The performance of ritual will be the theme of this year’s Sankey Lecture, hosted by the Department of History.

The annual event, which draws people from across Ontario and New York, is held in part to draw attention to the special collection of Masonic history donated to Brock from Charles Sankey’s personal library. Sankey played a major role in the founding of Brock and served as the University’s Chancellor from 1969 to 1974. He was also a Freemason and Masonic scholar.

This year’s Sankey Lecture to be held on Sunday, April 15, will feature William D. Moore speaking on “Catechism, Spectacle, Burlesque: American Fraternal Ritual Performance, 1733-1933.” Moore, who has written on Masonic temples and ritual architecture, is an associate professor in the Department of History of Art and Architecture at Boston University. His research interrogates the interrelationship between built form and systems of belief.

The annual lecture series is a partnership between the Grand Lodge and Brock University.

The lecture will be held in the Sean O’Sullivan Theatre from 3 to 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 15 with a reception to follow. The event is open to the public and tickets are free, but need to be booked in advance through Eventbrite.