Copernicus Society

Welcome to the Copernicus Society, a subsidiary of the Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania, whose mission is to leverage the teachings of Freemasonry to instruct, guide and inspire the next generation of civic-minded thought leaders. We do this by delivering educational programming to our membership with a special emphasis on grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy—branches of learning greatly esteemed by our ancient brethren in Freemasonry and known, even to this day, as the seven liberal arts. Given our location at one of the world’s most acclaimed Masonic landmarks, the Philadelphia Masonic Temple, at the epicenter of one of America’s premier college towns, our headquarters is within walking distance of some of the world’s most esteemed academic, historical and cultural institutions.

Best known for its many historical sites recounting its role in the Revolutionary War and the subsequent founding of the United States of America, Philadelphia is also home to over 100 degree-granting institutions, including vocational schools and technical colleges (e.g., Walnut Hill College, Community College of Philadelphia), private liberal art schools (e.g., Haverford College, Bryn Mawr College, Swarthmore College), public state-related universities (e.g., Temple University, Penn State Abington), Catholic universities (e.g., La Salle University, Saint Joseph’s University, Villanova University) and private research powerhouses (e.g., Drexel University, Thomas Jefferson University, University of Pennsylvania) as well as specialty schools dedicated to fine and performing arts (e.g., Moore College of Art & Design, Curtis Institute of Music).

Our headquarters in the heart of downtown Philadelphia affords us a unique vantage point at the crossroads of history, culture, academia and research—a luxury we take full advantage of by inviting faculty to deliver talks on history, culture, arts & music, cutting edge medical and scientific research as well as the trades, among other exciting topics. In so doing, we endeavor to be the premier cultural, educational and philanthropic society for lifelong learners of all stripes, creeds, and backgrounds, regardless of educational attainment or Masonic affiliation. It is our sincere desire to inculcate in our membership a love of learning for learning’s sake to further our understanding of our world, our communities and ourselves in a manner befitting our namesake, Nicolaus Copernicus, whose groundbreaking discoveries revolutionized our understanding of humanity’s place in the cosmos.

Come join the revolution!

Stated Meeting

September 21, 2026 @ 7:00 p.m.

Our Mission

• To impart the lessons taught in Freemasonry to the next generation of leaders

• To engage members with educational, social and philanthropic opportunities

• To foster “laboratories of democracy” permitting the free exchange of ideas

• To encourage our membership to leverage the seven liberal arts, to promote fraternalism, fellowship and philanthropy for the benefit of the common good

• To encourage experimentation by inculcating a “freedom to fail” ethos

The “Freedom to Fail” Ethos

It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat. - Bro. Theodore Roosevelt (Matinecock Lodge No. 806)