Exit Interviews Upon Resignation

I was reading the Q4 Communications Report of the Board of General Purposes and was struck by this passage:

RESIGNATIONS FROM PRIVATE LODGES UNDER RULE 183

"[...]London and many Provinces now operate a system of ‘exit interviews’ with the aim of ascertaining whether a resignation is owing to a general disillusionment with Freemasonry, or is related to the particular lodge of which he is a member. In the latter case it is often possible for the Metropolitan or Provincial authorities to find a more convenient or congenial lodge for the Brother to join so that his masonic career is not interrupted[...]"

 This is pretty interesting. The idea of an exit interview to ascertain why an employee is leaving a job is very common. However, I've never heard it used in a Masonic context. I think it's pretty genius.

We all know brothers that joined and left within a couple years. However, I've never seen any lodge ask why. I didn't during my year. And now that I see this, I really wished that I had.

We fail a lot on this front and blame the brother who is leaving. This is a two way street. We may be able to find something better for him. Or find out what we, in general, need to do to make Masonry relevant. And this could even be expanded from the lodge level to all Masonic organizations.

I'm going to be recommending this to the Worshipful Master of my lodge and maybe even the Grand Master. I think it's the right thing to do.

What are your thoughts? Do you think we need to conduct exit interviews for the brothers that seek to demit? Leave a comment below.

I've just been invited to AMD

Brothers,

I usually don't get all gooey about stuff. In this case, I make an exception. I've been invited into the local AMD Council. This is amazing.

I'm not sure what to expect but from what I understand, AMD is right up my alley. Discussions, papers, ritual, it's all there. I'll let all of you know in December how awesome it all is.

The Past Masters Degree

I've been thinking a lot about the Past Master’s Degree. Why? Well, as a Past Master, I have taken part in both a virtual (capitular) and an actual (blue lodge) Past Master’s degree. I've been wondering for a while now if the Royal Arch Chapter should confer the degree and whether the degree is still necessary to any Masonic body, whether it be the lodge or the chapter.

I should explain what a Past Master’s degree is for anyone who may not know what it is. The Past Master's degree was originally intended to impart the secrets of the Oriental Chair on a newly elected or installed Master. It was the handing over of the keys from the old guy to the new guy. In fact, many Grand Lodges still have a chair degree for the new Master. Chair degrees exist in many Masonic bodies, most especially within the York Rite.

The bizarre case of the Past Master (virtual) degree in the Chapter is really representative of the fluid nature of Masonry, particularly during its nascent period. The Royal Arch, as well as the Master Mason degree, was most likely chair degree. There was an old requirement that a candidate for the Royal Arch to be a Past Master. This created a problem. Lodges, and the chapters that ultimately took on the Royal Arch, wanted to make the degree available to all Master Masons. The easy fix would have been to actually read the by-laws of that era, an example of which Jerusalem Chapter in Philadelphia states, “[n]o brother can be exalted until he has been at least three years a Master Mason and has presided six months as Master of some regular warranted lodge or has passed the Chair by Dispensation.” (I believe that it’s still the practice of the Grand Chapter of Pennsylvania to allow Master Masons to be passed by dispensation of the Grand High Priest.)

Sadly, our ancient brethren believed that to allow all Masons, not just Past Masters, to take the degree would be an innovation and thus illegal. So what did our ancient brethren do? They created an innovation by allowing a Master Mason to sit in the chair for a brief moment and be called a Past Master (virtual).

In our more modern times, our English and Canadian brethren removed this requirement from the Royal Arch. I think we should do the same. The Royal Arch is not under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge, at least in the United States and Canada, so there is no need to follow any old regulation.

I think the one advantage for removing it from the Chapter work and conferring it only in lodge is to really get that brother, who has been elected to serve a term in the East, ready for his installation. Being Master of the Lodge is not easy. When I was Master, I felt incredibly overwhelmed as I’m sure that all future Masters also feel. There's a lot of planning that goes into a lodge. 

Lodges are, for all intents and purposes, a small business. Many lodges own property, collect revenue, and have costs that have to be considered. The lodge has a duty to its members and to the public at large. Sadly, most Masters are ill-equipped to take on a lodge and its various business needs.

I think, by conferring a Past Master’s degree on a new Master, he can become ready. He becomes ready not because he must stand alone but because he learns to stand united with the other Past Masters that sat in the Oriental Chair before him. That’s its purpose.

