MASONIC FORUM Magazine is a private initiative placed at the service of the Regular Freemasonry.
I founded the Magazine in 2000 to promote an intellectual image of the Romanian Masonry.
Today, MASONIC FORUM takes its place in an elite, it is found in the most important libraries in the world, it is a magazine distributed to all the Grand Lodges with which the NGLR has brotherly relations,
as well as to the most important Masonic publications and research institutes worldwide.
(CLAUDIU IONESCU)
EUGEN OVIDIU CHIROVICI
Past Grand Master, National Grand Lodge of Romania
Honorary Director, MASONIC FORUM Magazine
(…) “The magazine became more than a graphically successful publication, stuffed with shiny photographs: it transformed into a veritable calling card of the Craft in Romania. In the first period of my terms in office, when I was visiting Grand Lodges the world over in search of official recognitions, I have the pleasant surprise to see that I was already preceded by the Masonic Forum and that the magazine was unanimously appreciated for the quality of the articles it hosted and its exceptional graphic deportment. Among others, it managed to achieve an important opening toward the Mother Grand Lodge of the World, the United Grand Lodge of England, in a time when contacts between that Obedience and the NGLR were almost null. Masonic Forum was, at that time, a kind of message stuck into a bottle and thrown into the troubled ocean of the international Masonic world, carrying news from an area of an European East which had barely come out of communism and which was still striving in the pangs of birth.”
CONSTANTIN IANCU
Founding Grand Master, National Grand Lodge of Romania
Sovereign Grand Commander, Supreme Council of AASR from Romania
General Secretary, Confederation of Supreme Councils for Europe
“Masonic Forum is a construction raised in time, representing perfectly the Masonic spirit. A successful construction, which has won, issue after issue, more and more readers, dedicated to study and receptive to what it means to conduct research passionately, tenaciously and
with devotion. The articles obviously have a high quality – I am referring both to the Romanian authors and to the foreigners – and the body of images attentively selected for each issue have conferred on the Masonic Forum Magazine a distinct profile.
Being a bilingual magazine, Masonic Forum has opened the Gates of Knowledge also for the brethren in other countries, offering them the possibility of a better knowledge of Romanian Masonry, contributing in this way to its fame across the world. Balance, fundamental research, elegance – behold the line which Claudiu Ionescu has though up for Masonic Forum !
Masonic Forum appeared under lucky stars, an elite magazine destined for an elite.” (…)
THOMAS W. JACKSON
Honorary President & Past Executive Secretary, World Conference of Grand Lodges
Honorary Grand Master ad vitam, National Grad Lodge of Romania
Honorary Director, MASONIC FORUM Magazine
“Masonic Forum Magazine is a major player on the international scene and certainly represents a quality that is at least the equal of some of the best that I have seen.(…)
To me, it’s been an honor to be appointed as honorary director of the Masonic Forum Magazine. Certainly, anything that displays the type of quality that the magazine has shown is something that I have no problem being associated with. And I do thank the magazine for putting me in that position.”
ALBERTO MENASCHE
Past Grand Master, Grand Lodge ALPINA of Switzerland
Honorary Grand Master ad vitam, National Grand Lodge of Romania
Honorary Director, MASONIC FORUM Magazine
“The Masonic Forum is a very important thing for Freemasonry. Not only for Romanian Masonry but for all Masonry, because when you have a review that has inside articles speaking about Masonry, it’s really very important for the development of masons generally. And I know that Masonic Forum is not only that, but it was also a way of spreading information to the members of your Grand Lodge, and that was really important, because the membership has to know what is really the life of the Grand Lodge. I think you did it very well.
I want to congratulate you for the way you did it, because it was not a simple thing to understand and to reproduce on paper the thoughts of the members of the Grand Lodge, to show them. You developed also these years many Masonic articles which were really so important for all of us. Personally, I wrote two or three articles and I know that other foreign masons also have written some articles. I think that the articles coming from outside can be very important for developing and increasing Masonry in Romania.”
