Light Night And Heavy Emails

It was quite clear last night that we are indeed in the darkness of the sweltering summer months as there were only two of us who made it out to the lodge for fellowship. Given the travel that I have been hearing about from various brothers, it was not a complete surprise. Also, and I take responsibility for this one, there isn’t much in the way of communication during this season which leads some to simply forget. In reality, it was nice to have a relaxing evening to catch up with one of my brothers, reflect on our recent efforts, and look forward to the coming months of meetings, events, projects, and objectives.

There are a number of us who remain active throughout the year only taking breaks here and there. Lodge is something that we enjoy and that we want to see thrive during our lives in the lodge so we put forth the effort and do what we can, not just to make good men better but to make good lodges better. However, in my position, I have seen multiple instances (through email, social media, casual conversation, etc.) where brothers think that they are doing what is best for the fraternity but, in fact, they are doing everything to undermine freemasonry in general and our Grand Lodge in particular.

I am not one to name names in this instance, and I am not privy to those names in other instances, so let us simply say that there are many brothers out there that are not holding themselves to the same high moral standards of a mason that they should. They speak about brothers behind their backs and they hide behind fake names and Facebook pages that are, to put it nicely, and despicable disgrace. They seem to forget the traditions, rituals, rules, and standards by which we should hold ourselves and others in this fraternity.

While what is being said bothers me a great deal, it is the fact that they do not stand by their own words by attaching their name to their statements. This is hugely important to me as I hold myself to that basic standard when posting these blogs. If I can’t put my name to it, I don’t write it. Although I haven’t really had anything fall into the latter category. There is a time and place for everything and we all certainly have the right to our own opinion but we should also stand strong in our convictions and opinions. We must also remember the rules by which we live our lives and the moral standards by which we hold ourselves and others. We are here to make good men better, our lodge better, and the fraternity better. It is impossible to do so if we undermine all three as some brothers have chosen to do.

And The Phone Rings Again…

Another week and another unpleasant phone call. I was in the middle of my workday when my phone rang out from my shirt pocket and when I pulled it out and looked at the screen an unknown number was displayed on my caller ID. After the second or third ring, I answered the call not really knowing what to expect as I have made so many calls the past several weeks that it could have been a call from any number of companies or publications. Well, as Monty Brewster would say, it was from none of the above. It was, in fact, one of those call that I dread but also comes with being the Secretary of the lodge… another brother has been called off from labor.

Unfortunately, over the past few years I have spoken with a variety of funeral homes in the area as well as families of brothers who have been called off from labor. It is never an easy conversation. In fact, it is just as difficult now as it was the first time I answered one of these calls. After all, we are losing a brother not just a number in our membership… a member of our lodge, our masonic family, is no longer with us and all that knowledge that they had attained is forever silent.  

However, I am appreciative of the opportunity that the family has given us to honor our brother one final time. Too often I have found myself finding about a brother’s passing long after the fact. I consider the request to conduct a Masonic Funeral Service as a gift from our departed brother and his family to big farewell and thank him one final time for being a member of our fraternal family for over 65 years. The least we can do is honor this final request.

It is with great melancholy that I write this knowing that these events will be repeated again and again as our brothers continue to advance in age. It is a sequence of events that has become near ritual in recent years. However, as we hear of each brother being called off from labor, we can look to our lodges and see our new brethren take those initial steps in Freemasonry. The same steps that our departed brother took decades prior when their journey was just beginning. Such is the cycle of life and how we honor our brothers past, present, and future.

Busy On Two Levels

When I arrived at the lodge last night I was not surprised to find that I was the first one to pull into the parking lot. Somehow, despite having left the office a little later than usual, I made it to the lodge in nearly record time… why can’t this be the case on meeting nights? After saying goodnight to my son and making my usual stop at the post office, I unlocked the double doors, turned on the lights, and immediately headed for the coffee maker. Still reaping the benefits of making that donation!

After getting a few more things done on the computer and with the coffee cup nearly at half full, I took a break from the illuminated screen and headed out the front door to enjoy the fresh air and the congested sounds of the modern main line. Like many nights before, it was only a couple of minutes and a few phone calls later that our first candidate turned the corner and made his way up the stairs. I really enjoy seeing a motivated candidate at the lodge on these nights.

It is great to get the updates from their perspectives as well because we need to know not only if we are doing our jobs in preparing them but we need to know how everything is being perceived. After all, anyone who has participated in degree work know that it is a combination of substance AND presentation (which includes the ritual). These are the first experiences that a man has as a mason and a memory that will last a lifetime so we need to take the time to make sure that we are on point.

Over the next ten minutes or so, many more brothers walked up and into the building filling the social hall and lodge room with the sounds of good work and education being done. The lodge has come a long way from when I first started attending these fellowship nights soon after being raised. The attendance is certainly up and the dedication in many of the brethren is clear. We have always had a few that put forth the time and energy to guide candidates and now we have many all shining lights on the path.

