|
Widows Sons
Founding Bylaws and Landmarks of 1998
September 2023 Update
The original Widows Sons website:
widowssons.com was hijacked by a group who identifies itself as the
IWSMRA or the International Widows Sons Masonic Riders Association.
The WSMRA does not recognize this group or its members as being
legitimate members of the Widows Sons and we are not affiliated with
them in any way.
The WSMRA Inc. is an Illinois corporation which owns the copyright
to our logo. This corporation's members have direct lineage to the
Widows Sons Masonic Riders Association which was formed in 1998 in
the state of Illinois. Be advised that any other groups who make
claims of being representatives, owners, leaders, or whatever of the
Widows Sons, are impostors and are not sanctioned by the WSMRA. This
website will be updated with more information shortly, so check back
soon for the latest updates & revisions.
2022 UPDATE
September
2, 2022
A Board of Directors meeting was held to settle complaints from the
England & Wales grand chapters at 1pm. The complaints were discussed
and it was detrermined that Kernow, South Wales , Kent, Devon, and
Hampshire has all joined forces to take away chartering from all the
other future chapters of England & Wales and give Kernow full control of the chartering
responsibilities for all chapters of England & Wales. The South Wales
chapter did
not hold stated meetings a year. Both are violations of the
bylaws. After discussion, it was determined that Kernow had
colonized the rest of the chapters in England & Wales. A vote was
held and Kernow, Kent, South Wales, Hampshire and Devon charters
were revoked and the South Wales President, Vice President and
Illegally appointed Acting Secretary were expelled from the Widows
Sons.
The West Wales grand chapter was reinstated as the chapter of Widows
Sons in West Wales in good standing. Two members who were suspended
by the South Wales chapter not following the bylaws were reinstated
from the South Wales chapter into the West Wales chapter.
As a result of the Board of Directors meeting, Kernow, Kent, South
Wales, Devon, Hampshire & IOW are no longer recognized as chapters
of the Widows Sons England & Wales International Masonic Riders
Association and the Widows Sons MRA no longer supports or wishes to
be represented by Widows Sons chapters in England and South Wales.
We will no longer authorize the use and display of the Widows Sons intellectual
property in England and South Wales.
A
few hours after having their charter revoked, Kernow chapter chartered the Falkirk
chapter of Scotland without authorization to charter. They presented Falkirk with a non WSMRA charter. Therefore the Falkirk charter was
not issued by the WSMRA so it is not a recognized Widows Sons
chapter by the WSMRA.
UPDATE March 10, 2020
The first requirement to become a Widows Son is that you are a
member of a recognized Grand Lodge. This "rule” has been in the
bylaws since February 18,1998. We use two groups to decide
recognition: First, the United Grand Lodge of England, and the
Commission for Information on Recognition of the Grand Masters of
North America as our guides as to what Grand lodges are regular or
irregular.
The Grand Chapters that were revoked in January of 2020 will be
reinstated at the time they submit verification that they are
members of recognized Grand Lodges according to these two sources.
NOTICE TO ALL CHAPTERS
On January 20,
2020, it was determined by the Widows
Sons Masonic Riders
Association that we have had four Grand
Chapters operating in our European
Executive Council who are not members of
recognized Grand Lodges.
Therefore, effective immediately, the
charters of The Grand Chapters of
France, Belgium, Italy and Switzerland
are no longer valid, and we no longer
recognize them as a part of our
organization.
Therefore, anyone desiring to
communicate with them should do so
through the Secretary of your lodge and
your Grand Secretary.
Also. The European Executive Council is
no longer operating under the umbrella
of the Widows Sons Masonic
Riders Association.
Here is the notifications we have posted
for all recognized Grand Chapters.
///////////////////////////////////////
Dennis Kaktusz
Greetings Brothers &
Those who are among us that have no place here.
We have been in
communication with almost four dozen Grand Lodges throughout
the world and we have come to the conclusion some of the
Widows Sons Chapters have been made by Lodges that are not
recognized by The Commission on Information for Recognition
(The Conference of Grand Masters of Masons of North America)
Nor found recognized by U.G.L.E or any regular Grand Lodges
within the lists of Recognized Lodges.
For those of You
who belong to an Unrecognized Lodge like the Grand
Orient etc We ask You to please remove Yourself without
any drama.