GUSTAVO RAFFI
Past Grand Master, Grande Oriente d’Italia
Honorary Grand Master ad vitam, National Grand Lodge of Romania
Honorary Director, MASONIC FORUM Magazine
“Among the different Masonic reviews, Masonic Forum represents a free space of dialogue among the leading figures of European Freemasonry, who can take part in the discussion, on the different aspects of Freemasonry in our Countries. These pages, during these years, have hosted many interesting remarks on histories and experiences of the Grand Lodges, many studies on ritual and symbolic aspects, and many cultural in-depth examinations on the different elements of our Tradition. And, in particular, have given all of us the opportunity to express our ideas and to confront each other on the role of Freemasonry in the contemporary society.
This one is, according to me, Masonic Forum’s more relevant aspect, that characterizes it among the others similar reviews published by the Grand Lodges: the opening to the different voices of the Freemasons of the other Countries. (…)
For this reason, we decided to act, so that also in Romania the Masonic Light could shine again, and we reconstituted the Grand Lodge. A deep bond unites ourselves to Romanian Brethren, and to the Brethren of the other Grand Lodges of the Central European Countries, which only more recently have had the opportunity to light again the Masonic Light, also with our support.
Masonic Forum gives to all of us the possibility to reflect together on the great issues that concern our society, and on how Freemasonry can act to give its contribution. We wish it could have an ever more widespread circulation, not only among our Brethren, but in the broad cultural outlook.”
AKRAM ELIAS
Past Grand Master, Grand Lodge of Washington DC
“Masonic Forum it is in my humble opinion one of the best Masonic magazines that I have seen. The content, the design, the layout, the colors, I think it’s quite inspirational and I think this is the way of the future.
I think it’s important for Freemasonry to come out of the closet, engage society and come up with publications that engage not masons, at a very smart and deep level, but to get non-masons to learn more about what the fraternity is about.
Because Freemasonry and society are inseparable. Masonic Forum, as the title says it, offers a Masonic forum – it is true to its mission, to be a platform for communication and the exchange of ideas. I think this magazine lives up to its title.
There is one thing that’s important about Masonic Forum – the quality is very high. Keep it up. No matter who tries to pressure you and tell you – maybe we can save some money, maybe we can do it a little cheaper, maybe we can do with less – don’t go for that, do not compromise quality. Keep it at the quality level where it is right now, which is excellent!
When it comes to communication tools, you either do it in an excellent manner or it is better not to do it at all. Compromising on the quality of communication does nothing but harm the fraternity, so always aim at the highest quality – for the best – or don’t do anything. Anything in the middle, trying to cut corners, does not serve the fraternity, it cheapens it. Masonic Forum serves the fraternity and it is best to keep it at high quality. It you compromise the quality, it will no longer do the service, so it is better to keep it as it is.” (…)
OSCAR DE ALFONSO ORTEGA
Grand Master, Grand Lodge of Spain
“My opinion of Masonic Forum magazine is absolutely excellent. The articles, the design of the magazine is beautiful. It is – we can realize that it has been worked perfectly. I’m certainly sure there is not only one person behind; there is a team of persons behind of that project.
In the Grand Lodge of Spain, we always try to copy the good things of the other Grand Lodges and Masonic Forum is one of these good things. I want to make such a Forum in Spain, such a magazine. We are going to copy exactly the same: we are going to write it in Spanish as it is in Romanian, the Masonic Forum, with a translation into English. And in Spain, this is much more important, because 40% of the membership of the Grand Lodge, they have British origins – Spanish masons, 100%, of course.
And every time we receive in the Grand Lodge of Spain the Masonic Forum, I am very proud to read it and I always look – if there is a picture of me, in order to scan it, to keep it in my computer, for the future, so my daughter will see – oh, my God, this is my father!
And I think, really, it is not easy, it is a very difficult task, certainly sure, and the outcome of this work is absolutely marvelous and we must recognize this. It is the example for the others. The National Lodge of Romania is always leading Freemasonry, not only in Eastern Europe, I think in the whole Europe. And why then this? Because of many reasons. And Masonic Forum is one of these reasons. I really would be very proud if we could copy it at least a little beat, as it is in Romania.
