Well…..we did it! Wayne has been Installed as the first Master of the Lodge in our new Century. Regrettably due to the Pandemic we cannot say that we have held 100 years of meetings without a break but since we have now passed 100 years since our very first meeting we will stretch the point!

Well over 40 Brothers attended our Installation which was conducted in exceptional fashion by those who played an active part and Wayne was agreed by everyone to have been well and truly placed in the Chair of King Solomon before we took ourselves up to the Dining Room for a really delightful meal accompanied by sufficient wine and Port to make the evening most memorable.

So where from here? We have several new Candidates who will be with us in December to be Initiated into the Lodge and following our New Year break (we do try to fit into the Academic Terms!) we will have probably six Brothers to put through ceremonies to complete their passage to become a Master Mason as well hopefully bring forward others and Initiate more new members of the Craft.

The University Lodge of Liverpool has celebrated 100 continuous years of providing Fellowship, Brotherhood and Charity in the City of Liverpool and has numbered many distinguished men of the City amongst its number in that time.

The next 100 years starts with numbers of members rising while the average age is dropping as we admit more students, particularly welcoming those whose home address is not local but who are here for their academic studies. Having access to an organisation of like-minded people helps those who are new to Liverpool to receive fellowship and support…. as well as a network that will last them their whole lives if they so wish. Not to mention the chance for social gatherings both after our meetings and hopefully throughout the time they are here, as the Lodge is going to support and encourage events where there is no direct Masonic business but instead presents the opportunity to make friends.

Watch this space for details of the “Light Blue” Club that is in planning for every young Mason in any of the Lodges here in the City or who lives close enough and would like to attend.

In these web pages you will see repeated entries concerning our charitable activity but also what Freemasons across England and Wales do – the link Home page – The Masonic Charitable Foundation (mcf.org.uk) is well worth looking at, especially if you feel we can help your organisation and you can become one of those who can do good with some of the £40million that Freemasons distribute to worthy causes each year.

What will the Internet look like in 100 years for anyone following what Freemasons do? Absolutely no idea. BUT – there is a very good chance that whatever there is in 100 years a Freemason somewhere will have helped to build it.

When someone is said to be a member of Freemasonry the world should know that he has charity at the front of his mind. If the appeal is for money to help those deserving of support and assistance then Freemasons will always step up to the mark… https://mcf.org.uk/2022/04/freemasons-contribute-to-500000-for-ukrainian-refugees/ .

If the appeal is for practical assistance then the members of the University Lodge of Liverpool have a very active Masonic Assistance Team – and they could not be more active than loading a van full of much-needed medical supplies for one of their number to take on the trek across Europe to deliver that assistance at the Poland/Ukraine border…

We have set up a “just giving” page to support our efforts and it can be accessed at :-

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/mateamrefugeecrisis

and you can see more of what the M.A.T. has been doing at:

MAT Ukraine Appeal

Our Centenary celebration went exceptionally well with 110 Brothers in attendance and which filled our venue to capacity. A full team of Officers accompanied the Provincial Grand Master Tony Harrison who opened a special session of Provincial Lodge in order that our Centenary Warrant could be read by the Provincial Grand Secretary Peter Taylor and our Lodge re-dedicated for another 100 years of fellowship and charity by the Provincial Grand Chaplain Reverend Joh Hall.

On the subject of charity the Lodge also announced donations to four charities (not all Masonic!) totalling £4274.00 – which of course is our Lodge number – as well as our younger members whose financial situation as students or having newly embarked on their careers having contributed as an alterative 4274 hours of active charitable work throughout the last 2 years of covid pandemic in Liverpool.

In anticipation of a great night….

The Lodge currently has about 70 members spread across most parts of the UK and some globetrotters amongst our ranks – present and past. It has blossomed from about half that number in the last 10 years since joining the Grand Lodge Universities` Scheme but the efforts of the members in demonstrating the beneficial aspects of Freemasonry have attracted new candidates in equal measure.

28th October last year marked exactly 100 years since the Lodge first met in the Students Union building at Liverpool University. The members will be marking that occasion now that Covid restrictions permit on 14th March with a celebration in the Lodge led by the Provincial Grand Master Tony Harrison and with over 100 members and guests. We will follow the Masonic event with a special Festive Board to kick off another century of support for students and others who need our help and look forward to maintaining those the truly Masonic duties that have characterised the Craft for over 300 years.

On Monday 8th November 2021 we installed a Master in the Lodge for the 100th time since we first met on 28th October 1921.

On that occasion our first Master was W/Bro. R J M Buchanan and on Monday we Installed Bro. L.J.Buchanan as Master for the Centenary Year. How uncanny! It is almost as if it was planned….. but it certainly was not anything other than serendipity.

So… here we go for another year. We have candidates for Initiation waiting as well as a good number of Brethren who are itching to progess with their Masonry so it has the look of being a memorable 12 months. We will be celebrating with a major event on 14th March to mark our 100 years of Fraternity, Benevolence and most of all Charity.

We have also now enjoyed two meetings at The Athenaeum Club in the City Centre and cannot let the opportunity pass to say just how excellent the venue has proved to be. The staff are most helpful and pleasant, the Chef brilliant and well-skilled and the surroundings spectacular…. what more could we have asked for?

Our November Installation meeting will mark 100 years of continuous Masonry since our first on 28th October 1921 (Covid lockdowns excepted!!). This marks the start of a significant milestone for us and will be celebrated in March with a major event where we hope to see a large number of visiting Brethren as well many members who have moved away from the area and who we will be delighted to welcome back.

As part of the national “round England & Wales” relay walk undertaken by members from University Scheme Lodges, several members from Liverpool did the 21 mile section from Christleton in Chester to the Liverpool Medical Institution on Sunday 4th July. The walk of 2121miles between the Masonic meeting places where Scheme Masons hold their meetings was to raise a collection for the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) to make a donation to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme in the name of Prince Phillip, a lifelong Freemason and founder of the organisation that bears his name and supports young people to improve their life skills.

The team from University Lodge Liverpool were joined in their relay by members of the Organisation of Women Freemasons in the North West area as part of the closer working that has been forged in the area over the past few years. Two organisations with parallel aims and engaged in “active charity” demonstrate that the principles we both follow are not exclusive to each of us and we know we have have a common aim on a common pathway.

Altogether the dozen participants raised in excess of £1,200 through their combined efforts on the day and this will be forwarded to the MCF along with the amounts raised by other University Scheme Lodges nationally towards what is a very deserving and worthwhile charity.

Still helping others less fortunate during the pandemic

Members from the Lodge have been still active in charity work even though we cannot hold our usual meetings. A small team from the Lodge, assisted by Brethren from other Masonic Lodges have been providing hot meals and support in many other ways to rough sleepers in the City Centre over the weekends since December.

Support in the form of food supplies from shopkeepers has been invaluable in allowing us to continue through to this point and we express our thanks to them for what they too have done.