This is a list of all organizations that claim to be a Masonic Grand Lodge. A Masonic "Grand Lodge" (also "Grand Orient") is the governing body that supervises and governs the individual "Lodges" of Freemasons in any particular geographical area or "jurisdiction", (usually corresponding to a national boundary or other major political unit). Some are large, with thousands of members divided into hundreds of subordinate Lodges. Others are tiny, with only a few members in one or two subordinate Lodges. Sometimes there will be only one Grand Lodge in a given area. More often, however, there will be several competing Grand Lodges claiming the same jurisdictional area, or claiming overlapping areas. This leads to debates over legitimacy. Not all Grand Lodges and Grand Orients recognize each other as being legitimate.
The Grand Lodges listed are grouped according to mutual-recognition blocks.
Membership numbers are subject to change. Please check the sources which are indicated in the reference section.
"Mainstream" Anglo/US recognition network
editThe Grand Lodges listed in this section form the largest recognition network in Freemasonry. All adhere to common membership requirements (such as a belief in Deity, limited to men only, and no discussion of religion or politics, etc.) There is no over-arching supervising body that controls the network or determines who is and is not part of the network. Each Grand Lodge keeps its own list of other Grand Lodges that it recognizes, and while these lists overlap considerably there are differences and disagreements. Thus, while an individual Grand Lodge may not be recognized by every single one of the Grand Lodges within in the network, it is included here if it is recognized by many of them (and significant disagreements are noted).
| Jurisdictional area | Grand Lodge Name | Founded | Lodges | Members | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benin | Grand Loge du Bénin[1] | 1995[2] | 11[2] | 350[2] | |
| Burkina Faso | Grand Lodge of Burkina Faso | ||||
| Cameroon | Grand Lodge of Cameroon | ||||
| Canada (Alberta) | Grand Lodge of Alberta | 1905[3] | 141 | 7,732[4] | |
| Canada (British Columbia and Yukon) | Grand Lodge of British Columbia & the Yukon | 1871[3] | 164 | 11,251[4] | |
| Canada (Manitoba) | Grand Lodge of Manitoba | 1875[3] | 72 | 3,121[4] | |
| Canada (New Brunswick) | Grand Lodge of New Brunswick | 1867[3] | 51 | 4,038[4] | |
| Canada (Newfoundland and Labrador) | Grand Lodge of Newfoundland and Labrador | 1997 | 32 | 2,191[4] | |
| Canada, (Nova Scotia) | Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia | 1866[3] | 114 | 5 802[4] | |
| Canada, (Ontario) | Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario | 1855[3] | 641 | 55,072[4] | |
| Canada (Prince Edward Island) | Grand Lodge of Prince Edward Island | 1875[3] | 16 | 845[4] | |
| Canada (Québec) | Grande Loge du Québec | 1869[3] | 94 | 4,582[4] | |
| Canada (Saskatchewan) | Grand Lodge of Saskatchewan | 1906[3] | 94 | 3,784[4] | |
| Congo, Democratic Republic of | Grand Lodge of Congo | ||||
| Côte d'Ivoire | Grand Lodge of the Ivory Coast[1] | ||||
| Gabon | Grande Loge du Gabon[1] | ||||
| Ghana | Grand Lodge of Ghana | ||||
| Guinea | National Grand Lodge of Guinea | ||||
| Liberia | Grand Lodge of the Republic of Liberia | ||||
| Madagascar | National Grand Lodge of Madigascar | ||||
| Mali | National Grand Lodge of Mali | ||||
| Mauritius | Grande Loge de Maurice | 2005 | 8 | ||
| Mexico (all states) | York Grand Lodge of Mexico, F. & A.M [1] | 1862 | 13 | 250 | Also part of the CGLREUM sub-network (see below) |
| Morocco | Regular Grand Lodge of the Kingdom of Morocco | ||||
| Senegal | Grande Loge du Sénégal[1] | ||||
| South Africa | Grand Lodge of South Africa[1] | 1961 | 95[3] | 3,300[3] | |
| Togo | Grande Loge Nationale Togolaise[1] | 1972 | 41 | 600[3] | |
| United States (Alabama) | Grand Lodge of Alabama [2] | 1821[5] | 32,297 | ||
| United States (Alaska) | Grand Lodge of Alaska [3] | 1981 | 20[6] | 2,145 | |
| United States (Arizona) | Grand Lodge of Arizona [4] | 1882[5] | 10,000 | ||
| United States (Arizona) | Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Arizona [5] | 9 | 313[7] | ||
| United States (Arkansas) | Grand Lodge of Arkansas [6] | 1820 | 17,699 |
Prince Hall Affiliation (PHA) sub-network
editThese Grand Lodges directly trace their descent from from African Lodge no. 459. Membership requirements and landmarks are the same as those in the "Mainstream" Anglo/US network. All of these Grand Lodges recognize each other, and most are recognized by the "Mainstream" network. However, such recognition is not universal and because there are significant disagreements they are listed here separately as a sub-network.
| Jurisdictional area | Grand Lodge Name | Founded | Lodges | Members | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada (Ontario) | Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Ontario | 1852 | 11 | ||
| United States (Alabama) | Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Alabama | 1870[8] | 593[7] | 30,822 | |
| United States (Alaska) | Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Alaska | 1969[9] | 5[7] | 170 | |
| United States (Arkansas) | Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Arkansas [7] | 1870[8] | 118 | 3,200[7] |
Confederación de Grandes Logias Regulares de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos (CGLREUM) sub-network
editThese Mexican Grand Lodges all share the same membership requirements and landmarks as the "Mainstream" network. All recognize each other, and they are recognized by most of the "Mainstream" Grand Lodges in the United States and Canada. However, there are significant disagreements when it comes to other Masonic Jurisdictions (most notably the United Grand Lodge of England and the Grand Lodge of Scotland) and so they are listed here separately, as a sub-network.
