Regional News & Events

Annual Meeting of Mediterranean Conclave 2026

The very first Annual meeting of the Mediterranean Regional Conclave was held by Videoconference on Saturday 24th May 2025.

After the Regional Governor, R Ill Bro Eddie Kalogeropoulos, had welcomed all the attendees, a series of administrative items were taken including:

* confirmation of the Minutes of the Regional Annual Meeting held on 1st June 2024 

* presentation of a Report from the Regional Secretary

* submission for adoption the Statement of Accounts of the Region for the period ending 31 December 2024 

* election of a Regional Treasurer for the year

* appointment, re-appointment, and investiture of the Regional Officers for the ensuing year 

* election of Account Examiners

* election of a member to the Regional Executive Committee

* setting of Regional fees and dues.

The Regional Governor addressed the Regional Conclave as follows:

Brethren All,

The Mediterranean Region has now completed two years since it was constituted, and I believe that this relatively short period has been highly constructive in every respect.

Over the past year, I, along with all the Regional Officers, have had the opportunity and pleasure to attend meetings of all four Conclaves within our Region. It is evident that there has been notable progress in the performance of our rituals, which are, after all, the most essential aspect of any Masonic Order.

I would like to share some thoughts on this matter. Especially when compared with rituals of other Masonic Orders, the Ritual of the Order of the Pilgrim Preceptors is not an easy one. The two elaborate ceremonies of the Degree, together with that of the Installation of the Illustrious Preceptor, possess profound philosophical meanings steeped in esotericism and mysticism. Their texts are extensive, and in many parts, rather complex due to the nature of the subjects they address and explore.

For these reasons, I urge all Officers involved in ceremonial duties within our Conclaves to prepare themselves as thoroughly as possible and in good time – for the benefit of everyone, but above all for the candidates. The high standard expected of our ritual performances remains the most important factor in attracting a sufficient number of new candidates, thus ensuring the continuation of both our Rituals and our Order.

I must also take this opportunity to acknowledge the consistently high standard of ceremonial performance observed in Atheaneum Conclave No. 28 in Athens.

Nevertheless, I will repeat once again that there is always room for improvement – for all of us – given that, until recently, many of the Order’s ceremonies were unfamiliar to most members.

Our now-former Regional Secretary, in his report, highlighted the steady progress made by the Region in meeting our administrative and financial obligations to the Grand Conclave. This, in itself, attests to our strict adherence to both the Grand Conclave Regulations and the individual By-Laws of the Conclaves.

I earnestly request that all Conclave and Regional Officers continue to carry out their duties with the necessary formality and the same unwavering zeal. I am committed to supporting each of you, in my capacity as Regional Governor, with any matter or difficulty that may arise.

As announced at our last Regional Meeting, the Dedication of Banners for those Conclaves that have not yet acquired one remains a priority for the immediate future. Accordingly, the Banner Dedication for Maleth Conclave No. 38 in Malta will take place on 3rd October, while that of Paulus Tarsensis Conclave No. 35 will be held in Thessaloniki on 5th December. A Dispensation will be required from the Grand Master for both ceremonies.

It is noteworthy that during the past year Athenaeum Conclave No. 28, Athens, continued its charitable project by supporting the charitable foundation “Elpida” [“Hope”] with a donation of 250 Euros.

On Saturday, 28th June, the Annual Meeting of the Grand Conclave will be held at the Masonic Hall in Leicester. The main item of the Annual meeting Agenda is the Installation of the Grand Master Designated, Right Illustrious Brother David John Boswell, and I invite all to this historical moment in the history of the Order as well as in the life of David. At this event, our Region will once again be honoured with several Grand Conclave appointments: Ill. Bro. Lawrence Leon Porter as Grand Steward, succeeding Ill. Bro. Efstathios Papavasiliou in the same active office; Ill. Bro. Richard Strutt as Grand Warden of Regalia; Ill. Bro. George Morfopoulos as Past Grand Standard Bearer; and Ill. Bro. George Kesisoglou as Past Grand Keeper of the Portal. Congratulations to all four Illustrious Brethren, and our sincere thanks to the Grand Master for bestowing such honour upon the Mediterranean Region! This brings the number of Grand Officers in our Region to twelve (12).

