The Orange Chronicle        

Qualifications of an Orangeman according to the Grand Lodge of Ireland

An Orangeman should have a sincere love and veneration for his Heavenly Father;

A humble and steadfast faith in Jesus Christ, the Saviour of mankind, believing in Him as the only Mediator between God and man.

He should cultivate truth and justice, brotherly kindness and charity, devotion and piety, concord and unity, and obedience to the laws;

His deportment should be gentle and compassionate, kind and courteous;

He should seek a society of the virtuous, and avoid that of the evil;

He should honour and diligently study the Holy Scriptures, and make them the rule of his faith and practice;

He should love, uphold, and defend the Protestant religion, and sincerely desire and endeavour to propagate its doctrines and precepts;

He should strenuously oppose the fatal errors and doctrines of the Church of Rome, and scrupulously avoid countenancing (by his presence or otherwise) any act of ceremony of Popish worship;

He should by all lawful means, resist the ascendancy of that Church, its encroachments, and the extension of its power, ever abstaining from all uncharitable words, actions or sentiments, towards his Roman Catholic brethren;

He should remember to keep holy the Sabbath day, and attend the public worship of God, and diligently train up his offspring, and all under his control, in the fear of God, and in the Protestant faith;

He should never take the name of God in vain, but abstain from all cursing and profane language, and use every opportunity of discouraging these, and all other sinful practices, in others; his conduct should be guided by wisdom and prudence, and marked by honesty, temperance, and sobriety;

The glory of God and the welfare of man, the honour of his Sovereign, and the good of his country, should be the motive of his actions.

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The first resolution says that as a Christian organisation it exhorts its members to uphold the qualifications of the Institution which challenge them to live “Christ-centred and Bible-based lives”.

“In an increasingly secular world the Christian message can often appear to have little relevance for many, but as Orangemen we pledge to live out our faith in Christ, remembering always that salvation is ‘by Grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone’.”

The Orange Institution has said it has deep reservations about people in the devolved Northern Ireland administration who would not be seen as democrats in the accepted sense.
The Institution, in its Twelfth resolutions, said it would continue to closely monitor the political situation in the Province: “The ongoing dogmatic approach of some within the government causes us concern as we look to a better future for all citizens of Northern Ireland.”

A resolution to be passed on July 12 reminds that the republican movement has orchestrated a campaign of attacks on Orange halls since 1989: “We condemn all attacks on our Orange halls and sympathise with those brethren, north and south, whose property has been damaged. As an Institution we have withstood much and will continue to stand firm for our beliefs into the future. We seek nothing more than civil and religious liberty for all and respect for our traditions and witness.

“In this 90th anniversary year of the signing of the Armistice in 1918, we reflect on those many members of our Institution and the wider community who lost their lives in the First World War. Their loss has a special resonance for the people of Ulster.

“We bring to mind all those members of Her Majesty’s forces who are currently serving in areas of conflict across the world, particularly in Afghanistan and Iraq. We recall today those many innocent victims of violence in our own land and call for just recognition of the suffering which they have endured. In a changing world, we share the distress of those millions of people who have suffered through the result of natural disaster in Burma and China.

“We commend the efforts of relief agencies and all those working to assist in those and other distressed areas of the world.”

A third resolution pledges devotion and loyalty to the Queen: “We appreciate and recognise her commitment to the Nation and the standards of service she sets as well as the example of her stable marriage to society. Long may she reign. We reaffirm our support for the Union of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. We stand united with the Grand Orange Lodges of England and Scotland in calling for the positive promotion of the benefits of the Union for our peoples, and believe that only through the Union can recognition and respect be maintained and developed for those of all classes, colours and creeds.”

A convention of over 600 Scottish Orangemen held in Glasgow on Saturday 14th June pledged to face down any threat to the political integrity of the United Kingdom.