Most U.S. WS
Chapters are made by Brothers who hail from a Recognized
Lodge. Most the chapters popping up in Latin America are
from unrecognized lodges or clandestine groups. Some of
the chapters in Western Europe are from unrecognized
lodges. Some of the chapters popping up in Asia are also
from Unrecognized Lodges that were chartered by misc
chapters from the USA. We will add a list in comments as
we weed them out.
Please help us
keep things in order. Lets keep comments drama free.
I look forward
to working together, along with all such true and lawful
Brethren as may be permitted to associate with them
operating always in full accordance with Masonic code of
The Grand Lodge.
S&F
~D~
//////////////////////////////////////////////////
January 23, 2020 10:02
am by Carl A Davenport
Here is Article 3 Section 3.02 of the original bylaws of the Widows
Sons (1998)
Section 3.02
Upon approval of
the Widows Sons Illinois Founding Grand Chapter
petitions for membership in the Widows Sons can be accepted from
those who have successfully petitioned a blue lodge recognized by
The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge A.F. & A.M. of the State
of Illinois, upon the Lodge’s acceptance of their
petition. EA and FC Masons accepted into the Widows Sons can not
vote or hold office or, in the future, wear any future trademarks,
patches or items identifying them as a Widows Son until they have
completed their Master Mason Degree.
This
rule was applied from the beginning to all new Grand Chapters. The
first was the Netherlands who also stated in their bylaws that a
member of the Widows Sons must be a member of a recognized lodge
recognized by the Recognized Grand Chapter in the Netherlands.
The following Grand Chapters chartered in the United States and
worldwide were also required to be members of a recognized Grand
Lodge.
Being a member of a Grand Lodge recognized by mainstream Freemasonry
has been required standard for the Widows Sons since the beginning.
In 2014, the UGLE re-recognized the
Grande Loge
Nationale Française
and a Grand Chapter claiming to be recognized by the Grande Loge
Nationale Française was chartered by Forrest McCrackin the President
of the Grand Chapter of Suffolk, England.
A few months later the Grand Chapter who were chartered By the Grand
Chapter of Suffolk were removed and replaced by the present day
Widows Sons Grand Chapter of France, who are members of an
unrecognized Grand Lodge in France.
Three (3) new Grand Chapters were chartered by this second grand
Chapter of France, one (1) in Belgium, one (1) in Italy and one (1)
in Switzerland have expanded the investigation to determine whether
these three (3) chapters consist of members from recognized Grand
Chapters. Over a few years of inquiring of
these Grand Lodges by the Widows Sons Executive Council, it has been
determined the Grand Chapters of France, Belguim, Italy and
Switzerland are recognized by Grand Orient Grand Lodges who are not
recognized by Mainstream Freemasonry.
Therefore, on the morning of the 20th of January, 2020,
the Widows Sons International Masonic Riders Association has
withdrawn recognition of the Grand Chapters of France, Belguim,
Italy and Switzerland, and these four (4) Grand Chapters are no
longer Widows Sons Grand Chapters because the Grand Lodges they are
affiliated with are not recognized by The Commission on Information
for Recognition, The Conference of Grand Masters of Masons of North
America, nor by U.G.L.E, nor any regular Grand
Lodges within the lists of Recognized Lodges.
A letter was posted on the Widows Sons Facebook group,
https://www.facebook.com/groups/widwossons/
and was posted in the email chain of the Europa Widows Sons
Executive Committee on January 21, 2020 to notify all Grand Chapters
of non recognized Grand Lodges to remove themselves from the Widows
Sons rank and file.
/////////////////////////////////////////////////
NOTICE TO ALL GRAND CHAPTERS These are two letters that were posted
on Facebook and in the Europa email chain.
Dear Brothers,
In accordance to the January 2020 findings of the Widows Sons Masonic Riders Association, the Executive Council of
Europe is no longer a workable body of the Widows Sons Masonic Riders Association due to four Executive Council Grand
Chapters being members of the European Executive Committee, and not
being members of recognized Grand Lodges. These chapters are France,
Belgium, Italy and Switzerland.
Due to this finding, we no longer have any Masonic purpose to be a
part of or be in communications with the members of the European
Executive Council. As of January 30, 2020, the European Council is
no longer and entity of the Widows Sons Masonic Riders
Association. It is no longer operating under the auspices of the
Widows Sons Masonic Riders Association.
Therefore,
anyone desiring to communicate with them should do so through the
Secretary of your lodge and your Grand Secretary.
Please take due notice and govern yourselves accordingly.
Questions or comments, Please use the Widows Sons Forum.
|