What is even more reassuring is the fact that we also have other candidates in process and at least one more petition that needs to be read. We are moving forward and there is a difference that can be felt among the brethren. There is a passion in our ritual, a dedication in our words, and a heartfelt commitment in our actions… this is the true difference between a lodge maintaining the status quo and one that is a living and breathing fraternity inspired by the light in each of our fellow brothers. And those lights are getting brighter.

The Progress Is Palpable

With a full notices comes a busy meeting and our stated meeting this month certainly lived up to that. It was a long night, both the meeting itself and the conversations after, but there was a heck of a lot accomplished during the night. It actually made me wish that I had been in attendance last month as there is a palpable difference in the way that the meeting flowed from beginning to end. This year is certainly a welcomed change and I am looking forward to many of the issues that we faced in the past to completely evaporate.

The evening was also full of information of which I was previously unaware. I knew about many of the items discussed but there are always details that are absent from discussions that happen outside of the meetings. Actually, I am not really used to this being the case. Many times, I am the one with the details which usually leads to the dozens of brief conversations before and after the sound of the gavel.

It was obvious that there are things that we still need to work on with regard to the memorization and actual mechanics but there was a huge amount of progress that was on display for both the other members of the lodge as well as a roster of guests in attendance. It is a testament to the work and outright effort that has been put forth by many of the officers between the meetings and I am looking forward to seeing and experiencing the progression of ritual throughout the year.

For the first time in a while, I found myself interested again in learning more about the lodge and some of the other offices… I can only sit as Secretary for so long before I want to start progressing through the chairs and I might as well be prepared for when the time comes because I don’t want to have to cram in order to move throughout the lodge room. And I also know that my memory is not my strength so it might take a while to get everything down cold or at least good enough to pass. But, for now, I have a job to do.

For a while I was filling in some of the holes in the East and, honestly, it really tired me out. The last couple of months have remained hectic but in a completely different way as there have been brethren removing the weight on my shoulders and bags from my eyes. If anything, the way we have started the year has served us well as it immediately brought us together to square everything back to level. There is still work to be done but we are all pulling in the same direction and we are slowly gaining ground.

Arriving And Departing

Reenactment of a 1857 Masonic Funeral Service
by Jordan-Martin Lodge No. 673  in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

I was a little pressed for time as I arrived at the lodge on Thursday night. Everything was ready for the meeting, and had been ready for a few days, but other commitments and, of course, traffic kept me from having a few minutes to spend some time with the brethren at the dinner table before the meeting. There have been so many other projects, both personal and at the office, that arriving on time and being able to take a breath have been luxuries that have eluded me for much of the year. So why should this meeting be any different.

As I sorted through the pile that I had dumped on my desk, it was nice to see that dues were already coming in as well as a few correspondences from the brethren. These are the two kinds of mail that I actually look forward to receiving so that I can update the ledger and also have some words to share with the brethren at the meeting along with the usual business items. Actually, the only thing that would be better is when I receive a new petition to be read… it has been way too long since I read one during a meeting.

The rest of the meeting was both a continuation of the program from last month by providing some additional information about other appendant bodies and also a new slate of lessons for the new brethren and reminders for the longer standing members. It was interesting to hear about some of the experiences that various brothers have had visiting other lodges in different districts, jurisdictions, and countries. Some of the processes may vary but there are many that are closely tied together which makes the examination process of a visitor an interesting topic of discussion.

The other discussion that we had was on the Masonic funeral and memorial services. While these are open to the public, I have yet to witness let alone participate in either beyond handling some of the preparations required beforehand. This was a hugely important lesson as it is a means to pay respect to a brother who has been called off from labor. It also reminded me to update my form so that if I should pass, my family knows who to contact to arrange for the service… I have seen too many deaths go unnoticed in the lodge because we were never notified having to discover their passing during an annual membership audit.

All of these programs were reviews of information that most of us already know. However, there are some new brothers unfamiliar with these aspects of Freemasonry and the rest of us were definitely due for a reminder. Like many things in the fraternity, we possess the knowledge somewhere in our minds but it is always a good idea to reexamine some of those topics and rituals. We are bound to forget certain details and there is always the possibility of learning something new whether it be the proper way of doing something, the meaning behind it, or simply a different perspective from another brother. After all, we can never know it all and, without practice, we tend to lose what we once learned.

Going To School…

Ironically, I am writing this post as all the schools in the area are closed due to the heavy snow smothering the area. Thankfully, the flakes held off just long enough so that I was able to make it to school and back home last night without any problems. No, I am not pursuing another graduate degree. I was at the lodge last night and so were many other brothers interested in learning more of the details regarding the first degree as the Sixth Masonic District School of Instruction held their class in Ardmore.

