The Order of Ancient , Free & Accepted Masonry for Men & Women
in a secession led by Miss Charlotte Elizabeth Jones , a member of the Supreme Council . This resulted in the creation of a London lodge known as The Order of the Ancient Free Masonry from Men and Women , identical , with the exception of the word “ Accepted ” to the name of the A . F . A . M . 18
As the Supreme Council did not have enough members , the 33 rd degree was conferred on several people . In November 1980 , Miss Tamara Bourkoun was finally elected as Most Powerful Sovereign Grand Commander . The daughter of a noble family , Son Excellence Sérénissime la comtesse Tamara Rákóczy Palæologina Bourkoun 19 was an exceptional person . Initiated in New York in September of 1942 , she moved to England in 1963 and , by the month of October , was affiliated with Loge no . 1 of the A . F . A . M . She became a Grand Officer 20 within the Order and the Supreme Council in 1976 , four years before she was elected as head of the Supreme Council .
Miss Bourkoun had a stroke in September 1982 . Once again , Miss Debenham returned to duty and served as Grand Commander during the convalescence of the reigning Grand Commander . Unfortunately , her health did not improve and she had to be replaced . New elections were held in November 1984 , and Miss D . L . Mitchel , Lieutenant Grand Commander , was elected and took office during the Annual Assembly of June 22 , 1985 .
The split of 1979 , the difficult successions at the head of the Order , and the fact that the members were ageing and no younger members were joining the ranks , increasingly weakened the A . F . A . M . Over the years , several lodges stopped all activities , both in London , in the outlying cities , and in the Commonwealth countries . In 1990 , the lost of the Maida Vale premises , the lodge ’ s headquarters , was a serious blow . The symbolic objects , the archives , and John Yarker ’ s impressive library 21 had to be stored in the homes of a few London members . This difficult event clouded Miss Debenham ’ s last days , and she died December 26 of this same year at the age of 97 .
When Grand Commander Miss Mitchell died in January 2000 , the A . F . A . M . was reaching the end : no lodges were still operating in Scotland or Australia . The lodge ’ s activity in London was minimal . Only the lodges in the Plymouth region and those in Neuilly , France , were still operating normally .
Today , the A . F . A . M . is undergoing a revival . A new Grand Commander was elected and took office on March 24 , 2001 . Under her direction and with the assistance of a few courageous and determined members , The Order of Ancient , Free & Accepted Masonry for Men & Women is starting up again . Everything is in place to maintain , under the authority of the Suprême Conseil Féminin for the United Kingdom and for the Empire , a strict and original Masonic practice that still has a strong influence on Anglo- Saxon and French Masonic life .
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 18 See Frederick W . Seal-Coon — An old-time " Operative " Midsummer Ceremony . 19 Can we see in this title a ( symbolic ) relationship to the Comte de Saint-Germain ?
Remember that the count claimed to be the son of François II Rákóczi , prince of Transylvania . The comte de Saint-Germain made a strong impression on King Louis XV , a remarkable genealogist but his Hungarian heritage was seriously challenged by several authors . For more information , see Jean Robin — La véritable mission du comte de Saint- Germain . 20 Grand Master of Ceremonies . 21 See Bernard Dat — La bibliothèque de John Yarker .
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