The Lecture Series

Every year, Brock University’s History Department and the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Canada in the Province of Ontario host the Dr. Charles A. Sankey Lecture in Masonic Studies. The lectures are part of a series that brings internationally renowned scholars of Freemasonry to Brock to present their research. 

The series was established in honour of Charles A. Sankey (1905–2009), who served as Brock University Chancellor from 1969 to 1974. A renowned Masonic scholar, Dr. Sankey was active in all the concordant bodies of Masonry including the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, the Royal Order of Scotland, and Royal Arch Masons. 

Find out more about the Sankey Lecture Series, including recordings of previous lectures, here. 

Administrative Contacts

Dr. Michael Driedger, Associate Professor of History
[email protected]

Melissa Vanatte, Graduate Program Assistant
[email protected]

The Brock-Masons Partnership

The Sankey Lecture Series is the product of a partnership between the Grand Lodge and Brock University, which began with an initiative by the Heritage Lodge No. 730 to preserve Dr. Sankey’s extensive collection of rare Masonic books and papers. These materials, housed in Archives and Special Collections in Brock’s James A. Gibson Library, provide rich resources for research scholars and students. In addition, this collaboration has supported the library’s acquisition of digitized Proceedings of the Grand Lodge from 1855 to the present. 

The Grand Lodge also sponsors an annual scholarship for a Brock History graduate student who demonstrates academic excellence, with preference for a student studying Freemasonry and/or fraternalism. 

The generous support of the Grand Lodge has made possible a productive and mutually beneficial relationship with the University and the History Department. 

Learn more about the Grand Lodge’s support at Brock: Donor Impact Report 2024