The International Masonic Union Catena is an international organization of Masonic

Freemasonry

Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...

 organizations. The organizations involved are considered irregular

Regular Masonic jurisdictions

Regularity is the process by which individual Grand Lodges recognise one another for the purposes of allowing formal interaction at the Grand Lodge level and visitation by members of other jurisdictions.-History:...

 by the United Grand Lodge of England

United Grand Lodge of England

The United Grand Lodge of England is the main governing body of freemasonry within England and Wales and in other, predominantly ex-British Empire and Commonwealth countries outside the United Kingdom. It is the oldest Grand Lodge in the world, deriving its origin from 1717...

 (UGLE) and most other Anglo-Saxon Grand Lodges.

History

The organization was created in 1961 by the Nederlandse Grootloge der Gemengde Vrijmetsalerij, Humanitas – Freimaurergroßloge für Frauen und Männer in Deutschland and Österreichischer Universaler Freimaurerorden - Humanitas. It is only for mixed masonic organizations

Co-Freemasonry

Co-Freemasonry is a form of Freemasonry which admits both men and women. It began in France in the 1880s with the forming of Le Droit Humain, and is now an international movement represented by several Co-Masonic administrations throughout the world...

.

The Catena is open only to lodges that acknowledge a Supreme Being

Supreme Being

The term Supreme Being is often defined simply as "God", and it is used with this meaning by theologians of many religious faiths, including, but not limited to, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Deism. However, the term can also refer to more complex or philosophical interpretations of the...

 (Great Architect of the Universe

Great Architect of the Universe

The Great Architect of the Universe is a conception of God discussed by many Christian theologians and apologists. As a designation it is used within Freemasonry to neutrally represent whatever Supreme Being to which each member individually holds in adherence...

).

Present members

• Humanitas – Freimaurergroßloge für Frauen und Männer in Deutschland (Germany)
• Österreichischer Universaler Freimaurerorden - Humanitas (Austria)
• Jus Humanum Suecia (Sweden)
• Order of the Ancient Free Masonry for Men and Women (United Kingdom)
• Grande Loja Arquitetos de Aquario (Brasil)
• Tsjechischer Universaler Freimaurerorden - Humanitas (Tshechia)
• Groupement Maconnique de Loges Mixtes et Indépendentes (France)

See also

• CLIPSAS
• Grand Orient of Belgium
  Grand Orient of Belgium
  The Grand Orient of Belgium The Grand Orient of Belgium The Grand Orient of Belgium (French: Grand Orient de Belgique, Dutch: Grootoosten van Belgie (G.O.B.) is a Belgian cupola of masonic lodges which is only accessible for men, and works in the basic three symbolic degrees of freemasonry.-History:...
  
  
• Grande Loge Nationale Française
  Grande Loge Nationale Française
  The Grande Loge Nationale Française is a French Masonic Grand Lodge. It was founded in 1913, by two lodges, "Le Centre des Amis" Lodge splitting from the larger and older Grand Orient de France and "L'Anglaise" lodge, an independent lodge based in Bordeaux...
  
  
• International Secretariat of the Masonic Adogmatic Powers
  International Secretariat of the Masonic Adogmatic Powers
  The International Secretariat of the Masonic Adogmatic Powers is an international organization of Masonic jurisdictions of masonic lodges...
  
  

Source

• International Masonic Union Catena
• Gemischte Freimaurerlogen (German)
• Henderson, Kent & Pope, Tony: Freemasonry Universal, 2 vols, Global Masonic Publications, Melbourne 1998, 2000, vol 2 p 6.