Sovereign Grand Lodge of Malta: Encyclopedia II - Sovereign Grand Lodge of Malta - Freemasonry since independence

Sovereign Grand Lodge of Malta - Freemasonry since independence

On 21 September 1964, Malta gained independence. Following the withdrawal of British forces from the island, and the shut down of the British base on 31 March 1979, the United Grand Lodge of England saw no justification in continuing the Malta District as most of the members had returned to the United Kingdom (UK). As a result, all the English lodges were relocated to the UK, with the exception of two: one lodge had to hand over its warrant, and the Lodge of St. John and St. Paul No 349 (EC) still meets in Malta.

In 1984, the English District Grand Lodge of Malta, having been relocated to the UK, was dissolved. After the dissolution, UGLE appointed a "Grand Inspector for the Group of Lodges (Malta)". In 2005 a new Grand Inspector for the Group of (2) English Lodges meeting in Malta was appointed.

Sovereign Grand Lodge of Malta - The Irish and Scottish Constitutions in Malta

The Irish (IC) and Scottish (SC) Constitution are known in English Freemasonry as the Sister Constitutions (sisters to the English). During the colonial period, there were two Irish warranted Lodges in Malta: the Leinster Lodge No 387 IC founded in 1851, and the Abercorn Lodge No 273 IC founded in 1899. There is one lodge in Malta under the Scottish Constitution: the Lodge of St. Andrew No 966 SC, which was founded in 1904. The IC warranted two other lodges: the Fenici Lodge No 906 IC in 1991, and Hospitalliers Lodge No 931 IC in 2004.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Freemasonry since independence", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki