Muog Lodge No. 89

by Brother Joe Riley SRN BEd FICD 

Brothers of my mother lodge, here is the back cover of the book, I believe it sums up the importance of this book. Every priest in the Philippines should read this as well as every mason. It is what it says it is, the true history of masons from its foundation.
This completes 3 years of research, hard work and hope that it will help our great fraternity. I have the proof copy of the book and and hopefully it will be available in about the 3 weeks from now. Please feel free to pass this on to fellow brethren. 

Synopsys
In 1738, a Papal Bull was issued that automatically excommunicated any Catholic who became a member of the Freemasons, an edict that although slightly modified, is in existence today, some 270 years later. The author, Joe Riley, has been raised in a strict Catholic household in Ireland and so felt perfectly at home in the predominantly Catholic country of the Philippines. Although he knew that his British father had been an active Mason, but he did not join that society until his sunset years in the Philippines. He was not aware of the threat of excommunication until he read in the local newspaper of an army officer being denied funeral rites because of his Masonic activities. He was shocked. He was a member of a lodge in which all brothers lived exemplary Christian lives, and in the main were Catholics. As far as he could see, there was nothing so evil in their rites and rituals that could possibly justify such a harsh ruling.  On enquiry, he discovered that none of his lodge brothers could answer the big question – Why? Virtually all preferred to ignore it and not inform their priest of their
involvement.

Riley was not satisfied – he wanted to know the reason for what he considered a totally unfair edict against people who genuinely did so much good in this world. Night after night downloading the various histories of the Masons. The answers he got only led to more questions. Following Masonic history from its British inauguration by a Catholic saint in the 10th century up to modern days and a saint who was Grand Master of Masons of all England. It became clear that intensive investigation was required into the era covering the first half of the 18th century. Once the investigation encompassed the explosive politics of the day, there was only one possible conclusion.  One individual whose name is even today held in high esteem by Freemasons all over the world, deliberately set out to not only control to Freemasonry, but to separate it from Popery and the Church he vehemently hated, the Roman Catholics. From his mentally disturbed mind he created a mythical character to whom Masons all over the world give obeisance and treat as a messiah, obviously something totally unacceptable to the Roman Catholic Church. If Freemasons throughout the world, after reading this important book, accept that based on evidence and allowing common sense to prevail that this speculation is probably what really occurred, then it may be the foundation for reconciliation between Masonry and Church.

Alan C. Atkins Manila, 2009