I suspect folks who attended the Gotham Happy Hour on Friday might expect one of my musicals blog. Suspect they need to wait until the proverbial next year, to apply the well-used cliché. Instead, I prefer to hail and welcome a significant change in the fraternal Order Knights of Pythias. The Order, founded in Washington, DC, in 1864, became the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the Congress of the United States “after careful investigation by then-President Abraham Lincoln.” I attended its last Supreme Convention, in August at Newark, New Jersey (the outgoing Supreme Chancellor hailed from the Garden State and Gotham Queens member Craig Shink got elected Supreme Outer Guard so in several years a Gotham member will lead the order.) where we learned of the ratification of a change in the great international, non-sectarian fraternity’s constitution, in line with federal law, to empower its member lodges to admit women. 

And last week and the week before, New York did just that! Two Pythian Sisters, who were the first women elected to membership by Genesis and Ramapo Lodges, took the knightly ranks on December 15 in Brooklyn. Five young women took the ranks as part of the initiation of a brand new Pythian Lodge, December 7 also in Brooklyn.

Pythians, besides the social and fraternal involvements, raises funds for charitable purposes, including this year COVID Relief donations exceeding $100,000 in New York; that includes $75,000 to relief organizations servicing the five boroughs, Long Island, Hudson Valley and upstate regions and an additional $18,000 from New York Pythian Districts matched by humanitarian funds. Donations from subordinate Lodges and individual Pythians bolstered this effort by the Grand Lodge Humanitarian Fund Covid 19. In addition Supreme Lodge provided $75,000 to the national relief organization, Feeding America.

The order promoted its admission of women on its website and social media:

Grand Lodge website Pythian News page:

At a Majestic Rank NY Pythians Initiate 21 NEW Knights; Fraternal Order Knights of Pythias initiates first two women elected to membership to full (Knightly) status. Follows prior initiation of five women. 
(December 15, 2021; posted December 16, 2021)

NY Pythians Initiate NEW Lodge, Knights & Install Officers Elizabeth Gloucester Lodge #867 includes five women Knights. 
(December 7, 2021; posted December 13, 2021)

Facebook (Please comment, like and share if moved):

https://www.facebook.com/KnightsofPythiasNewYorkGrandLodge/posts/5002821076395052

https://www.facebook.com/KnightsofPythiasNewYorkGrandLodge/posts/4989204264423400

Tweets (Please like, retweet and "quote", if moved):

https://twitter.com/bearak/status/1470520496043307010?s=21

and
https://twitter.com/bearak/status/1471703063564017673?s=21

For information on the New York State Order of the Knights of Pythias please contact the Grand Secretary at GrandLodgeKOPNY@gmail.com.