Grand Lodge of British Freemasons in Germany

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The Grand Lodge of British Freemasons in Germany (GL BFG) is a Masonic Grand Lodge in Germany working in the English language and following English masonic traditions. It was founded as a District Lodge in 1957 and after various transformations (see below) was eventually recognised as Grand Lodge in 1980. This Grand Lodge is one of the five United Grand Lodges of Germany (VGLvD). It currently has members from a variety of nations and in addition to the "resident members" in Germany, there are "non-resident members" all over the world. Currently, 17 lodges work under the GL BFG, mainly in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony, but also in Hamburg, Munich, and Berlin.^[1]

Ritual

As with the other four Grand Lodges under the United Grand Lodges of Germany, the GL BFG is autonomous in matters of internal order and ritual. Of the Lodges of the GL BFG, 15 work in the English tradition with memorised English ritual texts using the ritual of the Emulation Lodge of Improvement as approved by the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE), one works a Scottish Ritual and there is one Lodge which uses the aforementioned Emulation Ritual, but translated into the German language and consequently this Lodge works in the German language. The GL BFG also supports separate Masonic orders (e.g. Mark, Royal Arch Chapter) of nearly all the rituals of English Freemasonry.

History

The GL BFG, like the American Canadian Grand Lodge A.F. & A.M, was originally a military Masonic organisation for members of the Allied Forces in West Germany and was established as a district of the Grand Lodge AF & AM in 1957.

In 1959, the District Grand Lodge of British Freemasons in Germany was founded and was raised to a Provincial Grand Lodge under the GL AF & AM of Germany in 1962. It then became an autonomous Provincial Grand Lodge and equal partner within the United Grand Lodges of Germany in 1970 and one year later changed its name to Grand Land Lodge of British Freemasons in Germany. In 1980 the name was again changed to the current Grand Lodge of British Freemasons in Germany.

Relationship to other Grand Lodges

As a member of the United Grand Lodges of Germany (VGLvD), the GL BFG has ceded the sovereignty rights of representation to Freemasons outside of Germany and to the German public to the VGLvD and does not formally have direct relations with any Masonic body outside Germany. The VGLvD is recognised as a "regular" Grand Lodge by the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE).^[2] Through the VGLvD, it recognises the existence of the Women's Grand Lodge of Germany (Frauen Grossloge von Deutschland, FGLvD); however, other male organizations purporting to be Masonic lodges, that are not part of the VGLvD within Germany are not recognised.

The other four United Grand Lodges of Germany, which have widely varying traditions, are:

• Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Germany (Großloge der Alten Freien und Angenommenen Maurer von Deutschland, GL AFuAMvD)
• Grand Landlodge of the Freemasons of Germany (Große Landesloge der Freimaurer von Deutschland/ Freimaurerorden, GLL FvD/ FO)
• Große National-Mutterloge „Zu den drei Weltkugeln“ Grand National-Mother Lodge, "The Three World-Globes" (GNML 3WK)
• American Canadian Grand Lodge A.F. & A.M (ACGL)

References

1. ↑ GL-BFG, Lodges, accessed 14 November 2014
2. ↑ UGLE , Foreign Grand Lodges, accessed 24 August 2014

External links

• Grand Lodge of British Freemasons in Germany- Official Website
• United Grand Lodges of Germany - Official Website