Conferring the degree so as to teach a lesson is laudable but I really think that the original purpose as a Chapter degree remains, to allow Master Masons to be exalted. We can dress it up in all kinds of different costumes, add beautifully written lectures and the like but it remains unnecessary like an appendix or tonsils. It’s time to have our Chapters focus on capitular work and our lodges to celebrate the work and sacrifice of its officers.

Chair degrees are both a reward for service and a call to the leader of a Masonic body to be mindful of the work that he will have to perform for the good of the Craft. Being a Master is hard. A lot is sacrificed by the brother who takes that responsibility. Shouldn’t we at least be there, as PMs, to encourage him and give him our support, for the good of the Order?

What’s your opinion? Should the Past Master’s degree remain a necessary degree in the Royal Arch? Should it only be conferred in lodge?

Installation 2009, Wow!

My Lodge, Corinthian #67, had our Annual Installation of Officers for 2009-2010 on December 6th. My Lodge brothers elected me as Worshipful Master. I am truly honored and blessed that the brothers of my Lodge have faith in my abilities especially as I am still a pup of 27 years. I am excited for the upcoming year as I wish to continue the past few years successes in membership, temple restoration and programming.

This year, I am focusing my efforts on three guiding principles: experimentation, excellence, and excitement. I truly believe these three thoughts are the key to getting a more worthwhile lodge experience. As I said in my remarks to the brethren, families and guests, we, at Corinthian Lodge, are going to try lots of new things that we have never done before. We are going to hold more Table Lodges, more schools of instruction, more fundraising activities, more educational programs; in short, we're going to give to our brethren what I believe they deserve, a more meaningful Lodge experience.

Quantity and quality need not be competitors of each other. It is about finding the right balance. As President and Brother Theodore Roosevelt said, "In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing." We must do more to find out what works or what doesn't work. I want to treat my Lodge as a laboritory, testing new ideas in an effort to make good on our promise as a progressive science.

Masonry stands upon a precipice. Unfortunately, as a Craft, many brothers look down the cliffface instead of seeing that there is another side, across the gorge. We need only bridge to the other side to save the Fraternity that we love. I believe my brothers and I have the tools and the talent in to continue building and strengthening our Lodge.

Finally, I want to thank those people that have always helped me. I first want to thank my wife who has allowed me to take part in something I have found I truly love doing. Without her support, I would not be half the Freemason I am today. I would also like to thank my parents for giving me their support as well as my dad for being willing to serve as sky pilot (chaplain) for next year. I also want to thank my Grandpa, a 60 year member for getting me into Masonry, and my Grandmas (maternal and paternal) as well as my brother and his fiancee for attending and giving their support to me. I would also like to thank Karen, my organist, for doing a great job. She has known me since before I was born and has always been there to help me if I needed it.

Of the brothers, I want to thank all of them for giving me the strength to work at making our Lodge a great place to be. I want to thank the officers for their willingness to serve the Lodge and lead it with me. A special thanks goes out to WBro. Paul who's year was filled with success which I will endeavor to match. I want to thank our Secretary Joe for all the painstaking work he goes through without complaint. I would also like to thank Bro. Steve for being when of the best cornermen ever. I would also like to thank my Mentor, WBro. Don, for serving as my installing Marshall. He was the first brother to really push me into focusing on Masonry, and having it become a part of my life. If it wasn't for his willingness to spend the time on learning my catechisms, I probably would have been far less active. I would also like to thank my good friend, WBro. James McNeely, our Area Deputy as my Installing Master. He has been a great friend. A man who always has thoughtful and thought-provoking insights into Masonic good governance. We, in the Southeast, are lucky to have him as our Deputy. There are many more I should thank but I am running long and they know who they are. ;)

I want to thank the brothers of Corinthian Lodge for giving me this opportunity to try new things. We have a great year ahead of us. Brothers, let's get to work.

Here are some photos from the event taken by my wife:

What Not to Wear… To the Lodge

A question that seems incredibly easy yet inherently difficult is what to wear during a Lodge meeting. The differences of opinion concerning dress in the Lodge range from wearing full tuxedo with white gloves to khakis and a sweater and even further, a t-shirt and jeans. I will attempt to give what I wear for a Lodge meeting and considerations that should be made for the candidate.

First and foremost, I have to give my bias. I hate suits. I hate the feel, look and weight of a suit. Ahhh, that was cathartic. Now that I have aired my prejudice towards suits, we can begin.
When I enter the Lodge, I wear different clothes for different events. I will first describe what I would wear for a normal business meeting. When I was not an elected officer, I would wear nice khakis or black dress pants and a tucked-in polo shirt. Now, as an elected officer, I wear a sport coat, a button up shirt and nice khakis. (When I am wearing my sport coat and khakis, I look like most of the professors I had in college.) The main reason for different attire between being an elected officer and as a brother is that in my Lodge, there is a custom that officers should wear suit coats.

