Transvaal), Middle East (Malaysia and Singapore), Jamaica, Western Australia Goldfields, Nigeria, Lebanon. Our Overseas Membership of Brethren and is now standing at 1257
- International Constitution Membersjoined from the Grand Lodge of Nigeria, Grand Lodge of New South Wales and A.C.T., Grand Lodge of Ireland, Grand Lodge of Illinoise, Grand Lodge of India, Grand Lodge of Virginia, Grand Lodge of Quebec, UGLE (Cyprus), Grand Lodge of Japan, Grand Lodge of Russia, Grand Lodge of Italy, United Grand Lodge of Queensland, Grand Lodge of Texas.
- Total ICM membership is now 132.
- We look forward to welcoming both our first Overseas Member and first ICM of 2021.
Ramsay McGhee
Grand Master Mason