Previously, the school would meet at a set location with the traveling aspect having just been implemented this year to both increase attendance and make things a little more convenient for some of the brothers in the district. It is because of these reasons that I have been unable to attend a meeting of the school until last night. With that said, I was able to participate at the Regional School last April reviewing business of the lodge and that was a whole different experience all together. I am comfortable in my own lodge at my own desk but I can’t say as much about occupying the same chair in one of the meeting rooms at Grand Lodge.

It was an interesting night with the lodge full of brothers that I only see occasionally at Masonic events throughout the year. More importantly, it was a great experience for many of our newly raised brethren who were able to receive instruction on many of the nuances of the ritual work. Many of these details can be overlooked no matter how long someone has been a mason or how many degrees in which they have participated. We all welcomed the instruction and observed intently the timing and exact movements that were corrected throughout the night.

It was fascinating to watch from the vantage point of the Secretary’s desk as I have a limited role in the degrees so I was able to take everything in without having to think about motions or movements. It was important because I have filled in at various times in some of those chairs and it would be nice if I knew what I was doing. With that said, there is no way that I will retain much of the minutia that was reviewed so I guess I will have to continue attending class whenever time permits. Your guess is as good as mine as to where I will find that time!

The Ebb And Flow Of Fellowship Nights

With Thanksgiving only a couple days away, attendance was pretty light at the lodge last night. That combined with a little bit of illness and some travel mixed in and the turnout wasn’t what it was last week. However, this is to be expected throughout the year especially during the holiday season. It is the natural ebb and flow of the fraternity.

And sometimes we need night like the one last night when a few of us can get other work done and coordinate our efforts for upcoming events (have you signed up for our blood drive yet?). At the same time, it also forces some of us to take on roles during these evenings that we are not part of our usual routine. This is especially true when you consider that there were a couple candidates that made it out and all the usual instructors were unable to attend last night.

I was surprised at just how much I have been able to retain over the past year and a half. Many of the phrases and much of the ritual is immediately brought to the forefront of my mind with very little prompting. It is by no means second nature and I still have a long way to go but I am making progress and I am confident that my future goals in Freemasonry may not be as daunting as I once thought.

These are the moments that I am not used to experiencing and the conversations that I am too seldom able to have with brothers during their first few months as a Mason. Having spoken with and assisted in relaying the information needed for their next degree last night, I am impressed with these new brothers and I look forward to having them as members of my lodge. Heck, they are picking things up much faster than I did when I first became a Mason (I know that is not saying much).

It is amazing to think about the difference from last year… that is what really struck me last night. On an evening when our attendance was down it was still many more brothers than we would have seen this same time last year at the lodge. While I wasn’t able to accomplish all that I had set out to do last night (I got some things done in the place of others), I was happy to have been a part of the training and conversations at the lodge and I am looking forward to seeing the many more faces during our Tuesday night fellowship. Sometimes it is the best possible way to end a long day.

Long Awaited Extra Meeting

Every month we have an extra meeting for the conferral of degrees. Obviously, the degrees vary but the schedule remains pretty consistent. Our stated meetings are on the first Thursday of every month with the degree conferrals occurring the following Tuesday. Not a complicated schedule and one that seems to have worked for some time now.

However, in an attempt to make things a little easier for us all during the week, the decision was made to hold the extra meeting on a Saturday morning. With three separate degree conferrals scheduled for the same meeting, this would prevent us from being at lodge until 11:00 PM or later on a Tuesday night. That was the plan. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t agree with our attempt for convenience and after cancelling two Saturdays in a row, it was back to Tuesday night.

As it turned out, we only conferred two degrees on Tuesday evening as one of the new brothers has a growing family that needs his attention. A completely understandable reason to postpone until the following month. So, we began trickling in on Tuesday night as we all looked around and began counting to make sure we had enough to fill in all of the officers positions (elected and appointed). As 7:30 quickly ticked to the present, we had just enough to get things done.

It was a bit of a shuffle, as some brothers were able to physically do more than others so I found myself being shifted around from one place to another, east to west and back east, until I finally took my seat as Senior Deacon. Working in our favor is the fact that degree work has a pretty standard set of minutes that need to be taken so, between degrees, I was able to quickly step over and jot a few details down on the notepad at my desk. The rest of the time was trying to remember what to hand the Worshipful Master and following the directions of others during the meeting.

It was a different experience and one that I believe, to my memory, was the fifth position that I had viewed conferrals from (including my usual spot behind the secretary’s desk). While I prefer to sit in the position to which I have been elected by my fellow brothers, I enjoyed the change of pace for the evening and learning the duties of that officer. As I have said many times before, just being a part of the ritual and ceremony is something that every brother needs to experience, especially when it is during the raising of Master Mason.

Even with the postponement of one of the degrees, I still didn’t get home until about 11 at night (after a little bit of work in the office). This is why we tried to get this moved to Saturday. Hopefully the weather will cooperate the next time we try to make things a little bit easier for everyone during the middle of the work week. Only time will tell but the important thing is that we got everything done and advanced our brothers in their Masonic journeys.