| Jurisdictional area | Grand Lodge Name | Founded | Lodges | Members | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico (all states) | York Grand Lodge of Mexico, F. & A.M [8] | 1862 | 13 | 250 | Recognized by UGLE and GL Scotland, and so is also considered part of the "Mainstream" network (see above) |
| Mexico (all states) | Gran Logia Unida Mexicana | 1883 | 100 | 2,500 | |
| Mexico (all states) | York Grand Lodge of Mexico, F. & A.M [9] | 1862 | 13 | 250 | |
| Mexico (all states) | Gran Logia Unida Mexicana | 1883 | 100 | 2,500 | |
| Mexico (Baja California) | Gran Logia de Estado de Baja California [10] | 1933 | 26 | ||
| Mexico (Coahuila) | Gran Logia Benito Juárez del Estado de Coahuila [11] | ||||
| Mexico (Chiapas) | Gran Logia del Estado de Chiapas | ||||
| Mexico (Estado de Mexico) | Gran Logia "del Estado de Mexico" [12] | 1997 | 18 | ||
| Mexico (Durango) | Gran Logia "Guadalupe Victoria" del Estado de Durango [13] | 1923 | 10 | 250 | |
| Mexico (Chihuahua) | Gran Logia Cosmos AC del R. E. A. y A. del Estado de Chihuahua [14] | 6 | |||
| Mexico (Nuevo León) | Gran Logia del Estado de Nuevo León [15] | ||||
| Mexico (Pacifico) | Gran Logia del Pacífico [16] | ||||
| Mexico (Tamaulipas) | Gran Logia Tamaulipas |
Other networks of Prince Hall style Grand Lodges
editThe Grand Lodges in this section maintain the same membership requirements and landmarks as the "Mainstream" network and the Prince Hall Affiliation sub-network, but they are not recognized by any of the Grand Lodges within either network. Some were once part of the Prince Hall Affiliation sub-network, but separated from that network due to internal squabbles and formed their own independent organizations. Others were never part of the PHA network, and can be considered self-created. They are often derided by the PHA network as being "Bogus".
| Jurisdictional area | Grand Lodge Name | Founded | Lodges | Members | Notes |
|---|
(CLIPSAS) network
editThe Grand Lodges in this section are all members of the Centre de Liaison et d'Information des Puissances maçonniques Signataires de l'Appel de Strasbourg, an organization of Continental style Grand Lodges. They share common liberal membership requirements and landmarks (such as admitting atheists and significant involvement in politics). While not universal, many admit women as well as men. While these Grand Lodges recognize the Grand Lodges in the "Mainstream" Anglo/US network, that recognition is not reciprocated. The Grand Lodges in this network are considered "irregular" by the "Mainstream" network.
| Jurisdictional area | Grand Lodge Name | Founded | Lodges | Members | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benin | Grand Bénin de la République du Bénin[10][11] | 1967[12] | |||
| Cameroon | Grand Orient & Loge Unis du Cameroun | ||||
| Congo, Republic of | Grands Orient & Loge Associés du Congo | ||||
| Congo, Democratic Republic of | Grand Orient du Congo | ||||
| Côte d'Ivoire | Le droit Humain - Juridiction de la Côte d'Ivoire | ||||
| Guinea | Le droit Humain - Juridiction de la Guinée Conackry | ||||
| Madagascar | Le droit Humain - Juridiction de Madagascar | ||||
| Mali | Le droit Humain - Juridiction de Mali[1][13] | 1 | |||
| Mauritius | Le droit Humain - Juridiction de la Ile Maurice | 1 | |||
| Canada (all Provinces) | Grande Loge Nationale du Canada | 1985 | 15 | ||
| Senegal | Le droit Humain - Juridiction de Sénégal | ||||
| South Africa | South African Federation, The International Order of Co-Freemasonry, Le Droit Humain[14] | 1912 | 4 | ||
| Togo | Le droit Humain - Juridiction de Togo |
Grand Lodges in the GLFF Network
edit| Jurisdictional area | Grand Lodge Name | Founded | Lodges | Members | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cameroon | Grande Loge Féminine du Cameroun | 1 | member of GLFF | ||
| Gabon | Grande Loge Féminine du Gabon | GLFF | |||
| Senegal | Grande Loge Féminine du Sénégal | GLFF |
See also
editNotes and references
edit- ^ a b c d e f g World GLs from Paul Bessel's website
- ^ a b c GLs Information from Paul Bessel's website
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Reference:GLs Information Cite error: The named reference "Bessel_GLsI" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j 2005 statistics:Masonic Service Association of North America accessed 28 November 2007
- ^ a b Origins of US Grand Lodges
- ^ Grand Lodge of Alaska website
- ^ a b c d Ref: Paul Bessel PH statistics
- ^ a b Ref: Freemasonry.bcy Prince Hall
- ^ Freemasonry.bcy Prince Hall
- ^ CLIPSAS at Paul Bessel's website. Accessed 2011-10-21.
- ^ Grand Bénin website Accessed 27 December 2013
- ^ Grand Bénin de la République du Bénin - Son Histoire 1997, Accessed 27 December 2013
- ^ website
- ^ SAF- Droit Humain website
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