At the Provincial Grand Assembly on the 24th of February the Provincial Grand Master, R.W.Bro. Michael Anthony Shilan presented Long Service Awards to those Brethren that have completed exceptional lengths of service to the Craft, namely;

Sadly there were two Brethren who could not be present for the ceremony who also acheived long service awards;

At the meeting of Old Tower No.49 held on the 16th of April, the Deputy Provincial Grand Master, V.W.Bro. Rodney Charles Bignell was delighted, on behalf of the Provincial Grand Master to present the 50 year award to Bro. Ken.

The presentation was also made all the more special by the attendance of R.W.Bro. Mike Savory, a Founder of Old Tower No.49 who was delighted to extend his congratulations to Bro. Ken as well as those of the Worshipful Master, W.Bro. John Evans.

W.Bro. Steven A. Robertson of Old Tower Lodge No.49 in the Province of Valencia was Installed for the first time into the Chair of King Solomon on Saturday the 17th of March within the Old Stortfordian Lodge No.5721 in the Province of Hertfordshire under United Grand Lodge of England.

The Director of Ceremonies at the Installation was our Deputy Provincial Grand Master and Worshipful Master of our Provincial Grand Stewards Lodge, V.W.Bro. Rodney C. Bignell, the ceremony was also attended by our Assistant Provincial Grand Master, W.Bro. Roy A. Mitchell and also in attendance from Spain were W.Bro. Steven Cardwell and the Grand Treasurer, W.Bro.  Joe Mondéjar who acted as Assistant Director of Ceremonies for the meeting.  Following his Installation the Worshipful Master then Invested W.Bro. Steven Cardwell as his Senior Warden.

Any of our members who have been on the annual trip to Lake Como will also know W.Bro. Ross Whieldon, the owner of the hotel that hosts our annual trip who is also a member of the Lodge and was in attendance.

The Lodge was further honored with the presence of W.Bro John Norris the APGM of the Province of Hertfordshire together with his escort team, in all a total of 35 brethren were present at the meeting and all subsequently dined at a most enjoyable Festive Board.

The following day a lunch was arranged at a local restaurant which was well attended by the members of the Old Stortfordian Lodge together with their partners, where a gift was presented to the newly Installed Worshipful Master’s wife by him on behalf of the Lodge.

On Saturday the 24^th of February, the Annual Grand Assembly of Valencia was held at the Hotel Grand Bali in Benidorm. This was a very well attended meeting with more than two hundred Masons in attendance. The meeting was opened by the Provincial Grand Master, R.W.Bro. Michael Anthony Shilan at 11:00, after which numerous Grand Lodge Officers of this and other Provinces were warmly welcomed.

This year we were also honoured by the presence of the Most Worshipful Grand Master of Spain, the M.W.Bro. Óscar de Alfonso, who was accompanied by two Assistant Grand Masters of Spain, R.W.Bro. Barrie Roy Mansell and R.W.Bro. Lawrence Howard.

The Provincial Grand Master was delighted to reappoint his Deputy Provincial Grand Master, W.Bro. Rodney Charles Bignell and his two Assistant Provincial Grand Masters, W.Bro. Roy Alan Mitchell and V.H. Eladio González Jover.  V.W.Bro. Jeffrey Steven Hyde was reappointed as the Provincial Senior Grand Warden and W.Bro. Terrence Porter was obligated and invested as the Provincial Junior Grand Warden with special thanks to the outgoing Provincial Junior Grand Warden, W.Bro. Ronald Charles Knight who moved to Past Provincial Senior Grand Warden.

New items were introduced to the proceedings this year including a presentation of all the current Worshipful Masters of each Lodge in the Province.

Long service certificates were issued to those Brethren who have completed exceptional lengths of service to the Craft, they are namely;

In addition there were two Brethren who sadly could not be present for the ceremony who also have long service awards;

This Assembly is one of, if not the most, important meetings in our calendar. It is a chance for Masons of all ranks to meet, renew old acquaintances and discover what has been happening, and approve the plans and budget for the forthcoming year within the Province.

It is also where promotions and honours are bestowed upon deserving Masons and when the Provincial Grand Master has a chance to meet with and thank the Brethren for their help and support over the past year.  He was particularly pleased this year to note that representatives of every Lodge in the Province were present.

A full list of the new Provincial Executive as well as all Provincial Officers is included within this website and the following Decreto’s were issued listing the appointments Decreto_No_57 and Decreto_No_58.

The Provincial Grand Master also announced the name of his ‘Mason of the Year’ and for 2018 the Mason honoured from this Province is W.Bro. Gordon Ramshead of Dama de Elche Lodge No.163

The full speech delivered by the Provincial Grand Master is available for you to read here in both English and castellano.

The Provincial Grand Treasurer, W.Bro. Frederick C. Miller presented the Annual Report of the Treasurer for 2017 and its associated Provincial Balance Sheet for 2017 along with the budget for 2018 which were unanimously approved by the Brethren present.

After the meeting, the Brethren dined with the Grand Master, the Provincial Grand Master and many Grand Officers. A raffle was held which raised a significant sum which, along with other money raised, will be donated to local charities.

The Provincial Grand Master also stated that El Preventorio children’s home in Gandia was to be his chosen charity for the year along with the Masonic summer school in Guadalest to which the children of El Preventorio are often invited.

Should any Brother require a better definition version of any picture in this article please just email the required reference to itsupport@glpvalencia.com

On the 17th of February our Provincial Grand Master, R.W.Bro. Michael Anthony Shilan attended the Initiation ceremony for the newest member of the Province, Brother Robert Smith.

The meeting took place at the regular meeting place of the Lodge at the Hotel La Bolera in Vinaròs.

The PGM extended a sincere thanks to the Worshipful Master, Wardens and Brethren and his appreciation for a most excellent ceremony.

The PGM looks forward to welcoming Brother Robert at the Provincial Assembly on February 24th where our newest Brother will be able to see the size and scale of the Province that he has now joined.

Should any Brother wish to make a visit to a future meeting of the Lodge, please contact the Brother Secretary at sec165@glpvalencia.com

On the evening of the 6th of February the Master, Wardens and Brethren of Arenal Deportival Lodge No.65 were delighted to receive not only the Provincial Grand Master, R.W.Bro. Michael Anthony Shilan, but also none other than the Grand Master of Spain, M.W.Bro. Óscar de Alfonso.

The Grand Master had been in Javea that day and when he heard there was a meeting that night he decided to join the Brethren for a most enjoyable evening.

The main event of the evening was a Second Degree (Passing) ceremony for Brother John Porter.  The Grand Master also attended the White Table Festive Board afterwards.  Both the Grand Master and the Provincial Grand Master thanked the Worshipful Master, W.Bro. Ian Brown and the Brethren of the Lodge for a most wonderful evening held at the Masonic Center in Javea .

Should any Brother wish to visit Arenal Deportiva then there details can be found within the Year Book and the Secretary can be contacted at sec65@glpvalencia.com.

Meeting Summons 06-02-2018.

At the last regular meeting of local Lodge, Armonia de Ifach, on Monday the 5th of February many of their Masons were both surprised and pleased to meet no fewer than twenty-three visitors, all from Lodges in the Province of South Wales in the UK.

These Welsh Masons travel abroad, once each year, and visit a local Lodge at random. This year it was the turn of Armonia de Ifach, picked entirely at random, who welcomed the visitors warmly.

It turned out to be a fantastic evening with a great deal of singing during the Festive Board and everyone enjoying it immensely. This was Freemasonry in its purest form and showed the true meaning both of visiting other Lodges and enjoying the Festive Board.

So great an evening was it that the Welsh Masons have already expressed their wish to return and have suggested making it a bi-annual event. What a great idea. Let’s hope that Armonia and perhaps a few other local Lodges can return the compliment by visiting south Wales in the not too distant future.

