On Tuesday 21 November the Club gathered in the opulent surroundings of the Grand Temple at Freemasons’ Hall to listen to a talk by Right Eminent Knight Dr Viv Thomas. When looking for an authority on the history, origins or practices of the Masonic Knights Templar one needs to look no further than Dr Viv who is widely renown for his in-depth knowledge and understanding of the topic.
Well, Dr Viv did not disappoint. We were taken back to the story of the Crusaders and traced the story of the Templars in Europe. We learnt about the many templar orders and Christian degrees that were practised by various Masonic groups throughout Europe in the 18th century and before, and speculated on how Ireland came to form the first Great Priory of the United and Religious Orders of the Temple.
Dr Viv spoke enthusiastically and authoritatively on a topic that is rich with history, myth and speculation – as like most things in Freemasonry. The Club was extremely privileged to host Dr Viv, and thank him for such an enlightening talk.
As well as Dr Viv, we also hosted the Most Eminent and Supreme Grand Master, Paul Raymond Clement. The Grand Master spoke a little on the founding of Great Priory (the Grand Lodge of the Order) and how it is administrated today before answering our questions with charm and knowledge.
Following the presentation, we mingled over wine and nibbles in order to continue the discussions amongst ourselves. I noted that, whilst the numbers were not as buoyant on this cold November night as we had expected, we were fortunate to have a few “newbies” amongst our ranks. I hope they enjoyed their first experiences of the Club, and came away enlightened happy, content and not too groggy the next morning.