Lastly, I wish to thank our Regional Officers – Ill. Bro. Lawrence Porter (Past Regional Secretary), Ill. Bro. George Kessisoglou (Regional Treasurer), and Ill. Bro. Yannis Grammenidis (Regional Marshal) – for their valuable work and commitment to the progress and development of the Region and the Order over the past year.

Finally, I wish all members of the Region, and your families, a very enjoyable summer!

Under “Any Other Business” the Regional Secretary reported :

* on apologies he had received

* the date and location of the forthcoming Annual Meeting of Grand Conclave

All in all, this was one more very successful first Annual Meeting of the Mediterranean Regional Conclave.

Installation meeting of Athenaeum Conclave No. 28

One more successful Installation meeting of Athenaeum Conclave No 28 took place Saturday 15 March 2025 at the Masonic Hall of Kifisia, Athens, Greece.

The Illustrious Preceptor, Ill Bro Andreas Arkouzis, installed his successor, Wy Bro Konstantinos Athanasopoulos, in excellent manner according to Ancient Tradition of the Masonic Order of Pilgrim Preceptors.

A superb Festive Board followed, and the Brethren enjoyed Greek delicious specialities in a lovely atmosphere.

Well done, Pilgrim Preceptors!

Consecration  of Polikos Astir Conclave No. 39

This weekend two historical meetings of the Masonic Order of Pilgrim Preceptors took place in Zakynthos Island, Greece. On Friday ten local Brethren, members of the Star of the East Lodge No. 880  (UGLE), were Received as Pilgrims and Advanced as Preceptors under the Banner of St Andrew Conclave TI. On Saturday the Grand Master of the Order, Most Illustrious Brother Jonathan Charles Roberts, assisted by a team of Grand Officers of the Grand Conclave Consecrated the Polikos Astir (Polar Star) Conclave No. 39. Twelve Petitioners participated in a superb ceremony and Illustrious Brother Dionisios Ithakisios was Installed as the Primus Illustrious Preceptor of the new Conclave. This is the fourth Conclave of the recently constituted Mediterranean Region. Congratulations to all Brethren and many thanks to the local Brethren for their excellent hospitality and beautiful memories!

Use the left and right arrows to scroll through the photographs.

Athenaeum Conclave Meeting - September 2023

On 16th September 2023 another successful meeting of Athenaeum Conclave No 28 (the 7th since its Consecration) took place in the Masonic Hall of Kifisia, North Attica, in presence of 15 Brethren.

Three Candidates had the opportunity to experience two really excellent ceremonies directed by the Illustrious Preceptor, Ill Bro Ioannis Kametas, and his Officers.

After the meeting a superb festive board took place in the dining room of the Hall and the traditional commemoration and charity raffle took place in a warm atmosphere.

Athenaeum Conclave Donates to ELPIDA Charity

On Monday, September 11, the Regional Governor, R Ill Bro Eddie Kalogeropoulos, and a Grand Officer of the Order, Ill Bro Konstantinos Korontzis, PGKoP,  handed over 250 Euros on behalf of the Athenaeum Conclave No. 28  to “ELPIDA” (Hope) Parents and Guardians Association for people with special needs in West Attica.

This is the first public charitable donation to be made by a Conclave of the Mediterranean Region. We hope that the other Conclaves of the Region will follow this excellent example.

Maleth Conclave Donates to LIFELITES Charity

In May 2023, Maleth Conclave No. 38 donated  £50 to the Lifelites Charity (https://www.lifelites.org/) which provides a wide variety of assistive and inclusive equipment for children with life-limiting conditions, using hospice services across the British Isles.

Annual Meeting of Mediterranean Conclave 2023

The very first Annual meeting of the Mediterranean Regional Conclave was held by Videoconference on Saturday 27th May 2023.