I think the idea is fantastic. To have this tool of communication to the Brethren regarding what happens not only in the Grand Lodge, but in the rest of the world, as well, with the participation of different authors, different people who write articles – from England, Germany, Italy, Spain etc.”
RAFAEL EDUARDO ARAGON GUEVARA
Past Grand Master, Grand Lodge of Guatemala
Honorary Grand Master ad vitam, National Grand Lodge of Romania
Past Executive Secretary of CMI
(…) “The Masonic Forum is something that we really appreciate, because it is a reference for us, of different kinds of minds – of thinking about different items that really have the opportunity to develop, if we share this kind of information.
Masonic Forum celebrated the 50th issue. When you begin a project, when you set the program, at least you have got to look for what is going to be the vision of the future regarding the different estates that you have. And the Masonic Forum exactly received that kind of thing and built in a structural communication theme that gave that kind of opportunity to understand and to look – what is the way of thinking about the different aspects of Freemasonry.
You are actually giving an example of what we have to do for Masonry. This is an excellent project and I offer you my congratulations and we, from Latin America, are for supporting this kind of excellence.” (…)
PAUL LITTERAL
Past Grand Master, American Canadian Grand Lodge
“I’m very impressed by your magazine, I always have been impressed by the Masonic Forum, it gives us the opportunity, not only here in Romania, but all over Europe, your magazine is well liked and well read.
As a matter of fact, after reading your magazine for a number of years, when we celebrated our fiftieth anniversary just this year, I could have thought of no better person to edit the magazine for us, I could have thought of no better magazine to have – and you did a wonderful job and your put together not only our Masonic – I call it our Masonic Forum because we all read it – you put together a wonderful fiftieth anniversary for my Grand Lodge. Masonic Forum is, to my knowledge, one of the most read Masonic magazines here in Europe, especially in my Jurisdiction.
There have been articles about the Shrine there and the Shrine temple is new in Germany and we have very many Shriners who are also members of my jurisdiction and they all read your magazine and there is information that they get out of it that they don’t get anywhere else.” (…)
PAUL CURRAN
Past Grand Master, American Canadian Grand Lodge
(…) “I think that Masonic Forum is a great media, it reaches a lot of Nobles and a lot of Masons all throughout the world and it is a great way to get the message – and to carry the message – of Freemasonry, of the Shrine and of every other Masonic body to the free world and to other countries which otherwise would not be able to get it. I think it is an excellent magazine, very well written and you, as editor and managing director, get great kudos for the work you do for it.”
GERHARD SEVERIN
Past Grand Master, American Canadian Grand Lodge
Recorder, EMIRAT Shrine Temple
“Well, Claudiu, I think the very first thing is the need to compliment you personally and your entire staff for producing an excellent informative Masonic publication. And I think that I had the reading pleasure of your Masonic Forum now, I think, for the last seven or eight years.
And particularly interesting I find it because it not only updates on recent Masonic activity, be it in Romania or even in Germany or anywhere else in the world – England –but it also has many excellent written about Freemasonry, with a lot of wealth of Masonic information for the detailed reader. And I personally feel everybody should get a hold of this publication and inform themselves – what is going on, particularly on our European continent.”
ROBERT HEYAT
Past Grand Master, Grand Lodge of Washington DC
Past Grand Master, National Grand Lodge of Azerbaijan
Honorary Grand Master ad vitam, National Grand Lodge of Romania
“As one of the founders of the National Grand Lodge of Romania, being also the very first Honorary Grand Master Ad Vitam of your Grand Lodge, I feel so proud to be a part of you. I should congratulate the editor of the Masonic Forum for producing a very distinguished and exceptional publication in the Masonic world. First of all, the quality of the magazine itself, the print and everything is so really high level, and also the articles. It is presented in such a beautiful way and, I think, it could have a big influence. What I am recommending is that the Masonic Forum needs to continue to be distributed to all the Grand Lodges. I personally think that is the best presentation and reflection of what is happening in the Romanian Freemasonry and I am really proud that such a publication is being done.”
