The Grand Inspector of the Group of Lodges in Portugal.
Pierre Caeiro (centre) is the current head of the English Freemasons in Portugal. He was invested during a meeting of the Lagos based Lodge of Discoveries held at the Tivoli Hotel, Lagos on Thursday 18th January 2024.
The ceremony was attended by Derek Tilbury (right) who is the District Grand Master of the District Grand Lodge of Gibraltar. Derek invested Pierre on behalf of the United Grand Lodge of England. Also, in attendance was Paulo Rola (left) then Deputy Grand Master of Grande Loja Legal de Portugal, GLLP, the Portuguese Freemasons. Paulo will soon become the full Grand Master of GLLP.
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The History of the Group of Lodges in Portugal
Since St.Patrick´s Day, March 17th 1990, when the Rt.Hon Lord Farnham consecrated Prince Henry The Navigator Lodge No.9360, regular freemasonry has been practised in Portugal as part of the United Grand Lodge of England. The Lodge was consecrated in the middle of the Algarve, under the masonic authority of the District Grand Lodge of Gibraltar, the oldest District Grand Lodge in the United Grand Lodge of England. The old and the new coming together to fulfill the aspirations of so many expatriate English freemasons living in Portugal.
By 1990 English freemasonry was not the only regular freemasonry in Portugal, Dr. Fernando Teixeira had earlier taken a number of Portuguese freemasons out of the irregular Grand Orient Lusitano in order to practise regular freemasonry. In June 1991 the Grande Loja Regular de Portugal was constituted, with Dr. Teixeira as the first Grand Master.
English freemasonry grew steadily.
In June 1995 UGLE took its Lodges and Chapters out of the District Grand Lodge of Gibraltar and constituted them as an autonomous overseas Inspectorate, under the jurisdiction and authority of a Grand Inspector, Very Worshipful Brother Richard Derrick Beardsley MA (Oxon)
The current Grand Inspector is Very Worshipful Brother Pierre Caeiro.
Find out About English Freemasonry in Portugal
Where and When do we meet
There are now four English Lodges and three Royal Arch Chapters, operating across the Algarve and in the Greater Lisbon area. They are:
Prince Henry the Navigator Lodge and Chapter No. 9360. These currently meet near Loule. The Lodge meets in February, March, April, October, November, and December. The Chapter meets in April, September and December.
Learn More about Prince Henry the Navigator Lodge
Lodge Meetings
Held at the Restaurante Zé do Norte, EN125 Selões, Quatro Estradas, 8100-321 Loulé, GPS coordinates: 37º 06′ 07.22″N 8º 04′ 06.71″W on the following dates: First Wednesday in February (Installation), March, April, October, November, December.
All contacts via the Lodge Secretary, Martin Crago via email at sec9360@outlook.com
Lodge of Instruction Meetings
Held on the three Wednesday evenings prior to the meeting at 7.00pm (please contact the secretary for location details)
About the Lodge
The first English Lodge in Portugal; warrant dated 08.11.89.
Consecrated by the Rt.Hon Lord Farnham on St.Patrick´s Day, March 17th, 1990.
The consecrating team included Commander Michael Higham, Grand Secretary, Gavin Purser, Grand Director of Ceremonies, Andrew Pearmain, Past Grand Organist and Lt.Cdr. Norman Nuttall, Grand Tyler.
The mother lodge of Prince Henry the Navigator Lodge No. 9360 is the Lodge of St. John No.115 in the District Grand Lodge of Gibraltar; the District Grand Master having agreed to sponsor the new Lodge as part of his masonic jurisdiction.
Immediately following the consecration ceremony on March 17th 1990, the District Grand Master of Gibraltar, Menase James Massias, installed Richard Derrick Beardsley as the first and Founding Master.
The lodge is the premier Lodge in the Group of Lodges and Chapters in Portugal, the latter constituted in June 1995 by the United Grand Lodge of England.
Meetings are held on the first Wednesday in the months of February(Installation),March, April, October, November, December.
A Royal Arch Chapter is attached to the lodge.
The Lodge and Chapter of Discoveries No 9409 currently meet in Lagos. The Lodge meets in January, February, March, September, October and November. The Chapter meets in February, March and November.
Learn More about the Lodge of Discoveries
Lodge Meetings
Held at the Tivoli Hotel, Rua António Crisógono Santos, 8600-678, Lagos. (GPS 37º 06′ 20.56″N 8º 40′ 34.64″W) on the following dates: 2024
The third Thursday in January 18th, February 15th, March 21st, September 19th (Installation), October 17th and November 21st. *(March & November) The Chapter of Discoveries will meet at 3.30pm before the Lodge meeting.
All contacts via the Lodge Secretary, John Bergstrom-Potter. PAGDC:
Mob: (+351) 910 666 613, Tel : (+351) 282 997 439, Email : sec@9409.eu
Lodge of Instruction Meetings
Held at the Tivoli Hotel, Rua António Crisógono Santos, 8600-678, Lagos. Monday night at 5.30pm dates can be obtained from the Secretary.
