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 DISTRICT LODGE

  PENNSYLVANIA No. 9 

VASA ORDER OF AMERICA

A Swedish-American Fraternal Organization






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FROM OUR DISTRICT MASTER - Bo carlsson

Hälsningar!  

Welcome to Pennsylvania District #9 of the Vasa Order of America!

The Vasa Order of America, founded in 1896, consists of 20 district lodges in the United States, Canada, and Sweden. District Lodge Pennsylvania #9 was established in 1908 to form a regional umbrella for local lodges in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. Most of our activities are conducted through our local lodges Nobel-Monitor #130 in Cleveland, OH, Drott #168 in Potomac, MD, and Svea #296 in Erie, PA. Each local lodge offers traditional Midsummer and Lucia/Christmas celebrations, in addition to regular (mostly monthly) meetings throughout the year. Please contact the local lodge nearest you for details.

We are currently working to expand our activities and events at the District level, in collaboration with the local lodges. This website is an important part of that effort. Plans are being developed for concerts/music events, visits to places and museums of Swedish cultural significance, sporting events, tours of Scandinavian businesses, and other events. This will be the main focus at our upcoming 60th biennial District Convention which will take place at The Lodge at Geneva State Park on the shores of Lake Erie on September 27-29, 2024.

The Vasa Order of America was originally started as a fraternal organization offering health benefits and other support for Swedish immigrants. Now most of our members are 2nd or 3rd generation immigrants with Nordic origin or connections, while some have arrived in our area more recently. We all share an interest in preserving and celebrating our Swedish cultural heritage.

Bo Carlsson

District Master

Pennsylvania District #9



OUR DISTRICT NEWSLETTER

In addition to our website, we also have a District #9 Newsletter. We will send it out regularly, approximately 4 times per year.  For current information about each of the Lodges go to their websites:

www.svea-erielodge.org

www.drott-lodge.org

www.nobelmonitor-lodge.org

Check out the News Tab.  In the section for District Newsletters, read Spring 1992 Distrikt Tidningen!

Make sure that you sign-up for the Newsletter!  Click here: Sign-up Today For Our District No. 9 Newsletter!


Celebrating Leif Erickson in Erie with Svea Lodge #296

10/09/24


WELCOME TO THE DISTRICT LODGE PA #9 WEBSITE

District Lodge Pennsylvania #9 is dramatically  improving its public face with our Wild Apricot website.

We are very excited about this development. Our website describes who the District Lodge PA #9 is and how we impact Scandinavian culture.  You can also find a description of our parent organization, Vasa Order Of America.  We are one of 18 Districts in the United States, encompassing Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC.

The website works very well on any smartphone or regular computer so you can access the website from anyplace, at any time. 

Keep checking this website for frequent updates and news about District Lodge PA #9.



Our 60th Biannual Convention for Pennsylvania District #9 was held September 27-29, 2024



Left photo is the newly elected District Officers for 2024-2026. 

Sitting:

Ashley Mullinax, Master of Ceremonies Kathy Williams, Auditor Pat Bellingham, Vice District Master Arne Dunhem, District Master

Karin Weeden, Executive Board Karen Chilcote, Historian Brian Davis, Asst Master of Ceremonies

Standing:

Emma Hedman, Membership Bo Carlsson, Past District Master Rolf Bergman, Treasurer Lorraine Johnson, Chaplain

Lisa Davis, Trustee Marit Knollmueller, Cultural Leader

Of note: the District Secretary position is still vacant.  

On the right are the new delegates getting installed with the District Degree. 

Emma Hedman,  Karen Sundquist, Emma Vaughn, Kirk Johnson, Bjorn Lensander, Bob Henry, Linda Cline, Ben Crull, Brian Davis, Lisa Davis.

Some highlights of the Convention:

  • Svea was once again awarded the Candelabra for having the most growth in membership!   Svea increased their numbers by 4%
  • The budget was passed with an increase of District dues of $10.  Presently, the District gets $5 per person from the  dues we pay each year. They will now get $15/person.  As a result, local lodge dues will increase by $10.  The District will partially fund the Svea and Drott Lodge websites but only at $500.  They will need to make up  the rest, approximately $700.  Nobel-Monitor feels they are in a financial position to cover their full website costs.
  • A presentation on the ReEnergize and ReBuild initiative was given by Arne Dunhem.  Participants were encouraged to share suggestions on activities for Lodges, Families and the District to help attract and keep members.
  • Presentations were given by Rolf Bergman and Karin Weeden, recipients of the Adult Scholarships.  Because of the increased costs for the Youth Scholarship program, that may need to be revisited.  Presently, the youth scholarship is given every year.  It may need to be reduced to every other year, as is the adult scholarship.
  • Updated By Laws were presented and passed.   A section was included giving Direct Members delegate representation at Conventions.
  • On Sunday, Lorraine Johnson and Twyla Sales organized a beautiful Memorial Service, honoring the 17 members from Nobel-Monitor, Drott, and Svea who passed away since our last convention.  

Thinking ahead - the 2026 District Convention will be held in Erie.  Svea is starting to think about venues and activities to showcase their Lodge and Erie, PA. 

More photos will be put up when more are sent in.



Göteborg Lodge #452 Celebrates 100 years in Sweden with the King 

Our sister lodge in Sweden, the Göteborg Lodge # 452, recently held a gala celebrating their 100 year anniversary, with Lodge leadership, members, and even King Carl XVI Gustaf was in attendance. Two Drott Lodge members, Arne and Eva, were even able to celebrate with Göteborg Lodge leadership a few weeks before the gala, while they were traveling through Sweden.


Göteburg Lodge #452 was the first Vasa Order of America lodge formed in Sweden. It was started in 1924 and is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. So what led to the creation of a Vasa lodge in Sweden? 

The idea was initiated by Wilhelm Lundström, a professor at the University of Gothenburg. An enthusiast about his homeland, Professor Lundström founded the Swedish Association for the Preservation of Swedishness Abroad in 1908. 

Over in America, in the early part of the 20th century, emigration from Sweden was going strong. One particular Swede, Johannes Hoving, a pediatrician, had emigrated to America in 1903, settling in New York City.

He was an active member of a Vasa lodge in the city, and in 1924, he led a group of 45 children, who were in Vasa Children’s Clubs, on a trip to visit Sweden. When the ship arrived at the port of Gothenburg, the children were received by the King. The group then met with Professor Lundstrom and it was this visit that sparked the idea for Lundstrom to start a lodge in Gothenburg. Sweden now boasts a total of approximately 23 lodges. 




Village of Hoyanger in Norway               PBellingham

Join Us For Fun-filled Events Together With the 3 Sister Lodges In Our Vasa District, PA #9

Why not visit our three sister Lodges within Pennsylvania District #9? The lodges are Nobel-Monitor #130 in Cleveland, OH, Svea #296 in Erie, PA, and Drott #168 in Washington, D.C. Check out their websites to find out what they are doing.

We plan to have some joint activities together with members of the other lodges to include some fun events in their areas and we will travel there to spend a day or weekend with them.  We can, to the extent possible, arrange car pooling.

More information about these events later.

Here are the websites for our three sister Local Lodges:

Nobel-Monitor:     www.nobel-monitor.org

Svea:                         www.svea-erielodge.org

Drott Lodge:          www.drott-lodge.org




 ReEnergize & ReBuild Events

Restart & ReEnergize Working Group Meetings

TBA Zoom

 



District Events


Become A Member in any of our 3 Lodges closest to you!

Become a Local Lodge Member by logging on to the respective websites listed above. 

You will receive their Newsletter in order to be informed about what is happening within the Lodges.

 


OTHER INTERESTING EVENTS IN THE OHIO/PENNSYLVANIA/MARYLAND/DC AREAS

Jamestown, NY - Scandinavian Cultural Days on the first Saturday of the month from October - May.

Luray, Virginia - Luray Caverns -  The cavern system is adorned with speleothems such as columns, mud flows, stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, and mirrored pools. The caverns are perhaps best known for the Great Stalacpipe Organ, a lithophone  made from solenoid-fired strikers that tap stalactites of various sizes to produce tones similar to those of xylophones, tuning forks, or bells. (Wikipedia). 

Cleveland, Ohio - The Henry Ford -   You might want to visit the Factory Tour and the Museum of American Innovation at The Henry Ford complex.



Not a member yet?

Active communication is very important to grow our three Lodges and make a difference. If you have not signed-up yet, here is your chance to become a member in one of our Lodges: Nobel-Monitor, Svea, or Drott. Click and Sign-up below

Click to sign-up to become a member in a Lodge



You can search our website here below:

mailto:info.svea.erie.lodge@gmail.com

Contact:

Pat Bellingham

C/O Luther Memorial Church Office: 814.454.0106



Address:

225 West 10th Street

Erie, PA 16501



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