World Conference on Fraternalism, Social Capital, and Civil Society 2018: 

Not Men Only: Sisters, Sororities, and Ritualistic Societies

  

The World Conferences on Fraternalism do have themes, but in addition to the themes, we welcome  other subjects  on  both general and specific subjects that touch on the history of particular orders, social capital, the place of volunteerism in political life, the  role of ngos in  national life – this broad umbrella will be best seen by looking at the programs of past conferences. 

The Paris conferences created a welcome network of those working in the fraternal field, and so it was decided that having a Washington conference in alternative years would be welcome in order to sustain the friendships and contacts that Paris has so happily created. 

Because we feel that the place of women’s fraternalism has not received the attention it deserves, a theme of the Washington meeting is gender history and gender issues, but as we have noted that does not mean that other topics are not warmly welcome. Similarly Paris in 2019 has singled out the proliferation of degrees in the past and the creation of different rites as a theme, but that does not in any way exclude other  papers. 

We are committed to publishing the presentations and have done so with Westphalia Press. We also place videos of the presentations on a convenient site for use in classrooms and lodges.  And we welcome advice and suggestions for improving the future World Conferences.   

Final List of Speakers 

About the Speakers 

Complimentary food will be served continuously all day in the Assembly room, or if the weather permits outside on the terrace.  The admission fees are complimentary but please register so we can plan on numbers.   

Among our distinguished guests we welcome our PSO neighbor and friend on New Hampshire Avenue. the acting Right Worthy Grand Secretary of the General Grand Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star, PGM Alma Lynn Bane. 

9:30 am Continental Breakfast and RegistrationPlease help yourself during the day

10:00 – 10:30 am
Opening Remarks: The 200th Birthday of Rob Morris
Paul Rich and Guillermo de los Reyes
Fraternalism, Feminism, and the Eastern Star 
introducing Rob Morris at 200
10:30 – 11:15 am
Nancy Theiss
A Beacon of Light: How Rob Morris Gave Credibility to the Women’s Movement
11:15 – 12:00 pm
Teresa Lynn
The Little Lodge on the Prairie Revisited: Surprising Eastern Star Connections
12:00-12:30 pm
Amanda Brozana
Equal from Birth: The Patrons of Husbandry, Grangers All 

Robert Morris 200th Anniversary Awards Presentation, Lunch Break

Gender in Fraternalism and European Views
12:30-1:15 pm 
Cécile Révauger
Call me Sister!: A World View 

1:15-2:00 pm
Olivia Chaumont
Gender Issues within Masonry: from Theory to PracticeI
nternational Perspectives 
Each World Conference highlights a country, and this May it is Italy
2:00-2:45 pm 
Emanuela Locci
Female Freemasonry in Italy 

2:45-3:30 pm 
Demetrio Xoccato
Freemasons in the New World: Italian Lodges in the USA 

3:30-3:40 pm Closing
Paul Rich, Guillermo de los Reyes
As Fraternalism Evolves 

We encourage each speaker to leave time for questions. Next year the conference is at the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, June 13-15, including video panels from Washington. The 2020 Washington seminar will be on Fraternalism and Music. 

Welcome to the Friends Meeting House of Washington DC, a carefully preserved historic building and its beautiful gardens. The Religious Society of Friends has enjoyed a long history in the region. 

Washington DC is ground zero for fraternalism—the Grange was founded here, and its national of offices and High Priest of Demeter are here. Albert Pike made this a world center of the Scottish Rite, as illustrated by two grand buildings on 16th Street NW. The 1822 organization of Prince Hall fraternalism now includes several temples in the District, and Prince Hall Eastern Star has its historic collections and lodge rooms on U Street. 

Also nearby, on New Hampshire Ave and Corcoran St NW, is the International Headquarters of the Order of the Eastern Star. Only steps away is the Garfield House, home of Phi Sigma Omega, Phi Sigma Alpha, the World Conference on Fraternalism, the Policy Studies Organization. 

And close to the studio of John Cavanaugh, who evidentially knew the history of the Star. He admired its building and had friends in the Order, creating inspired sculptures of Morris’ heroines:

         Martha                              Adah                      Electa                  Esther                  Ruth 

Martha: Represents faith in the hour of trial. Her corresponding goddess was Thetis (Thesis), goddess of creation and the sea. She was mother of Achilles and dipped him in the River Styx to make him invincible. Thetis had the power to prophesy and was a shape-shifter. 

Jephthah’s daughter, whom Morris named Adah: The OES teaches that she illustrates respect to the binding force of a vow. Jephthah made a vow in Judges 11 that the first thing to greet him from his house when he returned from battle with a victory from God would be offered to the Lord. The first to greet him when he returned home from that battle was his daughter, so he kept his vow in spite of how much it would cost him. Adah was originally the goddess Luna, the goddess of the moon. Luna is the “goddess with three forms” and also called Diana, Selene, Artemis, and Hecate. She is goddess of sorcery, night (darkness), the far world, and patron saint of feminists since she perpetually shunned males. 

Electa: Morris gave this name to the woman hosting the church in her house in 2 John. The goddess who she replaced in the original plan by Morris for the Eastern Star was Areme, a secret goddess of the Egyptians whose name is not widely known. 

Esther: Illustrates delity to kindred and friends. Esther was previously Hebe, the goddess of youth who was cupbearer to the gods and goddess of domestic matters. The Romans called her Juventas. 

Ruth: She illustrates devotion to principles. Originally she was Flora, the goddess of springtime and flowers who was also called Chloris. Every year in honor of Flora, the Romans held the festival of Floralia in the spring. Floralia was much like Mardi Gras where the people participated in merriment