I am excited to announce that I have been appointed as the Representative to the Grand Lodge of Quebec.
Many brothers seem unaware of the concept of Grand Representative. According to Section G1.09 of the Minnesota Masonic Code, a Grand Representative is "authorized to extend the fellowship and good will of the Grand Lodge and to protect the interests of the Craft of this Jurisdiction, as occasion may require." Essentially, a Grand Representative serves as an ambassador for the foreign Grand Lodge to the Grand Representative's Grand Lodge. I'm still learning the position but I'm pretty excited to extend a Brotherly hand to brothers in another jurisdiction.
If you are in the Masonic Light program under the Grand Lodge of Minnesota, one of the competencies is to serve as a Grand Representative and exchange correspondence annually.
Are you a Grand Representative? What has been your experience? How has it enhanced your Masonic life? Leave a comment below.
For some reason, Masonic buildings seem to be on two ends of a spectrum. On one end, the building is imposing, i.e. the Detroit Masonic Temple. On the other end is a building like my lodge's, a facade that disappears into downtown. In both cases, the community can feel a bit put off. So, what do we do? A lot of lodges smartly host community events, meet at neighborhood functions, and perform other outreach ideas. But there are always more good ideas that we can employ.
One idea that is coming out of Hudson, Wisconsin that is garnering a lot of attention is the Little Free Library. The concept is relatively simple. A neighbor puts a box that resembles a dollhouse on top of a post. Inside the small house is a shelf or two of books. The books are donated by the community, including the Steward of the Little Free Library.
At least from all the articles, once the Little Free Library is installed, the community starts to come together. It becomes the community watercooler as people gather to see what books are there and to chat about what's going on in the neighborhood. The library is filled with an eclectic mix of donated books and the books are labeled with the phrase, "Take a Book, Leave a Book."
I was thinking about how this idea could be used by Masonic lodges, especially those with front lawns. Think about it. The Little Free Library could be filled with interesting Masonic tomes, books about self improvement, Dan Brown books, or whatever the lodge that meets there thinks is a cool idea. The Little Free Library is cheap to build and can be made with recycled material. The cost for registering it on the map is a paltry $34.95.
I think this idea is great. Just think, a nice looking box of books open to the community to share would be something unique and acceptable to the neighborhood. In one article I read, a comment is made that the Little Free Library is like a porch that extends to the street. I think this is a wonderful community outreach program that doesn't cost much money and would extend porch of King Solomon's Temple to the street. Let's make this happen.
What do you think? Should Masonic Lodges put Little Free Libraries in front of their temples? Leave a comment below.
As noted in the BBC News' article from yesterday, the United Grand Lodge of England has released a report today concerning the state of Freemasonry and its future in the country of England. You can read the report above.
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.
Well, if you thought that the Freemasons are only a group of men doing charity, you would be wrong according to the Centre for Research on Globalization. No, no, it is not the fact that banks were creating poor investments while being egged on by investors seeking unsustainable growth for shareholder value. According to Richard Cook, who has apparently worked as a government analyst, (emphasis added) has pinpointed the cause of our Nation's collapse, Freemason bankers. I can not even do the article justice.
Now that you read it, I have decided just to talk about the highlights:
"They have been especially influential in northwest Europe , where elitism in the form of Freemasonry endeavored since the time of the French Revolution to destroy the authority of the Catholic Church."
"In fact, World War I was a project of the Freemasons in dismembering Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, both largely Catholic. This destruction allowed the masters of usury to flourish within the atheistic and materialistic culture that Freemasonry fostered across Europe ."
Apparently, Freemasons are to blame for the French Revolution, World War I and the problems in the Middle East. I always thought there was something more than Table Lodges in Freemasonry. Wait..., if I remember correctly France and Italy were fighting against Germany and Austro-Hungary. Maybe my facts aren't completely clear. Stupid AP European History.
Here is a nice theme song to go with his assertions:
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.
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.
I have been looking at the websites of different Grand Lodges, and I have discovered an interesting advertising campaign by the Massachusetts Grand Lodge. One of the main rules of imposed by Freemasonry is that we only accept members who actively pursue us. However, the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts has decided to introduce a new way to attract new members. At the site, Ask A Freemason, men are encouraged to inquire local lodges on becoming a part of the Craft. The site seems to incorporate different interactive features, i.e. a forum, a personalized questions index, FAQ section. Most importantly, the site includes commercials, both television and radio, that appear to have been aired. Is this okay? Are we allowed to advertise ourselves? I have some misgivings about the advertising campaign. I know that we are hemorrhaging membership every year, but is this the answer? I believe that a major function that we serve is networking. Another side effect is that we get exposure from people that we may not want to join the Fraternity. I agree that we need to get out into the public, but is this too far?
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