HOW WE “BURIED THE DEAD” IN 1880

Our fraternal order has traditionally buried the dead. Even though we don’t do this to the extent we used to, we still conduct funeral ceremonies for our recently departed. I’ve also heard of a lodge somewhere that used to supply pall bearers simply out of respect for a deceased person who may have died alone […]

TIPS ON CLEANING OLD CEMETERY HEADSTONES

I work at a museum and we frequently get calls about how to deal with working in old cemeteries and preserving and cleaning old headstones. And since our Order has cemeteries all over the country, an article about this topic may prove of interest. Before I go further, you should know I am not a […]

Take Our Odd Fellow’s Quiz!

No cheating. See how well you do! In what century is it commonly believed that Odd Fellowship was founded? A) 19th, B) 16th, C) 17th, D) 18th Who was the Odd Fellow that was president during the Reconstruction period in the United States? A) Augustus Garland, B) US Grant, C) Abraham Lincoln, D) Thomas Jefferson Which […]

James Montgomery, Author of Friendship, Love, and Truth.

James Montgomery may be a poet that influenced some of our ritual. He may have written some of it as well, but he is absolutely the author of the Odd Fellow’s song “Friendship, Love, and Truth.” James Montgomery’s parents were Moravian missionaries, and from County Antrim, in what is now Northern Ireland. After James was […]

Ainslie Heilich talks ODD on Local News

“We found all this great, old regalia that was hidden up in the crawlspace … Almost like National Treasure, it’s like you start down a path of little bread crumbs and it just kinda ropes you in further and further … and here we are,” says Heilich.

Reflections on Being an LGBT+ Odd Fellow.

I would like to think that part of my personal growth through that transition could be attributed to the philosophical lessons our Order teaches and how they can be used as a member of the LGBT+ community. At the end of this piece you will find my interpretation of the Degrees through the lens of the LGBT+ experience.

I.O.O.F. YOUTH: IS THERE HOPE FOR GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF OUR YOUTH BRANCHES? By Louie Blake S. Sarmiento

Many of the dedicated leaders in the Odd Fellows and Rebekah Lodges today began as members of these youth branches. Regretfully, the youth groups under the I.O.O.F. failed to grow and develop into an international youth organization. There are many reasons. One is presumably because the I.O.O.F. in the continents of Europe, North America and Australia failed to coordinate with each other to form one cohesive international youth organization.