Letter of the month: October(b) 2002

Message-ID: <002301c27eaa$2073df40$d8494150@1>
From: "Sandro" <sandroi@bih.net.ba>
To: <dryfoo@mit.edu>
Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 18:47:45 +0100

Dear gentleman, thank you for your last message. I was thinking a lot time about your answer. Believe, I can not wait next hundred years for somebody who will establish Masonic Lodge here in Bosnia. Just I know one thing well, here in Bosnia we need it. Also I believe in Free Masonry, it is yesterday, today and future of the Humankind.

Dear gentleman I am unknown man for you, but I want to join and perhaps establish, the First Masonic Lodge, here in Bosnia, I shall start with 1-3 (blue) degree, it is not a problem. How I told before I am a lawyer and I have the Bosnian law in my little finger. This Lodge I may establish as the Association of citizens and to register on the Ministry of justice, here in Tuzla's Canton. Before few months I was reading in some newspaper about dr.Zoran Nenezi=E6 this man is born in town Tuzla, he is on 33 - degree in Free Masonry and he had big problem with registration his Lodge in Serbia at 1990 or 1991. I didn't met this man, but I respect him.

So dear gentleman, ask people on the highest place there about my idea and later give to me yours permission, I shall do everything for registering the First Bosnian Masonic Lodge. It will be done quickly and careffuly, because I believe in myself, my God Allah and the most in the Greatest builder of everything. I am sending once more, my poem on English. With respect I am remaining your

Lawyer Zlatko Ibri=B9imovi=E6 from Tuzla town, Bosnia and Herzegovina. God bless all Free Masons, all over the World.

Dear Sir,

I appreciate your situation, but I am not an official of a Grand Lodge and cannot give you permission for anything. You need to learn a lot more about Masonry for your plan to go forward.

If you start a lodge on your own, there is not a single Mason in the world who will visit with your lodge or communicate with it, because you will be "irregular" and "clandestine". Bosnian law will not have any effect on that.

If you wish to start a regular and duly-constituted lodge:

• you will need to travel to another country where there is regular Masonry and apply to join a lodge there.
• Once you have at least 10 or 20 regular Masons in that fashion, you can apply to the other country's Grand Lodge for a charter, to become a lodge of your own.
• Once you have at least three regular Bosnian lodges, you can begin to petition other grand lodges for recognition as a grand lodge.

Yes, you could start a group and call it "Masonic", that is true. On the other hand, I myself could start a club tomorrow and call it "The Bosnian Ministry of Trade and Industry". Even so, I would not have any authority over Bosnian industry, and you would not be a Mason.

I encourage you to contact a regular Masonic Grand Lodge in another country, and begin the process on a proper footing.

most sincerely,

+---------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Gary L. Dryfoos <dryfoo@mit.edu>| Ocean Lodge AF&AM, Saugus, MA (PM)
| P.O.Box 425400, Camb, MA 02142  | Mt. Scopus Lodge AF&AM, Malden, MA (PM)
| w: 617.253-0184 f: 617.258-6875 | Richard C. Maclaurin Lodge, MIT, MA
|  "A Page About Freemasonry"     | Internet Lodge #9659, E. Lancs UGLE   
|  http://mit.edu/dryfoo/Masonry/ | 32~; MPS; B'hood o/t Blue Forget-Me-Not 
|                                 | RWG Rep.GL Russia near GL Massachusetts 
| "...one sacred band, or society of Friends and Brothers, among
|  whom no contention should ever exist, save that noble contention,
|  or rather emulation, of who best can work and best agree."
+===========================================================================

Further information: [May 2005] There is now a Grand Lodge of Bosnia and Herzegovina.