Lodge Kadisha 1002
Lodge Kadisha 1002 in Lebanon was chartered by the Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1906. It has a special dispensation to operate in three languages: English, French, and Arabic.
History
Freemasonry in old Syria was established by the Grand Lodge of Scotland back in the eighteenth century.[1]. Since then, many other French, Italian, and Egyptian Lodges were established in the region.
At that time, two other main Lodges were established in Beirut: Lodge Peace 908 in 1900 and Lodge Sannine 969 in 1904, under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Antient, Free and Accepted Masons of Scotland.[2]. Lodge Peace was known for its sobriety, while the Sannine Lodge was known for its growing membership. Lodge Sannine, whose RWM was Bro. Fares Machrek, was initially established in the Chouweir region but received a dispensation to meet in Beirut at the Peace Lodge Temple during winter.
The numerous memberships of Lodge Sannine led some brethren to wish to demit their Lodge due to the oblivious behaviour of some of its members and seek to open a new Lodge.
Establishment Phase
The following proceedings[3] are the transcript of an old manuscript by Bro. Gergy Yenny (1854–1941) (جرجي يني), a prominent intellectual figure in Tripoli who played a pivotal role in establishing Lodge Kadisha 1002.
Bro. Gergy Yenny was a member of the Lodge of Lebanon 1869 (Le Liban محفل لبنان) in Beirut under the jurisdiction of the Grand Orient of France and later RWM of Lodge Kadisha 1002.
In 1908, Bro. Yenny established “Al Hadara” printing house and published “Al Mabahess” magazine. He was also appointed consul for the United States of America and for Belgium following the death of his father, Antonios Yenny, a prominent businessman.
When approached by Masons from the Sannine Lodge with the intent of establishing a new Lodge in Tripoli, Bro. Yenny was reluctant to be portrayed as opportunistic and seeking Masonic privileges, so he accepted on the condition of staying in the shadows and refusing a prominent role.
The first task undertaken by Bro. Yenny was to contact Bro. Esber Choukair, who was then WM of Lodge of Lebanon. When asked for exorbitant fees to get a charter, Bro. Yenny sought counsel with Bro. George Dimitri Sursok, who advised him to contact the Grand Lodge of Scotland and ask for a charter. He also indicated that the fees requested for the charter were ten and a half pounds, very reasonable compared to the seventy-five thousand liras requested by Bro. Choukair.
At the dedication of the temple and for its installation ceremony, both Lodge Peace and Lodge Sannine were invited to attend. RWM Bro. Iskandar Baroudi and Bro. Assad Nachou from Lodge Peace 908 came by boat from Batroun along with Count Von Molten, a high-ranking political figure.
RWM Baroudi was charged with the dedication ceremony, followed by the installation of Bro. Sursok as the first RWM for Lodge Kadisha 1002. Lodge Kadisha attracted numerous intellectuals and high-ranking dignitaries from Tripoli wishing to join the Lodge.
Bro. Gergy Yenny passed away in August 1941 and his remains were buried in the family cemetery in Kaftine (كفتين), leaving behind one of the richest libraries in northern Lebanon with rare manuscripts and drawings.
The Charter
The name Kadisha was taken from the Kadisha River (also referred to as Abu Ali River) in Tripoli, as its course formed a right angle at a point called “Al Katter” (القطر).
Kadisha's petition for a charter was written and signed by Dr. Alex N. Baroody, editor of At-Tabeeb, in January 1906, with an attachment from the Right Worshipful Master of Lodge Peace. The Grand Lodge of Scotland received the petition ten days later.
Lodge Kadisha 1002's charter was issued on February 1, 1906, and was signed by Bro. Charles Ramsay, Most Worshipful Grand Master, and the R.W. Grand Secretary at that time, Bro. David Raid. The location of Lodge Kadisha was rented from the Rahme Family in Tripoli. Kadisha Lodge was mainly formed by former members of Le Liban, Sannine and Peace lodges and a Brazilian Lodge.[3]
The Founding Brethren and other members
Among the founding members of Lodge Kadisha, as per Bro. Yenny’s records and the Lodge Charter, were:[4]
- Bro. George Dimitri Sursok, RWM
- Bro. Salame Ghoraybe, Depute Master
- Bro. Rashid Al Yassegi, Substitute Master
- Bro. Moussa Nahas, Secretary
- Bro. Michel Rahme, Treasurer
- Bro. Habib Ghabie, WSW
- Bro. Sami Nahas, WJW
- Bro. Antonios Fadel, SD
As for Bro. Gregy Yenny, he preferred not to take on any office duties; however, in the following years, Bro. Yenny was elected RWM of Lodge Kadisha 1002.
Records[3] show that other initial members also included Bro. Soumail Yenny (brother of Bro. Gergy Yenny), Bro. Mitri Sioufi, Bro. Hikmat Charif, and Bro. Afif Afif.
