[Contents UPDATED on March 18, 2021]
Odd Fellowship is one of the oldest fraternal societies in the world noting that the oldest documented lodge dates back on or before 1730. Recently, its obscure history and rites have been the subject of inquiry and discussion among members, researchers, scholars and historians alike. However, many complain that access to historical documents related to this ancient fraternity is very limited if not almost impossible. Admittedly, modern literature on the topic of Odd Fellowship is very scarce and the old records of this fraternal society are not well-preserved.
This book, Ancient Rites of Odd Fellowship: Revisiting the Revised Ritual of the Order of Patriotic Odd Fellows, 1797, is published for preservation and educational purposes. This is for the benefit of members, scholars, researchers and historians alike who want to gain more knowledge about the origins, history, and evolution of the ancient rites of Odd Fellowship. It is not the objective of this book to divulge the secret workings of Odd Fellowship to the uninitiated. This ritual has been published to the public in the past and copies are available in public libraries. This is also considered ancient and no longer practiced by existing Odd Fellows’ organizations today.
For how many years, a number of lodges almost secreted themselves to death to the point that majority of the younger generations today do not even know that this fraternity still exists. Many of its current members also fail to appreciate its history and a number have lost touch of its early traditions. A Past Sovereign Grand Master of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows once said that “The true effort to revitalize Odd Fellowship should be to educate and inform its own members. Knowledge leads to confidence; confidence leads to enthusiasm; enthusiasm leads to commitment; commitment leads to pride; and these collectively leads to success.” It is the author's advocacy to help educate the current members and potential members about Odd Fellowship, its history, origins, traditions, teachings and significance. I can only do so little. That is to make information about this ancient fraternity easily accessible to younger generations in hope that they will eventually join and become dedicated Odd Fellows.
The author is a Past District Deputy Sovereign Grand Master and the Public Relations Coordinator of the IOOF Sovereign Grand Lodge from 2012-2015. He was based at the International Headquarters for an aggregate period of 3 years where he had full access and was able to read from cover-to-cover all the journals, history books, rituals, secret workings and artifacts related to Odd Fellowship. With a Master of Arts in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and Juris Doctor Degree, the author uses both quantitative and qualitative research methods. He does not rely solely on old history books and manuals written by Odd Fellows many years ago but also interviews experts and consults third-party references and modern research studies conducted by academic historians, researchers and other authors holding MA or PhD degrees. Unlike older books, the author uses simple words as possible for easier understanding.
