Dear Brethren,

Welcome to Arena 59! I hope Freemasonry is bringing you joy with friends old and new.
In the editorial of our last issue, I discussed how the Craft has found itself meeting the needs of a new audience – typically younger Brethren who, particularly since Covid, have found themselves in a highly digital and “remote work” world where they experience far fewer opportunities to meet other men in real life.
But it’s not just younger Brethren who are benefiting; and not only for that reason.
One of the privileges of this job is that I am invited to many Lodges and meet more Brethren from different walks of life than I would otherwise enjoy. Of course, we don’t talk about politics or religion in Lodge – this is a rule which has been laid down for centuries.
And I won’t talk about partisan politics here, but I had an extraordinary conversation with a Brother who told me that in our more polarised society, one of the joys of attending Lodge was the fact that it gave him breathing space from the extremes of opinion which are such an ever-present feed into our daily lives. 
Lodge allowed him to focus on people – men he had known for many years; and a chance to see them as individuals and friends first, no matter what their views or political affiliations which are, in reality, a distant second.
He's right – I have made close friends through the Craft of several people with whom I know I have deep political differences. But the Craft traches us that we are all the same and all fundamentally equal. 
More importantly, Lodge remains possibly the only place I can think of where we are forced to appreciate and recognise our friendships ahead of our opinions; and given a structure in which to nurture those friendships separately to anything else in our lives.
Freemasonry is slow-moving (I know that sometimes annoys many of you!). We work to the rhythm of whole oceans, not individual waves. But it’s hard to fall out with someone you’ve known for 25 years, broken bread with, shared Initiations with. “Slow and steady” avoids the vicissitudes of the short-term and ensures we survive for the long term – both as an organisation and the wellbeing of those who are proud to be a part of it. I hope your Lodge is a place of both comfort and friendship for you, too.
By way of housekeeping, let me remind you that Arena now also has an App for your smartphone which includes all the usual Arena articles, latest news stories as they happen, to keep you connected to all things Met and links to Masonic resources, all in one place.
You can download the app at:
•    Apple/iOS: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/arena-online/id6741513266
•   Samsung/Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.arenaapp.londonmasons&hl=en
For those without smartphones, everything we publish will always be available online at https://www.londonmasons.org.uk/arena. 
Please do feel free to get in touch with me directly if you have any feedback on Arena or the App – I always welcome your comments.
And as ever, let me invite you to contribute. You can always contact me with news about your Lodge or Chapter at and I also regularly ask for comments and feedback on the London Masons Facebook group. 
If you would like to write for Arena, we have a growing team, and you will be made very welcome – again please contact me at the email above.

Sincerely, fraternally, and always inquisitively,
Nick Saalfeld
Editor

ARENA ISSUE 59 CREDITS

Founding Editor: Bryan Green 
Director of Communications: Omaid Hiwaizi 
Editor: Nick Saalfeld 
Deputy Editor: Richard Cavanagh 
Assistant Editors: Simon Bennett, David McKenna 
Design: Omaid Hiwaizi 
This Edition’s Contributors: Gerry Amsden, Padraig Belton, Adrian Boyd, Richard Cavanagh, Vinny Cochrane, Michael Duque, Paul Gardner, Omaid Hiwaizi, Ketan Jashapara, Peter Jordan, Trevor Koschalka, The Rev'd Timothy L’Estrange, David Mellor, Kate O'Leary, Jason Pearson, Eli Pressman, Tony Shepherd, John Woodhouse.
Photography: Daren Lewis, Simon Greaves 
Video: Eddy Kirk, Ian Bozic 

To contact the Editor with features or letters for future editions, please email
To learn more about Freemasonry, please visit www.londonmasons.org

Special thanks to the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

All Arena materials are © Metropolitan Grand Lodge / Metropolitan Grand Chapter. All rights reserved. 
For editorial matters, please contact the Editor. 
Comment and articles reflect the writers’ own personal views. The Metropolitan Grand Lodge and the Metropolitan Grand Chapter, as well as the United Grand Lodge of England may not subscribe to, or agree with, those views. 
The publishers cannot be held responsible for loss or damage to any unsolicited manuscripts or photographs.

This article is part of Arena Magazine Issue 59 – Christmas 2025.
Arena Magazine is the official online magazine of the London Freemasons – Metropolitan Grand Lodge and Metropolitan Grand Chapter of London.

Read more articles in Arena Issue 59 here.

Get Arena stories direct to your phone with the Arena App, available for Apple and Android smartphones here: