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.

One Brother's Goal to Create Peace

Brother Patrick Swift, an NYU Medical Center clinical psychologist, has recently published a book entitled "One Mountain, Many Paths" using the teachings of Masonry to encourage better understanding amongst the Earth's different religions. The best part is that Dr. Swift is making his book free in an electronic format for the Fourth of July weekend. It appears that you can sign up now on the website to be notified when it becomes available. 

Freemasonry, Web 2.0

Well brothers, it is official. Brethren have been using Facebook or Myspace to connect, but there had never been a Masonic social network, until now. According to a blog on Wired, a new web 2.0 site known as MasonicPlanet.com has established itself as a way for Brethren, members of the appendant bodies, etc. to meet up and friend and everything else a social network is capable of doing. Although the site seems to need a bit more polish, it is exciting to know that somebody took the initiative to create a social network for the Masonic family. (From my short exploration of the site, it appears to be based on the same code base as the social network, Blackplanet.) Millennials are already use sites like this to connect for music, like last.fm or to talk about books on Shelfari.com and hopefully, this site will make Gen Y brothers to feel included and to see the global reach of Masonry.Also, it may help to facilitate times for meetings, etc. for Lodges across the Globe.

UPDATE: If you would like to talk with me on Masonic Planet, my name is millennialmason.

100th Anniversary of Cornerstone laying at South Dakota Capitol

After one hundred years, the Grand Lodge of South Dakota has rededicated the cornerstone at the State Capitol building. According to the story, the time capsule was from 1907 and was opened to the public.

I was lucky enough after only being in my Lodge for a few months to participate in a cornerstone laying ceremony for a new hospital wing in Winona. It is one of the most amazing ceremonies I have seen. The spectacle displayed is truly amazing. If any of the younger brothers have an opportunity to attend a cornerstone laying, attend it.

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.