A prominent early member of Lodge Kadisha was Bro. Nassib Bustani, appointed as representative of the Ottoman Company, which represented the Ottoman Empire at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.
Its early members came from various backgrounds; up until 1914, the lodge was mainly formed by merchants, traders, and highly positioned government employees, as well as men serving in the Ottoman army.[1] Also included were landowners (seventeen members), teachers, physicians, pharmacists, lawyers, and hospitality managers. The Lodge also included two religious men: an imam by the name of al-Umari and a priest. While most of Kadisha's founders were Greek Orthodox Christians, the lodge itself represented a mix of religions, with over thirty Muslims and a few Greek Catholics and Maronites.
Lodge Kadisha formed great Masonic ties with neighboring Lodge EI Mizab. Dual membership between these two lodges was common among the brethren. They also collectively founded Milia al-Amin Lodge in 1918 under the jurisdiction of the Grand National Lodge of Egypt.
Dormancy and Reponing Phases
Lodge Kadisha 1002 went dormant and inactive on many occasions throughout its history.
In October 1930, the Lodge had its charter uplifted by the Grand Lodge of Scotland. The reasons for this action are not well known.
Since then, various attempts to repone the Lodge were undertaken at different times in its history:
First Reponing
In late December 1966, an unsigned communication letter was sent to Bro. G.L. Colenso-Jones, Superintendent of the District of the Eastern Mediterranean. This letter highlighted the eminent necessity to repone dormant Lodges in Lebanon, referring to two main lodges: ‘Mount Lebanon and Kadisha Lodges, and to strengthen Scottish Freemasonry in Lebanon, preserve it in its leading position, and protect the principles and ideals it upholds and stands for’.
A few months later, a petition to repone Kadisha Lodge was sent to Superintendent Bro. Colenso-Jones and forwarded to Grand Lodge at Edinburgh. All the signed petitioners were from Peace Lodge, with the exception of Bro. Victor Dichy, a member of an American Lodge; Bro. Noureddine Mikati, a former master of Kadisha; and Bro. Bahij Fakhouri from El Mizab Lodge. The petition was also supported by Bro. Boutros Khoury from Peace Lodge, Bro. Adib Andraos from Zahle Lodge, and Bro. Mahomoud Zouhair from El Mizab Lodge. The listed Brethren expressed their wishes to repone the former Lodge to work in the French language and to be in Beirut. The petition stated that the brethren were 'desirous of working for the prosperity of the order and anxious to assist in expanding the right and true principles of our Science, and for other good reasons'.
The Lodge resumed its activity the following year, in 1967, and held its meetings at the Peace Lodge Temple in Bachoura, Beirut. The Lodge remained active until the outbreak of the Lebanese Civil War in 1975 and went dormant again.
Second Reponing
On September 16, 2002, a petition to repone Lodge Mount Lebanon 1312 was sent to Bro. Martin Mc Gibbon, Grand Secretary. The reponing letter was signed by Brethren from the following lodges: Al Merj #8, New York #2, and Peace 908.
On November 26, 2002, a meeting was facilitated by Bro. Graham Smith – MEC in Edinburgh at Bro. Mc. Gibbon’s office.
Bro. Mc Gibbon advised the following course of action:
- To choose to repone another Lodge – Lodge Kadisha 1002 – instead, as there being no Brother alive from Mount Lebanon as required in order to repone a Lodge,
- To conduct the Lodge’s Meetings in the English Language.
- To ask a past member of Lodge Kadisha to send a letter requesting the reponing with a special dispensation for Affiliation for the Brethren outside the Scottish Jurisdictions to be sent to the attention of the Grand Master Mason.
After receiving the charter for Lodge Kadisha 1002, a dispute erupted over the operating language in the Lodge.
Seeing resistance to this approach by the reponing members and the inability for the members to form the Lodge, the charter was subsequently cancelled.
Third Reponing
In 2010, Lodge Kadisha's charter was restituted again through the combined efforts of a Brother from Harmony Lodge 1830 and a Brother from El Mizab Lodge 1130 and the personal efforts of the Grand Superintendent of Lebanon.
Since then, Lodge Kadisha 1002 has maintained a young and vibrant image, attracting many young members and using the Freemasons’[5] Hall in Fanar as a location to conduct its meetings, operating under the District Grand Lodge of Lebanon[5] under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Scotland.[6]
External links
- The District Grand Lodge of Lebanon under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Scotland
- Lodge Kadisha 1002
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sommer, Dorothe (2016). Freemasonry in the Ottoman Empire : a History of the Fraternity and its Influence in Syria and the Levant. London. ISBN 9781784536671. Search this book on
- ↑ Morris, Robert (1876). Freemasonry in the Holy Land. Knight & Leonard. Search this book on
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Grand Lodge of Scotland proceedings and Archive
- ↑ Grand Lodge of Scotland Yearly Books
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Meetings schedule". District Grand Lodge of Lebanon. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
- ↑ "District Grand Lodge of Lebanon". The Grand Lodge of Scotland. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
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