After the Regional Governor, R Ill Bro Eddie Kalogeropoulos, had welcomed all the attendees, a series of administrative items were taken including:

* adoption of the new regional by-laws

* election of a Regional Treasurer for the year

* In addition to investing the Regional Treasurer, the Regional  Governor appointed and invested the Regional Secretary and Regional Marshall

* election of Account Examiners

* election of a member to the Regional Executive Committee

* setting of Regional fees and dues.

The Regional Governor addressed the Regional Conclave as follows:

The history of English Freemasonry in the Mediterranean Basin began around 1725 when the Premier Grand Lodge of England formed the first lodge in Gibraltar. Since then, a plethora of English lodges have been consecrated in Portugal, Gibraltar, Spain, Tunisia, Monaco, Malta, Italy, the Ionian Islands, Turkey, Cyprus, Palestine, and Egypt. Today, English lodges and chapters flourish in Cyprus, Gibraltar, Portugal, Malta, and the Island of Zakynthos (Greece).

The Masonic Order of Pilgrim Preceptors was first Constituted in Continental Europe in Athens, Greece, in 2019 and afterward spread to Thessaloniki, Greece, in 2022 and Valletta, Malta, in 2023. On the 29th of March, immediately after the Consecration of Maleth Conclave No. 38 in Malta, the Most Illustrious Grand Master announced the Constitution of the Mediterranean Region. It is a great honour for me to be appointed as the primus Regional Governor.

This Region is of an unusual type due to the distances separating the different countries where its Conclaves operate. This is why our first Annual Regional Meeting is taking place in the form of a videoconference as provided by the Regional By-Laws. Today, the membership of the Region has expanded to 52 Brethren (Greeks, English, Maltese, Italians, and French) in the two countries that the Order operates.

Despite the strict admission requirements, the future of the Order in this Region looks promising due to the candidates' interest in its highly

3 spiritual and historical ceremonial. With steady steps, we will try to spread our beautiful Order to other countries of the Mediterranean Basin, under the direction of the Grand Conclave.

Already a new Petition for the establishment of a Conclave has been sent to the Grand Secretary by the members of the English lodge and chapter Star of the East No. 880 of Zakynthos Island. Its consecration, by the Grand Master and the Officers of the Grand Conclave, will take place very soon.

The Regional Officers, including myself, are ready to assist our Conclaves and Brethren. If there is any information about ceremonial, administrative, or financial matters that we can provide you with, please do not hesitate to contact us. I will also do my best to visit our Conclaves yearly, especially for the Installations of new Illustrious Preceptors

I plan to hold the Annual Meeting of the Regional Conclave on a specific date each year, but this will be explored and decided by the Executive Committee in the near future.

Finally, I thank Ill Bro Lawrence Porter, the Regional Secretary, for his hard work in preparing this meeting and I wish good luck to all the Regional Officers in their new roles and to working with them on our future endeavours!

Under “Any Other Business” the Regional Secretary reported :

* on apologies he had received

* the new Region website

* Regional Officers’ regalia

* the petition for a fourth Conclave in the region, to be known as “Polar Star Conclave”

* the date  and location of the forthcoming Annual Meeting of Grand Conclave

* the forthcoming appointment of one of our members to Grand Rank

All in all this was a very successful first Annual Meeting of the Mediterranean Regional Conclave.

Consecration of Maleth Conclave & Constitution of Mediterranean Region

The Consecration of the Maleth Conclave No. 38, the 40th Conclave in the Register of the Order, and the third in the Mediterranean Region, took place on Wednesday 29th of March 2023 in Valletta, Malta.

The Most Illustrious Grand Master, M Ill Bro Jonathan Charles Roberts, the Consecrating Officer, assisted by a team of Grand Officers performed the Ceremonies in excellent manner.

Ill Bro Richard EP Jump, PAGMar, was Installed as primus Illustrious Preceptor of Malth Conclave by the Installing Officer, R Ill Bro Charles J Aspinell, Deputy Grand Master..

The Most Illustrious Grand Master also announced the constitution of the new Mediterranean Region and appointed, obligated, and invested Right Illustrious Bro Theodore Eddie Kalogeropoulos as the primus Regional Governor.