Lodge St. Michael 1634, Scottish Constitution, will celebrate its fiftieth anniversary the week of April 30 - May 6th with a number of events to mark this occasion. The week begins with a church service at St. Agnes Anglican Church and continues with a Public Lecture on Monday, May 1st at 7pm at the Lecture Theatre at the University of The Bahamas’ Culinary Hospitality Management Institute. The topic is “My Vision for the Next 50 Years of Scottish Freemasonry.”

On Thursday, May 4th a special session of the Lodge will convene at the Lodge Hall, Stapeldon Gardens and the week will conclude in grand style with a Black Tie Gala Ball on Saturday May 6th at the British Colonial Hilton Hotel. The historic lodge, which received its Charter on May 4th, 1967, will honor the lodge’s founding members and past District Grand Masters at the ball that will start with cocktails at 7pm and dinner at 8 pm sharp. Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Perry G. Christie has declared April 3-May 6 Lodge St. Michael’s Week.

In a continued effort to assist the youth of The Bahamas, Lodge St. Michael has set part proceeds of the ball to go to The Ivan Hanna Scholarship Fund tenable at the University of The Bahamas. This award is into its 17th year and has assisted many young Bahamian men in securing a tertiary education.

The Lodge is currently under the leadership of Right Worshipful Master, Bacchus Rolle, a well-known administrator and sportsman. His desire is at all times to govern the Lodge on the same premise it was founded on.

“As we celebrate fifty years of existence, I can’t help but reflect on principles set down for us by our founders,” said RWM Rolle. “The bonds of brotherhood should never be broken. Brotherhood cannot be defined but only experienced. We strive to keep this intact by all means.

“We look forward to celebrating Lodge St. Michael in grand style at the ball and we are even more so excited about giving to the Ivan Hanna Scholarship Fund, ensuring that some young Bahamian has chance at obtaining a well-deserved scholarship.” 

Members of the ball’s organizing committee are: Co-Chairs,Past District Grand Master, Arthur Chase and Kimberley Rolle , wife of the RWM Bacchus Rolle; RWM Bacchus Rolle; Past Master, Courtney Strachan; Past Master, Dave Munroe; Past Master, Lysle Chase; Past Master, Richard Simms, Past Master, Treasurer George Watson, Worshipful Senior Warden Sharad Young and Worshipful Junior Warden Randy McClain.

Tickets for the event may be secure form any member of the Lodge. Entertainment for the evening will be provided by Ambasah, under the direction of talented musician, Chris Justillien. Master of Ceremonies is the hilarious, David Wallace.

To give historic account for the Lodge, after about seventy years of Scottish Freemasonry being dormant in The Bahamas, several local brethren, along with twenty-two brethren from lodges in Jamaica and the Royal Victoria Lodge, English Constitution, petitioned for the new Scottish Lodge - Lodge St. Michael No.1634 S.C. and the re-introduction of Scottish Freemasonry into The Bahamas. On May 4th, 1967 the Grand Committee granted the petition for the new Scottish lodge in The Bahamas and a Charter was granted on the same day.

The lodge was erected and consecrated on 9th June 1967 and its sponsors were Lodge Wolmers No. 1506 (SC) and Imperial Service No. 978 (SC). According to the records of the lodge, regular meetings of the lodge were held bi-monthly until the end of December, 1974, when the lodge began to meet monthly on the first Wednesday. Meetings were held at the Elks Curfew Temple, Hospital Lane, Nassau, Bahamas. Installation meetings were held at the Masonic Temple, Bay Street, Nassau, Bahamas.

Lodge St. Michael held its first meeting in the new Scottish Temple, Stapledon Gardens, on Wednesday, 7th January 1976. The present temple now used by Scottish Masons in Nassau was consecrated by the late Right Worshipful District Grand Master, Brother Lloyd G. Wong on Friday, 18th June 1976 and of Light 5980. The presiding Right Worshipful Master was Bro. Ivan Hanna.

In years to follow, the Lodge petitioned for other Lodges in the Scottish Constitution and saw the growth of membership bloom. The Lodge St. Michael 1634 S.C. currently has approximately 350 members.