A warm welcome to John A. Bridegroom, our latest Local Secretary in the USA. John was raised a Master Mason in Porter Lodge 137 in 2004, and later served as Master and then Secretary of the Lodge. He also co-founded Crowned Martyrs Lodge No. 771 and currently serves as its Secretary.
John is a Past Master and Secretary of the Dwight L. Smith Lodge of Research in Indiana, where he is the Public Relations and Marketing Director for the Grand Lodge of Indiana. He received the Order of Service to Masonry in 2019.
In addition to his Craft activities, John is engaged in many additional orders where he is, among other honors, a Past Potentate of Orak Shrine; a Past Most Illustrious Grand Master of the Grand Council of Cryptic Masons of Indiana; and an officer in the Rose Croix line of the Valley of South Bend, AASR.
John is an active Masonic researcher and has been a member of QCCC since 2010. He can be reached at grandcouncilofficer@comcast.net.
A warm welcome to Bro. Mario Cristino Bandim Vasconcelos, our newest Local Secretary for the city of São José dos Campos, Brazil, and the immediate area. Bro. Mario was initiated in 2007 and exalted in 2008 in Cavaleiros de Jaques De Molay Lodge Nº 654. He is a member of Quatuor Coronati São Paulo nº 333, and the author of several articles published in ‘A Verdade’, the bi-monthly publication of the Grand Lodge of the State of São Paulo. He has also written two books: Elos Partidos – Diagnosis and Prevention of Masonic Evasion, published in 2018, and ‘Artigos Maconicos Selcionados’, a compilation, published through Amazon in January 2020. Bro. Mario is an active lecturer and researcher, and a mentor to others wishing to research into freemasonry. He can be contacted at mbandim2002@yahoo.com.br.
We are delighted to welcome three new Local Secretaries in Brazil, one of our fastest growing membership areas.
Celso Neiva is based in Petrópolis and represents QCCC both there and more widely in the State of Rio de Janeiro. He is a lawyer with a post-graduate degree in Electoral and Procedural Law, and works in the area of public law, where he has his own legal practice. As a Freemason, he was initiated in 1991 at the Dom Pedro I Lodge No. 53 (Grand Lodge of the State of Rio de Janeiro – GLMERJ), becoming WM in 1997. Since 2014, Celso has been a member of Amor e Caridade Lodge No. 0896 (Grand Orient of Brazil – GOB), and since 2019 has served as GOB’s State Attorney in Rio de Janeiro.
Celso is a member of several other Orders, including HRA, Mark, Ark Mariners, KT / KM, Supreme Council of Brazil of the Degree 33 – AASR, among others, and is the current Secretary of Guanabara Mark Lodge 1156 (since 2014) and the Secretary of Guanabara RAM Lodge 1156 (since 2014), both in the Brazilian District of the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of England and Wales and its Districts and Lodges Overseas. He is also the Past Grand Escribe N of the Supreme Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Brazil.
A keen Masonic researcher, Celso can be contacted at clnadv57@gmail.com.
Jurimar Collares Ipiranga joins us as Local Secretary in Manaus, State of Amazonas. He is a Forestry Engineer with a Master’s Degree in Environmental Management from the Federal University of Amazonas – UFAM, where he teaches postgraduate courses in environmental management, as well as providing professional services in forestry and environmental audit in the state of Amazonas.
As a Freemason,Jurimar was initiated in 1998 at the Glória sobre as Trevas Lodge No. 2389, becoming WM a few years later, and leading the team formed to restore the Fraternidade e União Lodge No. 2759 in 2007. Since then he has joined other Orders, including HRA, Mark, Ark Mariners, KT / KM, Supreme Council of Brazil of Grade 33 – AASR, among others. Since 2019, he has been Deputy Grand Master in the Grand Orient of Brazil Amazonas – GOBAM.
Jurimar is a keen Masonic researcher and represents QCCC on a roving basis both within and outside of the State of Amazonas. He can be contacted at jcipiranga@gmail.com.
Walber Pinheiro is QCCC’s Local Secretary in Brasília, Federal District, Brazil. Educated in part in England, he has a Bachelor’s Degree in Military Science with a Degree in Administration, obtained from the Agulhas Negras Military Academy (AMAN) in 1985, and holds an MBA in Project Management. Walber specializes in public administration and institutional communication. He had a professional career in the Brazilian Army, reaching the rank of colonel, and following his retirement now works as an Advisor to the Army’s Science and Technology Department.