The Lodge Crest
The Lodge Crest was finalised after a number of designs had been considered. A departure from Masonic symbolism was agreed in the interests of introducing an international symbolism.
The centre field depicts a map of Europe and North Africa with prominence given to Great Britain and Portugal, drawing attention to the close ties that exist, both historically and in Freemasonry.
The arrows radiating out into the Atlantic allude to the voyages of discovery encouraged by Prince Henry the Navigator. It is appropriate that the west coast town of Sagres is highlighted because this is where Prince Henry established a School of Navigation, the remains of which can still be viewed today. Geographically, the voyages started from more northern ports of Portugal.
The outer part of the Crest is formed by an Armillary Sphere. When the Portuguese National Assembly of the 21st August 1911, sanctioned a Republican form of government, the State Coat-of-Arms adopted by the Republic was essentially the Arms of the Royal House of Bragança, since modified to some extent: the shield remains the same, but this is now placed upon an Armillary Sphere, an old nautical instrument, in reference to Prince Henry the Navigator and the voyages of discovery which contributed to Portugal’s past greatness.
For the technically minded, an Armillary Sphere is simply described thus:
A model displaying the mutual dispositions of the imaginary circles of classical astronomy in which metal circles were used to represent the celestial equator, the ecliptic, the tropics, the Artic, and Antarctic circles, the hours of the day, the horizon and a meridian. Delivery from ancient astronomical instruments, Armillary Spheres became particularly popular in the 17th and 18th centuries.
As Masons, we strive to discover new boundaries of friendship, discover ways to strengthen existing ones, discover within ourselves the charitable nature of man, discover the pleasure of meeting, conversing, debating and socialising without discord.
This will be a guiding principle of the Lodge, and it will be enhanced, so that in coming years, this will truly be known as: “THE LODGE OF DISCOVERIES”
A Royal Arch Chapter is attached to the lodge.
Lancaster Lodge and Chapter No. 9413 currently meet in Monte Estoril. The Lodge meets in January, March, May, September, October and November. The Chapter meets in September, February and May.
Learn More about Lancaster Lodge
Lodge Meetings
Currently meet in Monte Estoril.
The Lodge meets in January, March, May, September, October and November. The Chapter meets in September, February and May.
Contact the lodge secretary via email: s9413@ugle-pt.org.uk
Lodge of Instruction Meetings
Held at 4.00pm prior to the monthly meetings in January (Installation), March, May, September, October, November.
About the Lodge
Lancaster Lodge was the second of the Lodges in the Group of Lodges in Portugal to be consecrated. The fourteen Founders were of six different nationalities, all of whom had practised their Masonry under the English Constitution, bar one, who had been initiated in the USA whilst at University there. They had been members of Lodges in Africa, Malaysia and America as well as England so the Lodge started with a strong feeling of International Brotherhood, which continues to this day.
Currently, with a membership of 42, the Lodge was consecrated in 1991 by R.W. Bro. Menase James Massias, District Grand Master of Gibraltar and is now meeting at the Hotel Clube do Lago in Estoril.
Serving not only the needs of Masons in the local area, the last few years have been particularly fruitful in raising funds for various deserving causes. Indeed, Lancaster Lodge is proud to be a Grand Patron of the Grand Charity, Grand Patron of the Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys, and Grand Patron of the Masonic Samaritan Fund. Quite a feat for such a small lodge, that goes to show it has a large heart.
A Royal Arch Chapter is attached to the lodge.
Britannia Masters Lodge No. 9575 rotates location between the other 3 lodge locations. It meets in January, April and October.
Learn More about Britannia Masters Lodge
Lodge Meetings
The venues for the three meetings are:-
- January – Venue – TBA
- April – Restaurante Zé do Norte, EN125 Selões, Quatro Estradas, 8100-321 Loulé . GPS coordinates: 37º 06′ 07.22″N 8º 04′ 06.71″W
- October – Tivoli Hotel, Lagos (Algarve)
All contacts via the Lodge Secretary, W.Bro Quinton Green. Email: s9575@ugle-pt.org.uk. Tel: 281 513 155
About the Lodge
Britannia Masters Lodge was consecrated under the auspices of the United Grand Lodge of England on 4th April 1995 at the Parque das Laranjeiras, Loule, Portugal.
It meets three times each year and as its name suggests, comprises Masters and Past Masters in its membership. This does not however preclude more junior brethren from attending, and all freemasons in good standing will be most welcome.
Portuguese Grand Lodge
Many Foreign Grand Lodges are recognised by the United Grand Lodge of England. ‘Recognition’ in this very specific masonic sense of the word means that UGLE considers them to be regular in their practice of Freemasonry, in the way they were formed and that it would be happy for the respective members to intervisit with its own members. Generally speaking, UGLE will only recognise one Grand Lodge in a country/territory.
In Portugal, UGLE recognises the Regular Grand Lodge of Portugal (Legal)