Program

What is the MRF Symposium?
The MRF Symposium is a meeting place for Masons who are seeking the highest form of Masonic experience they can attain within their lodges, while strictly conforming to the laws, resolutions, and edicts of their respective grand lodges. It is a gathering for those who pursue quality in the Craft to share ideas and discuss their work. The Symposium begins on Friday evening at 7 PM, with a Harmony [Festive Board] in the Asheville Masonic Temple Dining Hall, and concludes before noon on Sunday. As always, we have assembled an excellent program of speakers and presenters to share their light with you.

Touch/click the photos to read the speakers' bios

Who May Attend the Symposium?
Any Mason in good standing may register for the Symposium, provided he is a member of a Grand Lodge which is a member of, or is recognized by any of the Grand Lodges which are members of, the Conference of Grand Masters of North America. Full Registration for the Symposium is $125.00.

Topics and Panels
- The Man o' Independent Mind: Masonry in Scotland
- The Heart, Mind, and Soul of Observant Masonry
- Creating an Observant Lodge
- Restoring Music to the Masonic Lodge
- Shooting Ourselves in the Foot: The Baltimore Convention
- Chains and Charges: The Art of Closing a Lodge
- The Tavern Myth: Re-assessing the Culture of Early Masonry
- Reflections on Reflection: Preparing a Candidate
- A Grand Master's Perspective on Observant Masonry

Download the full program in PDF format


MRF2016.pdf

Keynote Address: Robert L.D. Cooper
Robert L. D. Cooper is Curator of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, Past Master of Lodge Edinburgh Castle No. 1764, and Past Master of Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076. He is a renowned Masonic historian, and author of Cracking the Freemason's Code and The Rosslyn Hoax. He is a principal organizer of the International Conference on the History of Freemasonry [ICHF]. One of Scotland's finest Masonic ambassadors, he has written a number of articles on how Freemasonry is practiced in Scotland, which will be the focus of his remarks to the Symposium this year. Worshipful Brother Cooper will deliver the keynote address at the Festive Board on Friday evening.

Opening Address: Andrew Hammer,
President, Masonic Restoration Foundation
Andrew Hammer is Grand Chancellor of the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, and Past Grand Orator of the Grand Lodge of North Carolina. He is Secretary and Past Master of Alexandria-Washington Lodge No. 22, and Secretary of Fiat Lux Lodge No. 1717. He is author of Observing the Craft, a Fellow of the Masonic Society, and a Member of the Philalethes Society. Brother Hammer speaks to lodges throughout the United States and abroad on observant Masonry, as well as philosophical aspects of the Craft. As President of the Masonic Restoration Foundation, he will give the opening address on Saturday morning.

Closing Address: Bryant Webster, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of North Carolina
Most Worshipful Bryant Webster is the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of North Carolina, and a founding member of Veritas Lodge No. 769 in Asheville, the second observant Lodge to be chartered in the state. A staunch advocate of the pursuit of excellence in every aspect of the Craft, he will give the Symposium's Closing Address on Sunday morning, offering a Grand Master's perspective on observant Masonry.