During degree work, I put on a suit with a tie. For me, degree work and business meetings are two different engagements with different expectations. When I am in degree work, the ritual work should be treated with a certain amount of respect. Business meetings involve us doing the work of the Lodge and I dress for them accordingly. Wearing khakis and a button-up shirt with no tie does not degrade the work we are doing but makes men more relaxed to discuss the business of the Lodge without a filter. I have heard some brothers voice the evils of business casual as being the downfall of productivity in America, but I consider that argument to be a straw man. In Lodge, I believe we get just as much work done in a suit as we do in a tucked-in polo and khakis.

Another consideration for degree work is: do the brothers wear costumes? In my Lodge, we do wear costumes and for me, I find that I need to wear light clothes so I don’t sweat to death. For me, the degree work is built upon creating a good experience. If I am going to put on a good show, I should be comfortable. I want what I am saying to appear natural and not forced.

Lodges are built on the idea that when men meet together in Lodge, they are entering a sacred space. For some, the sacredness of the Lodge requires matching dress. For them, dressing to the nines is important including a black tuxedo, white gloves and shiny shoes. In fact, when I am installed as Master, I intend on renting a tuxedo during the installation.

Other men find Lodge to be a Fraternity that allows all men to enter regardless of station. I am a member of the second camp. For me, the most important article of clothing that a Mason wears is his apron. I think that the phrase “the clothes make the man” is entirely incorrect. Although I disagree with brothers that dress up for Lodge, I admit that I merely have a different opinion concerning taste.

For a candidate, my advice is this: ask a man from the Lodge what the appropriate dress is. One of the worst feelings in the world is going to what you think is a costume party and you get the picture.

Flixster - Share Movies

In the end, all matters of dress should be made by consensus of the Lodge. If brothers want to dress up, then they should dress up. If the brothers prefer to dress in business casual, then that norm should be followed. There is no right answer. Well, maybe one or two…

From Son to Father, from Father to Son

I would like to tell a story about my family and Freemasonry, specifically my father, grandfather and I during my father’s raising. As I have mentioned in my first post, I initially learned about Freemasonry through my Grandpa. (It can be found here.) I discovered Freemasonry and found that I really enjoyed all the aspects of the Fraternity. During the course of my participation in different Lodge activities, my Dad grabbed one of the pamphlets at a booth that the Lodge was running during my first summer as a Master Mason. He told me that he might be interested in joining but he was not sure that he had the time. However, even with his concern for time, I gave him more information about the Lodge and Freemasonry in general.

I knew that he would really enjoy himself in the Lodge. After the summer ended, I asked what he thought about the Lodge. He really wanted to join and I handed him the petition. We began the degree work over the fall until we came to the third degree. I invited my Grandpa to come to the Lodge; my Grandparents live about an hour and a half from my parents’ house. I was asked by my brothers in the Lodge if I would like to raise my Dad. I knew that it would be more meaningful to my Dad if my Grandpa would raise him so I declined. It was really moving to see father and son together in the confines of the Lodge performing ritual that has been worked for centuries yet still as fresh as if it had been communicated in the quarries yesterday. And there we were, three generations of Masons together for the first time.

Later in the evening, my Dad received what my Lodge gives to every recently raised brother: the Bible, Apron and Chris Hodapp’s Freemasons for Dummies. My Dad really loves coming to Lodge and was even made the Co-Tyler of the Lodge when I took the Junior Warden’s chair. Also, with how expensive gasoline has gotten in the States, it is really nice to carpool to the Lodge and we can talk about what is going in our lives and can have a bonding experience to and from the meeting.

It was really different to bring my Dad into Freemasonry. The old trend was that a grandfather would bring in his son and the dad would bring in his son. My family bucked the trend and I really think that it is auspicious for our Fraternity. I have been told that this trend is becoming much more commonplace in Lodges today. During the Sixties, Seventies and even the Eighties, fathers were just not bringing in their sons or conversely, sons were not joining their father’s Lodge as they became of age. At least in my family, my Dad did not join the Lodge because he was in a different town than my Grandpa. When I joined, I became the connection for my Dad to join Freemasonry. I think it really creates a bond between all three generations that is different many men have.

