Can efforts to make Masonic groups more transparent and inclusive rid them of their shadowy, cult-like reputation?
26 June 2021 • 5:00am
This once reclusive group is opening up to young people
Credit: Caitlin Chescoe
David Staples was a first-year biochemistry student at the University of Oxford’s Magdalen College when he entered the world of Freemasonry. Born in south-east London to a working-class family, the young Staples was already trying to make sense of the archaic rituals of the university when he noticed a housemate slipping out twice a term for a clandestine appointment, and returning late in the evening.
Eventually Staples asked where he was going, and was invited to see for himself. A while later he was presented with a date and a time to arrive at the nearest Masonic lodge, with no further instructions.