The Annual provincial Draw for 2017 took place at the Provincial Lodge of Instruction meeting  held on the 2nd December at the Holiday inn Alicante.

The winning Ticket numbers were as follows.

2451        Javea  Lodge  No 40                            –         500 Euros

2874       Puerto De Xabia Lodge No 58        –          250 Euros

1228      Regeneración Lodge  No  132           –           100 Euros

1639     Roy Mitchell                                            –              50 Euros

The Provincial Grand Master, R.W.Bro. Michael Shilan made an Official Visit to Armonia de Ifach Lodge No.46 held at the Restaurant Masia Sant Jaume,
Carrer Mitgeta10, Benissa.

The Worshipful Master, W.Bro. Ian Raistrick welcomed the Provincial Grand Master and also his Lady, Muriel who had accompanied him on this visit as the Lodge had nominated the Festive Board to be a White Table to mark the Festive Season.

After attending to the duties of the evening the Lodge was closed and the Ladies and non-Masonic visitors were invited into the Temple and were given a most interesting presentation by W.Bro. Sam Sampson on the format of a Lodge, the Officers and the principles of their duties as well as the charitable works undertaken by Freemasons around the World.

The Ladies and non-Masonic visitors all agreed that it was most informative and following the presentation all attendees enjoyed an excellent Festive Board together in the restaurant.

Any Brother wishing to visit the Lodge are encouraged to contact the Brother Secretary at sec46@glpvalencia.com

Meeting Summons

On Saturday, December 2nd, the Provincial Grand Lodge of Valencia held their annual Provincial Lodge of Instruction. This was a huge event, one of the largest in the Masonic calendar, and was held at the Holiday Inn Hotel in St Juan de Alicante. More than one hundred Masons attended from all over the Province, from the borders of Murcia to the north of Castellon. Many senior Masons from all over the Province were also in attendance.

In each local Lodge throughout the year many Lodges of Instruction are held. These are to ensure that when real Ceremonies are performed, such as that of Initiation, when a man becomes a Mason, those taking part know what they are doing and strive to make the ceremony as good as it can possibly be. The ceremony detailed is performed when a new candidate becomes a Freemason and is one of the most beautiful and moving ceremonies which the new Mason will remember for the rest of his life. They are usually performed by senior and experienced Masons to ensure that the Candidate enjoys this most important night.

However, on one day each year, at the Provincial Lodge of Instruction, this Ceremony is performed by junior Masons, most of whom have never done it before. It is performed in front of the Provincial Grand Master of Valencia, RWBro Michael Shilan and many senior Masons, this year including the Assistant Grand Master of Spain, RWBro Barrie Roy Mansell. This gives the junior Masons the chance to show what they can do and provides invaluable experience for the day when they perform this function for real. Every Mason who takes part says that when they become Officers within their own Lodge and particularly when they become the Master of the Lodge this day has thoroughly prepared them for the task. The standards shown are always of the highest order and shows individual Masons just what they can achieve.

This ceremony was very unusual as it was performed by Genesis Lodge No 61 and was performed totally in Spanish and although many present did not understand every word, the skill and motivation was plain for all to see. It was, in fact, one of the best ceremonies I have ever seen! The skill, professionalism and enthusiasm was incredible. Every member who took part performed beautifully and special praise must be given to Bro Alex Fernandez who took the role of the Worshipful Master and WBro Remolar who acted as IPM. Both gave virtuoso performances and were highly praised by everyone who witnessed this incredible event.  There was also a very polished performance by Bro. Stuart Powell who, although English, gave a very proficient performance in Spanish as the Junior Deacon.

A great day for all attending and one which will never be forgotten by the participants. Many thanks and hearty congratulations to Genesis Lodge No 61. You have set a new standard for the Provincial Lodge of Instruction. Well done.

Below is a link to more photos.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/CuMbncbZpHYy2PGJ3