If you have been a part of this new trend in Masonry, feel free to leave a comment. As a final question, what do I call my Dad and my Grandpa: brother? It seems kind of strange, but I guess that I will get used to it.

What a New Guy Should Know, Candidate or Brother

New brothers or guys thinking about joining Freemasonry, don't worry because Help! is on its way.



One of the main reasons that I decided to create a blog was to give a young man's perspective in the Fraternity. However, I have never given advice to the young man that would like to join the Craft. I wanted to write about my own victories and faux pases when I first inquired and joined the Lodge and what men should not do when it comes to Freemasonry. It can be very difficult for a man to come to the door and asked to be let in if he doesn't know what he should do.

DO

1. Ask lots of questions. I discovered a lot of history about the Lodge before I was even initiated. It can be a great ice breaker between candidate and brothers.

2. Go to a Friendship or Fellowship Night if possible. It can really help to meet the brothers of the Lodge as well as other possible candidates. Also, it is very possible to get your questions answered even if you did not think of it at the time as many other guys might ask a good one.

3. Ask for help when learning the exam. I was fortunate enough to have a great Past Master to help me learn the exam with great accuracy.

4. Get involved in Lodge activities early. When I was raised, I immediately got involved in different things to do. Before I had been in for even a few months, I was already helping out with KidsID, the corn dog stand and anything else the Master wanted. I really felt a part of the Lodge and was incredibly excited for every meeting.

5. Learn the basic happenings in the Lodge. I didn't understand what I was supposed to do in the Lodge, like voting and other stuff. I asked what I should do and the brothers helped me out.

6. Ask questions about the decorum of the Lodge. I learned that my Lodge is very relaxed but we still are expected to wear nicer clothes. Many Lodges have different requirements for dress and you should remember what you can wear or when you should arrive.

DON'T

7. Joke about the ritual, i.e. riding goats, paddles, and other stuff. On my initiation day, the brother that I would go through the ceremonies with and myself entered the Lodge and introduced ourselves to the brothers that we had not met and was incredibly nervous. I was talking to them and jokingly said, "I don't have to worry about paddles, do I." I was given a look of curious indignation. Luckily, I was able to bounce back from my speaking SNAFU but I still feel dumb to this day.

8. Try to elicit information about the other degrees before you have gone through them. I have always been curious and I really wanted to know the secrets. Luckily, my brothers were kind enough to not tell me any of the secrets without being mean. I am happy that I did not push as hard I could have and I really felt I learned much more from the slow uncovering of the ritual.

If any of the other brothers can think of some good advice, just leave a comment. I would especially like to hear from other really young guys. I really think it is important to calm the fears of our new brothers when they join the Fraternity.

Economic Troubles and the Craft

At 3:00 pm on Friday July 11th, IndyMac Bank was taken over by the FDIC after months of looking to collapse. According to FDIC Chairman Bair, this could be the biggest bank failure in US history with 10000 depositors losing $500 million in uninsured deposits. As the economic health of the country becomes more and more apparent, people are moonlighting just to get by with 4.17 million people in 2007 working a second job, a 5% increase from 2006. Some of our brothers are very likely a part of this 4.17 million people. With the amount of free time becoming increasingly tight, what can Lodges do to accommodate those brothers that may have fallen on hard times.

1. Introduce many activities during the year, not merely during Lodge meeting nights but on weekends, during other nights of the week, etc.
Giving more opportunities to feel included can fulfill many needs for men. We are, first and foremost, a Fraternity.

2. Divide the work out amongst many of the brothers so that man hours become less of a problem.
Work can be highly stressful and to add to this stress the only planner of an open Table Lodge can drive a man away from the Craft and become an outsider. Dividing the work up can give many brothers work, thus feeling included and can bring those brothers in that are not in the officer's line.

3. Give brothers support if they began to fall on hard times. This is not just financial support but can include, doing yard work, watching their kids, as well as other services.
One of the central tenets is relief or charity and we, as a Craft, must give support to all distress brothers in their time of need. This help need not be financial but can include many different services provided to the brother.

4. Keep brothers informed of what is happening at the Lodge and encourage them to come out to the Lodge if they have time.
The Lodge can act as a sanctuary from the outside world and can give him the need unwind from his day to day (and now night to night) life and can help him regain perspective.

This list is not exhaustive. In these tough economic times, the Craft can be the rock with which to anchor our brothers and to give them some much needed respite from the stresses of the world.

