OAImages Blog

Here is another update on recent and forthcoming issues from Catawba lodge.

As is customary in recent years, Catawba will be issuing two patches for the delegates to this year’s Dixie Fellowship, the SR-5 Conclave.   Both items follow this year’s superhero them.

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In the latter part of last year I was made aware that Catawba lodge had planned a new set of Ordeal, Brotherhood and Vigil flaps.   Shortly after that the directive came down from the National Committee that lodges were not to make special flaps for the various honors.   I had assumed Catawba issued the flaps anyway, as they were in the works, and left space on my site to insert them once I had images.

Recently Larry Banks told me that due to this new directive the Ordeal and Vigil flaps were not produced.  Only the Brotherhood flap was made and issued.   I pressume the lodge had run out of stock of their former brotherhood flaps before the change in policy and needed the new flap.

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Catawba lodge has adopted a super heroes theme for this year’s activity patches.    The first event of the year, Spring Fellowship, is not until the weekend of March 14th, but I have already been sent an image of the patch that will be issued.  The Spring Fellowship features “Meck” costumed as The Flash.

The fleur d’lis is kind of hard to see in an images, especially if you don’t know where to look. It’s on The Flash’s right boot.   The patch has a “laser cut edge” and was produced by Shelby Patch Company.

Thanks to Larry Banks, I have also been sent images of the rest of the 2008 activity patches for Catawba lodge.   I will post these later.   Blue Book data for the Spring Fellowship patch is as follows: 

I was recently commenting to a friend of mine how quiet it has been on the patch front here in North Carolina lately.  That silence has been broken, if only just a bit.  Catawba lodge will have its 60th anniversary in 2011.   In honor of that event, the lodge has issued its first 60th anniversary patch.

The design is based on the lodge’s A1, their first patch issued in 1951.   Catawba similarly used the A1 as inspiration for one of their 50th anniversary patches, A2, issued in 1999.   According to Larry Banks, the lodge will also imitate their 50th anniversary celebration by issuing one patch per year for the 60th anniversary until 2011.

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Larry Banks recently sent me images of four new patches from Catawba lodge. As I understand it, two of these will not be issued for some time yet.

Catawba lodge has a program where a brother can pre-register for all the lodge’s yearly events at once. In exchange for the advance registration, the brother gets an “All Events” patch for that year. Coosa lodge in Alabama also does something similar. My own lodge has its “Gold Card” for those who pre-register for all the events at once, but does not have any special patch for this.

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…Goin’ to the chapel and we’re gonna get married
Goin’ to the chapel and we’re gonna get married
Gee, I really love you and we’re gonna get married
Goin’ to the chapel of love…

Catawba lodge has recently issued two unusual patches.   Their lodge adviser will soon be married.   The lodge has chosen to mark these nuptials with a special flap and pocket batch.   Thanks to Larry Banks for sending me the images of these patches.

While unusual, this is not the first lodge to issue a flap for a member’s wedding.  Ku-Ni-Eh 145 issued a flap, S32, for their adviser’s wedding in 1999.

The flap is also unusual in another respect.  To my knowledge it is the first Order of the Arrow patch to include in the design the Lenape word that is written across the top of the patch.

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Catawba lodge has issued another fundraising item, following on the heels of a recent neckerchief (N3?), for their Catawba Club House.    Thanks again to Larry Banks for keep me up to date on this lodge.

This rather “neat” looking jacket patch prominently features both the lodge’s totem (the hornet’s nest) and “Meck”, the representation of a hornet featured on many of the lodge’s recent patches.

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One new issue from the Carolinas was spotted at the South Carolina TOR this past weekend.  Catawba lodge has issued a new neckerchief as a fundraiser for the Catawba Club House.

100 of the neckerchief were made.  The purpose of this neckerchief is alluded to by the addition of “CCH” in grey on the hornet’s nest.

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Catawba 459 issued two patches for this year’s SR-5 Conclave (Dixie Fellowship).   It would seem they adopted a very chivalric theme this year.

The flap features a firebreathing dragon and “Meck” fitted out in a suit of armor.   The matching pocket patch has “King Meck” dressed up in his finest royal regalia.

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This was originally going to be one of two posts I was writing about unlisted Catawba lodge patches.   I had the post written and ready to publish.  However, I have since found out that these items are not issues of Catawba lodge.   So instead I want to write a bit about the importance of healthy skepticism, and the importance of communication amongst collectors.

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Over the next few weeks, I will be posting a year end round of of lodge events issues for this past year. For some lodges I have no information, so unless someone tells me what event patches their lodge has made this past year the update will be very short.

Consider this a not so subtle hint and request: If your lodge events issues are not yet on OAImages.com, please send the information and scans along to me.

I know of the following two event patches issued by Catawba lodge in 2006. Continue Reading »