Scottish Grand Master, Ian Wilson, told delegates that "the Union of 1707 has been good for Scotland and remains in our best interest." He went on to say that it was time for the Orange Order "to replace rhetoric with action if we are truly to be worthy of our inheritance and defend the things we believe in."

Wilson admitted to a grudging admiration for First Minister Alex Salmond who he called "a smart operator". "To see him perform you'd never guess he is First Minister of Scotland thanks to just 24% of the electorate, or that he heads a minority administration that is outgunned by the collective strength of the unionist parties."

Wendy Alexander received a stinging rebuke from Wilson, who said she would have to be "a whole lot more impressive and convincing than she has been to date if the Scottish Labour Party is ever to regain its pre-eminence in Scottish politics."

The lodge convention was also addressed by the Grand Masters of the Order in England and Ireland. Following the meeting, Orange leaders held further talks on their intentions to mobilise the membership throughout the UK to argue the case for the Union.

The Orange Order has launched a major exhibition featuring heroes of the institution from history.

LINFIELD (Football Club) boss David Jeffrey yesterday kicked off an exhibition on Ulster's most famous Orangemen.
The show, put together by the Orange Order, features heroes of the institution dating back to the 19th century.

Blues manager Jeffrey – himself a Co Down Orangeman – was at the Order’s Belfast headquarters in Schomberg House for the unveiling.

The exhibition is part of the growing number of tourist and educational initiatives designed to show the cultural history of the organisation. It follows on from last year’s very successful Williamite Archive Exhibition.
Heroes From History will be in the headquarters of the Order at Schomberg House on the Cregagh Road in Belfast and will feature display panels on famous Orangemen from all over the world.

They will include Dr. Thomas Barnardo, who founded the children’s charity, Rev. W.F. Marshall, the famous poet from Tyrone, Sir John MacDonald, Prime Minister of Canada in the 19th century and William Ferguson Massey, a former Prime Minister of New Zealand.

A lesser known Orangemen was Dr. Oronhyatekha (Burning Sky), of the Mohawks in Canada and he will also feature in the exhibition.

Artefacts including banners and other memorabilia will also be on display.
Dr. David Hume, Director of Services, who organised the exhibition said:
“There is a growing fascination with Orange culture and that comes from people in all walks of life and from all sections of the community.

“Last year the Williamite Archive proved very popular with groups such as schools and individual visitors. We believe that this exhibition will be equally successfully and we hope that a large number of people will come to see it.
“We are very keen to have schools and community groups visit us and it means that we will have an opportunity to explain more about the Institution.
“There will be a few surprises for visitors. Most people probably do not know that Dr. Barnardo was an Orangeman.

“There has been a lot of work behind the exhibition, which is one of the most ambitious that we have undertaken so far. There has been a strong team doing the research and bringing together the exhibits”

Footnote: You are invited to attend the launch of this year’s Orange Order exhibition – Heroes from History – featuring famous Orangemen from bygone days.
The exhibition will be opened by Co. Down Orangemen and Manager of Linfield Football club, David Jeffrey.

The opening is at mid-day, today, Thursday, July 3, in Schomberg House.

Speech by Dr. David Hume MBE, Director of Services of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland, at the County Grand Lodge of the East commemoration at Grangemouth, Saturday, June 28, 2008

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The map traces William and his army's route through Ireland

A map tracing the route of William of Orange and his army in Ireland before and after the Battle of the Boyne, has been launched by the Orange Order.

The Williamite Trail is a tourist map which follows the route of King William and his Army in 1690, before and after the Battle of the Boyne.

The order hopes the map will be a hit with tourists as well as local people.

The map was designed after consultations with historians on both sides of the Irish border.

It begins in Londonderry, site of the 1688-89 siege, and ends in Kinsale, County Cork.

The trail takes in Carrickfergus, where William and his troops first landed, Belfast, Hillsborough, Loughbrickland and Scarva, before moving towards the Battle of the Boyne, near Drogheda.

DUP MP, MLA Nigel Dodds and Arlene Foster MLA with Williamite Trail

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