Congratulations on 150 years

In Albert Lea, MN, Western Star Lodge #26 is celebrating its 150th anniversary. This is truly astonishing as the state of Minnesota is 150 years old. (Minnesota and Western Star were founded in 1858) Our Grand Master of Minnesota had some wonderful words to say concerning my brothers in Albert Lea. Congratulations brothers on a job well done and here is to many more years of this great Lodge.

Mission: Complete

I am indeed "Feeling Good." I am happy to announce that I have committed the long, second section of the 2nd Degree to memory. The process of memorization has taken me about six months to finally gain the nuances and proper direction so that I can give the lecture well. It has been months of hard work but I believe that it has paid off. Now the trick is to keep it in my head for the next two months while the Lodge is dark. I have been told that earplugs will hold it in and keeps your brain from leaking out.

Corinthian #67 and the Kids ID program

Brother Paul Hardt, Senior Warden

Farmington had their Rambling River Days and Corinthian #67 had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the festivities by offering KidsID. Other Lodges in Minnesota that would like to participate in this wonderful program can find the information here.

Corinthian Masons Help 83 Kids with KidsID

Corinthian Lodge was active at this year's Rambling River Days Craft Fair, putting together 83 KidsID kits for local children and their families. The effort was coordinated by Senior Warden Paul Hardt, and Tom Holten, Randy Poulson, and Worthy Matron Dawn Lund.

"It was great seeing all the kids come by our table at the Craft Fair," Senior Warden Paul said. "They were having fun at the Fair, and the parents really appreciated the KidsID kits. We're really doing a service to our community."

"It was also very nice to work with our Worthy Matron Dawn. She's a great person and we both hope we can find other ways of getting the Star and the Masons to work together on more projects."

This program really helps families by giving the police the necessary information if the unthinkable happens, a child is kidnapped. I am very proud of my Lodge in aiding the families of Farmington and I hope we can continue this program long into the future.

First Membership Committee Meeting Wrap-up

We have just finished the first Membership Committee Meeting for Corinthian Lodge #67 and I want to thank my fellow brothers who came. I think we were really able to get some good ideas fleshed out. Some ideas that the group came up with included: inviting members of the community to talk, having brothers give short 10 to 15 minute presentations on some Masonic subjects that interests them and inviting the brothers over during Football Sunday with the Vikes, (or other sports like baseball).

Concerning the Friendship Night, two ideas really stood out: 1) Present a "Cliff Notes" version of the History of Freemasonry. This point means that most of the history of Masonry can be found in many great books such as Freemasons for Dummies by Chris Hodapp or the Complete Idiot's Guide to Freemasonry Dr. S. Brent Morris in easy to comprehend forms; many of these brothers have already read both of these books and it is unnecessary to waste their time. Friendship Nights should be there to show that the Fraternity is also a modern organization, we just follow ancient traditions. 2.) Allow the potential candidates to ask questions of the brothers, including subjects such as Masonry, occupations and so forth. This will allow possible candidates to become comfortable and realize one of our major tenets, Brotherly Love.

I would like to add that we have merely set sole to path and I hope that we can make some very good progress in future meetings. I really think that it is important to focus on all three tenets of Masonry and with the membership committee, we can take care of at least one and hopefully with overlap of the other two.

First Big Committee Meeting

It can be very difficult to know if you can come up for air when the weight of monotonous business meetings drags you to the bottom of the pool. For a while in my Lodge, we were working through upwards of three hours of business with brothers all giving their opinion in a desired outcome. After months of seeing the slow crawl of business, I began to formulate a plan. My Lodge needed well-defined committees. I know that most people associate committees with someone like Angela from “The Office” (think party planning committee) but frankly, they can serve many functions. A membership committee can help think up social and recruiting events for new brothers, a charity committee can decide how best to divvy up the charity dollars to a worthy cause, etc. My Lodge had the committees but frankly there was no true definition when it came to who composed the membership or what they would do.

On the 28^th, I will have my first committee meeting with the Membership Committee that I have spearheaded, my first defined committee in the Lodge. We will work on plans for a friendship (sometimes called a fellowship) night with potential candidates, fun activities for the already present members and hopefully many more ideas. If you have any ideas or suggestions for my first big committee meeting, just drop me a comment. I will also have a report of the interesting ideas the brothers of my Lodge come up with during the meeting.