Walber was initiated in 2005 into the Olegário Maciel Lodge No. 1174, becoming WM in 2006. He has since joined several other Orders, including HRA, Mark, KT / KM, grade 18 at Supreme Council of Brazil of the Degree 33. He currently works as a Management Advisor to the Grand Master of the Grand Orient of Brazil (GOB) in Brasília.
Walber represents QCCC on a roving basis both within the Federal District and elsewhere in Brazil. He can be contacted at walbercp@hotmail.com.
Our latest Local Secretary is Sriniva Ayyadevarai, a freemason for over 27 years, living in Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
Sriniva is a Chartered Accountant with a law degree, specialising in tax and company law. He is a keen (and published) Masonic researcher, and a member of multiple other orders, holding grand rank.
Srinivar is also the Convenor of the Goshamahal Baradari Masonic Study circle at Hyderabad, which meets in one of the oldest buildings in the city, dating back to the 16th century, and the founder of a small masonic museum. He is now establishing a local Quatuor Coronati Study circle at Hyderabad. He can be contacted at sridevar2@gmail.com.
We are delighted to welcome Mircea Bucin as our latest Local Secretary in Switzerland. Born in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, and now living and working in Olten, Switzerland, Mircea is an Advertising and PR professional and a member of St. Andrew‘s Lodge nr.83 in Basle, under the Grand Lodge Alpina of Switzerland.
He can be reached at olimpiumircea.bucin@gmail.com and on +41 78 974 44 58
QCCC is delighted to announce our new Local Secretary in the West Indies: Brother Johnelle Simon, a Master Mason in Lodge St Andrew 1794 S.C., and currently Assistant Secretary. Johnelle was initiated on 22 July 2017, passed in October 2017 and raised in February 2018. Educated at the University of the West Indies, he is a qualified teacher with over 16 years experience and is actively involved in community activities, including civic and youth organizations.
Bro Johnelle is based in Grenada and can be contacted at djedimaaur@gmail.com.
Welcome to Luis A. Irizarry-Figuero, our new Local Secretary for Puerto Rico.
Bro. Luis Irizarry-Figueroa was initiated into freemasonry in 2016 in Lodge Cuna de Betances No. 42 in Puerto Rico and raised in 2017. In 2018, he served as lodge Secretary. Luis is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Theoretical Linguistics at the University of Arizona. He can be contacted at irizarry.qccc@gmail.com
Welcome to our new roving Local Secretary for India.
Shreevardhan Sinha is a long-standing member of QCCC. Educated in Boston and New York, Shree is a member of the Indian Bar (1998) and NY Bar (2012). Masonically, he was initiated into Lodge St George, No. 549, District of Bombay, and is also a member of Lodge Star in the East, No. 67, District of Bengal. Shree is District Communication Officer for Bombay where he is a member of the District Board of General Purposes. He is also active in RA and numerous other orders.
Shree can be contacted at ss4311@columbia.edu and via linkedin.com/in/shreesinha.
Ali Yenidunya is our most recent Local Secretary in the UK. He is an education consultant and is currently undertaking a Legal Practice Course. Ali studied International Relations at Ankara University, Turkey, and undertook his Masters degree in IR Theory at the University of Birmingham. His MPhil thesis was written on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and, over the past decade, he has written numerous analytical papers for Enduring America Worldview (previously ‘Enduring America’). He is a Master Mason and Companion in RA, and serves as Communications Officer at Knowle Masonic Centre.
Ali can be contacted at aliyenidunya@hotmail.com and on 07834 876 925.
A New Local Secretary in Asunción, Paraguay.
We are delighted to welcome Fernando José Britez Sánchez as our latest Local Secretary. Fernando is a graduate in Geographical Sciences from the Faculty of Engineering of the National University of Asunción and a specialist in Integrated Water Management and Environmental Impact Assessment; and has worked across Latin America and globally. He was formerly a professor at San Carlos University and Columbia University of Paraguay.
Masonically, Fernando was initiated in 2013 and passed and raised in 2014 in Phoenix Lodge, under the Sovereign Grand Lodge of Paraguay. He was elected Worshipful Master in 2017. He is also a member of the Centennial Lodge “Libertad” No. 4, of the Symbolic Grand Lodge of Paraguay, recognized by UGLE and a member of the Inter-American Masonic Confederation.
Fernando is determined to promote Masonic education and research and believes that QCCC offers one of the best routes to achieve this goal. He can be reached at fernandobritez1982@gmail.com, by phone on +595983170511, or via Skype, at fernandobritez.
