My Wild and Crazy Summer

Well, dear reader, I apologize for taking so long to get anything up on this blog. I've been really busy with family, friends, and Masonry. But I'm back to give a little bit of my adventures during the month of June.

In May, I was installed as Captain General for Faribault Commandery No. 8. It has been great to serve in this capacity and attempt to bring forward a great many ideas to encourage the Templary side of Masonry.

June became a crazy month for me. The first big event was the first Order of the Temple to be conferred in Faribault in many decades. For many years, new Sir Knights had to go through the One Day to Templary or find a place to do courtesy work. However, after many years of working, gaining incrementally, and reviving the spark, we turned the Commandery around and now have many new Sir Knights willing to jump in and do the work. All this culminated in the Order of the Temple. Special thanks to the Sir Knights of Cyrene No. 9.

The Sir Knights of Faribault Commandery with our two newest candidates.

This next event was a Saint John's Day procession to attend worship services. This year, we attended the services of the Congregational Church of Faribault. Faribault Lodge and church have had the same members since the founding of both. The Grand Lodge of Minnesota laid the cornerstone of the Parish House for the Congregational Church.

Cornerstone of the Parish House. PGM Jenkins, PM of Faribault Lodge No. 9 , was the presiding GM in 1923.

We, as a lodge, opened and assembled ourselves into procession. We processed the three blocks from the lodge hall to the Church, in full regalia. We then sat for services. It was a wonderful day without rain. (Minnesota now apparently has three seasons, winter, road construction, and rainy.) Thanks to Pastor Jan and the wonderfully welcoming congregants of the Congregational Church of Faribault.

With Pastor Jan

Then, the next day, Monday the 24th, I attended a Saint John's Day procession being held by Red Wing Lodge No. 8. I was the Marshal, as I have planned these processions in the past, and was honored to serve in that capacity. This was a procession to the local Lutheran Church but without any worship services. Instead, we were fortunate to behold a fantastic meal set before us and a wonderful speech on Masonry in America by MWB Tom H., PGM of Minnesota. It was a wonderful and moving experience for all involved.

We processed to the Lutheran Church two blocks away

Now, if all this was not enough, I attended the Grand York Rite Session as I am both the Principal Conductor of the Work for my Cryptic Council, Northfield Council No. 12, and Captain General for my Commandery. I also happened to have been appointed and installed as the Grand Chaplain for the Grand Council of Cryptic Masons of Minnesota. So yes, I am a purple coat now. Thank you MIGM Jim for your confidence in me in this endeavor.

Ta da! Notice that I have the wrong apron. 

I think that's it in the Masonry sphere. It's been busy but that's cool. Hopefully, we can keep this going. I have many more ideas I'd like to implement and hopefully, I can continue to write about them.

The first every Grand Master AMA in Reddit history on now

The Grand Master of Masons of Connecticut, MW Bro. Simon LaPlace, is answering questions on the Craft, life, and anything else he wants right now on Reddit. Come on out to his AMA and ask him anything.

Installed as Captain General of Faribault Commandery No. 8

Last knight, hm hmm, night, I was installed as Captain General of my Commandery, Faribault Commandery No. 8. My jewel is the Level, surmounted by a Cock. It's an interesting concept to have the announcer of the day sit upon the level, the jewel of the Senior Warden. I will have to study the symbolism more to full understand why both symbols were chosen.

My medal is on the top right row, far right.

I have had an enjoyable time in Commandery. We are still planning out what to do with the year. I can't wait to be of service to the Commandery.

Do you have suggestions for running a successful Commandery? Leave a comment.

Appointed as Grand Representative

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.

An Idea for Lodges: the Free Little Library

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.

View Little Free Library Index  >  Scroll Down in a larger map

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.