The Italian Masonic Mafia

In a story that needs to be mentioned, apparently, Italian police forces have raided the homes and businesses of prominent Mafia types in Trapani and Agrigento. According to the article, a member of the "Gran Serenissima", a Lodge in Italy was arrested for ties to the Italian Mob. According to another article, the name of the multiple arrests was called "Operation Hiram." It appears to be oversensationalized Anti-Masonic fearmongering saying that all of us are mobsters. Our European brothers must have higher constitutions than us in the States for stomaching the wide brush strokes cast on all of us. I have also posted the Italian article translated here.

Golf Event

Well Brothers and other readers, until yesterday, I had not golfed in 2 years, and it showed. It was the first of three golf events for our Lodge and apparently Wii Golf is not the same as really golf. I had so many slices, I was surprised to even find my ball half the time. When I was golfing, I thought of how great our Fraternity is. One of the major tenets of our organization is brotherly love and I believe that all my brothers were able to come together (my real brother was able to come along as well with slightly better results than my own). It is important that Lodges remember these kinds of activities. We do not just exist in this esoteric sphere of mystery but truly have laudable goals that we perform. When brothers are able to get together and have fun, our Lodges will be strengthened by a sense of collegiality. 

Hopefully, next month, I will at least keep the ball on the course.

West Virginia: Grand Lodge in Crisis?

I am sure that many brothers and fellows have seen the articles concerning M.W. Bro. Haas’ lawsuit against the Grand Lodge of West Virginia. I have taken a different tact while examining the "crisis" in West Virginia. I took a look at the listing of Lodges in West Virginia on the Grand Lodge website and began to look at how many Lodges are being led by Past Masters. The numbers are surprising: according to the website, out of the 140 Lodges in West Virginia, only 47 of the Lodges are being led by Masters who have not served before. That means that only 33.57% of Lodges have first time Masters. It is my opinion that the Grand Lodge officers and Past Grand Masters, including M.W. Bro. Haas, are missing the fact that their Grand Lodge appears to be stagnating. If the brothers on both sides of this top level strife would take off their blinders, they might realize what is happening to their local Lodges. Perhaps they would think about fixing the bigger problems in West Virginia, such as being marginalized as an organization.

Creation of the Membership Committee

It is my pleasure to have started a membership committee at my Lodge. I saw it as way to improve our social and fraternal events at the Lodge. The way I have set up the committee is that the LEO, Junior Warden and Senior and Junior Deacons and all the brothers that have been raised in the last two years. I hope that this committee will be able to provide the ability to get some good ideas from the brothers on what they would like to see in the Lodge, from stated meetings, LEO programs and social events like Friendship Nights. I also have invited the newest brothers to give me some new ideas as they will be in the committee as well. I am planning an agenda but would like to hear some ideas in the blogosphere of your Lodge's fraternal programs. I have already received some really good ideas from a brother in Michigan and have used them in planning but I could really use some more.

Vetting a new candidate

On my Lodge's webpage, we have a contact form in which a potential candidate can send us a request for more information or becoming a member. An important piece of information that is missing is that we do not have a petition anywhere on the page. Instead, we contact those new brothers from the contact information that they provide to us. We set up a time to meet to talk to them about what being a Mason is all about. It is essential that a Lodge create a level of trust between both our own members but also the new potential candidate. The new candidate doesn't normally know what Masonry means until he enters the Lodge for the first time. With face to face, both the candidate and the Lodge can create that level of trust, especially that now Lodges are not the place of social climbers but every good moral man. I have also heard that other lodges have similar procedures but have the candidate go to the Lodge building to pick up a petition and go home for a number of days. It is essential that a Society built on making Good Men Better find only Good men. With these procedures in place, vetting can be more effectively done for all involved.

Using Facebook to Connect Brothers

Social networking has grown incredibly fast. Websites from Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, etc. have given people the ability to connect in new and exciting way. According to Facebook, they have more than 70 million users. Currently, Google has created a service known as Google Friend Connect is giving people who run websites to have their entire social network be given an invitation to check your website. It is important that we, as Freemasons, understand these Social networks not to get new brothers but to keep the members informed. Millennials are enthralled with this kind of technology and will help them stay active in the lodge. Lodges owe it to all generations to understand what all generations are looking for in Masonry.

Table Lodge at Corinthian Lodge

My wife and I have had some of the most fun we have ever had. Today, Corinthian Lodge held our Widows/Awards Night with traditional table lodge. Renae and I were fortunate to take a part in a fun night of toasts and dinner. We toasted in many different cultures and followed the many toast with fun and hilarity. I want to thank all the brothers, wives and widows for coming to the lodge and had fun. I was also fortunate to receive an award and I think it has really helped my resolve to be very proficient in the ritual. Thank you so much all.