The Grand Master of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania is in Bermuda on what can be considered a most timely official visit that has some historic connotations.

M.W. Bro.Charles A. Bishop is the first and only one of the many widespread Prince Hall Grand Lodges to officially visit here other than two or three from the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. And it is timely considering, firstly Bermuda is nearing the end of its momentous year-long celebration of its 400th anniversary, and secondly regarding the historic pivotal role Bermuda played over a decade ago in cementing friendly communication between the powerful, black Prince Hall lodges and mainstream largely white English, Scottish and Irish constituted lodges.

He has been invited by the Rt. Wor. Provincial Grand Master of Irish Lodges in Bermuda, RW Bro St.Clair (Brinky) Tucker to be the distinguished guest at events marking the start of the new season for the Freemasons now underway. They included a formal meeting last night of the Irish P.G. Lodge at Hannibal Lodge in St. George and banquet that followed; and tonight a banquet and dance at the Hamilton Fairmont Princess Hotel that will be attended by brethren from the English and Scottish Constitutions and their ladies.

Bro. Bishop is a retired purified water systems engineer. He is accompanied here by his wife Jacqueline. They are proud parents of two sons and a daughter. Son Gary is a West Point graduate. He completed a tour of duty in Baghdad as a battalion commander holding the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in an armoured tank division; and serving as an Aide de Camp to a four Star General for two years.

He is now assigned to the Pentagon with the rank of Colonel.

One need not be a member of the Masonic fraternity or any friendly society for that matter to fully appreciate the historical significance of the visit of GM Bishop.

First of all, Prince Hall Freemasonry traces its origins to its formation of the Lodge on May 6, 1776. The American Revolution would not begin for another two months. Prince Hall first sought initiation in a white Masonic lodge, but was turned down because of his colour.

History tells us Prince Hall was born in Bridgetown, Barbados in 1738. He arrived in Boston in 1749. He was self-educated, had his own business as a leather dresser and was a well-known caterer. As a free Negro he was a property owner, tax payer and voter. He became noted for his strong denunciation of the African slave trade and the shameful abuse of his people by petitioning the Massachusetts Legislature for their emancipation. He fought in the American Revolutionary War and gained prominence as one of America's first civil rights leaders. Education was a particular interest of his. He was the first to petition for a school for black children though he advocated education for all.

He first sought initiation in a white Masonic Lodge in Boston, but was turned down because of his colour. Undaunted, his application to an Army Lodge of Irish registry and was favourably received. On March 6, 1775 Prince Hall and 14 other black Americans were made Masons.

When the British were forced to evacuate Boston, Prince Hall was given a "permit" to meet as a Lodge and bury their dead in due form. African Lodge No.1 became the first lodge in freemasonry established in America for men of African descent. African Lodge No. 1 later petitioned England for a charter. This charter was granted September 29, 1784 and was given Number 459. Prince Hall became its Master and held the office until his death in 1807.

For some reason, with racism being a pronounced factor, mainstream white lodges headquartered in England, Scotland and Ireland (and later white Lodges in America), ceased to recognise black freemasonry; and for the next two centuries the two powers were definitely not in friendly communication. Lodges bearing the Prince Hall designation experienced phenomenal growth, embracing some of the most powerful black men of their times ranging from Richard Allen, the founder of the AME Church, Bishop Absalom Jones and US Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.

Just as Prince Hall expanded in influence and financial resources, so did the love-hate state between it and so-called mainstream masonry grow in intensity. Each side steeped in rich tradition was careful not to besmirch the honour and dignity of the other; and with each passing generation the delicate issue of recognition became more complicated.

However in recent years a so-called "false peace" began to surface, and as one writer put it, "like a bolt out of the blue" the mainstream Grand Lodges put off the mantle of centuries old traditions and recognition was established. Restoration of Amity was declared after a friendly, unofficial meeting took place in February, 1993 in a Boston hotel between the reigning Prince Hall MW Bro. Nicholas B. Locker (a frequent visitor to Bermuda) and the Grand Secretary of the United Grand Lodge of England, VW Bro. Michael Higham.

As I noted in my Island Notebook column in the Mid-Ocean News of April 21, 2007, their diplomatic efforts to open the door for negotiation culminated in a resolution for recognition being approved by England on December 14, 1994.

Within a year similar recognition was forthcoming from the equally powerful Grand Lodges of Scotland and Ireland. After that, the first brother-to-brother, eyeball-to eyeball contact occurred when well-known Bermudian Charles W. Kempe, Jr. became the first ever English Grand Lodge Officer to visit a Prince Hall Lodge in 211 years in his capacity as the Grand Inspector of Lodges in Bermuda under the United Grand Lodge of England.

A delegation of Bermudian Masons paid an official visit to John J. Smith: Lodge No 14 in Boston in February 1996. In return Prince Hall Masons paid a visit to Bermuda on April 2, 1996.

In February, 1998 Friendship and Harmony Lodge became the first Irish Lodge to visit a Prince Hall Lodge and it was followed a year later when Hannibal Lodge made an official visit to Prince Hall in Massachusetts.

In each case reciprocal visits were made to Bermuda by Prince Hall Mason from the jurisdiction of the MW Grand Lodge of Massachusetts.