Mason Roll Call

I remember our lodge grandmaster was my coach through all my degrees so when it came time to profess my belief in a higher being I told him I was a satanist and he didn't even blink and said,"Great! Now we have christians, muslims, jews, hindus and a satanist. That's all 5 points of the star!" My lodge has a great bunch of guys. BTW-Not really a satanist, just like to go against the grain.

 

AFM Mt. Hope 128 here!

 

Howdy brother!

 

Lebanon forest lodge 131 Ontario. Was to be raised in March but covid put a damper on that. Meetings are postponed until at least October 31

 

Don't let it get you down brother! We'll get back to normal soon enough and you'll be raised.

 

Worst part is that I really enjoyed the comrade with my mentors and we haven't been able to meet and for weekly meetings

 

Does Ontario GL allow you guys to practice over the phone? Our GM approved it for Texans

 

Not ideal but still can keep plugged in. My sobriety group is doing the same thing formally and informally both.

 

I havent heard of that. But that might be something to look into. My mentors are older retired guys and I dont want them to be put in undue stress due to covid

 

Raised in Tri Step Lodge 99
PHA Washington Jurisdiction

I'm now in Georgia but with COVID I haven't joined a lodge here. I don't even know if any are getting together. I haven't even gotten to wear my suit to a single meeting since being raised. .

 

Welcome brother!

I for one am enjoying the pandemic because I’m the junior steward and this means I’m not having to cook dinner for lodge education nights. By the time I’m senior steward, we’ll be reopening our kitchen. Dodging a bullet here!

In all seriousness, go to the grand lodge web site, find a few of your local lodges, and email the secretary (email should be listed). There might be limited activity like we have - low density meetings with masks and distancing required.

 

Yeah, I should do that. I did email one lodge but never heard back. Should put in more of an effort though. After the holidays are done. I guess I'm a little nervous about how I'll be received. I know they're all brothers too, but still hard to meet new peeps for me.

 

We get transfer members in our lodge all of the time. No sweat. Once the secretary has validated the bona fides then it's like we're bringing in a long lost brother.

Which we are.

Something else to remember is that most lodges tend to be dark over Christmas. We don't start back up until the first week of Jan. If you can get a response from a secretary before then, you may be able to just pop in at a stated meeting night and meet more of the brotherhood.

If I might suggest, definitely check out more than one lodge. This is as much about whether this lodge is a fit for you as well as you to them. We get a lot of local transfers from other lodges because ours is so active. We're also a "cowboy lodge" and unless a DDGM is visiting we're in jeans and a pressed shirt...which also appeals to folks who aren't so caught up in assumed formalities. We can dress up and do all the formalities, but we can also fire up the pit behind the lodge and get the oak to smoking.

 

Here in CA, the Grand Master in early 2020 (we hold our annual Communication, with new Grand Officer elections in October), and our current GM have mandated a complete halt to any and all meetings with any Masonic purpose. We can't even meet for Officer ritual practice. It was only in November that they came up with a special protocol to hold virtual Stated Meetings, because our California Masonic Code requires annual election of new Lodge Officers *must* be held in November. Our Code currently has no provisions to address plandemic type "lockdowns", but I'm sure that will be rectified in the next year or so. We also have been approved to hold virtual Installations of new Officers.

My home Lodge (I currently belong to 3 Lodges here in CA) has a couple members who now live in other states that have been able to join us for the virtual Stated Meetings. One of these members lives in western Colorado, and he told us their Grand Master has approved holding in person Degree ceremonies as of a few months ago, and his Lodge Initiated several new Brothers over the summer.

Forgot to add, for what it's worth, I celebrated my 23rd anniversary of being Raised last week, December 18. Been one hell of a great experience so far. The Great Architect willing, I will live to get my 50 Year Membership award (I'll be 80).

 

That's awesome! Congratulations!

 

Thought you guys would appreciate this piece. It was given to me when I expressed interest in petitioning. I found what I believe was a similar structure and purpose inside the rooms of AA at the time and couldn’t do both fully to the best of my ability. A lot of similarities in how spirituality and religion are viewed from what I can tell. That made Freemasonry very appealing to me much like AA. Not so important what you believe in, only that you believe in something.

 

I’ve been playing with some of my wood carving tools, and got a wild hair up my ass to make some rings. So everyone is getting a bentwood ring for Christmas. While I was practicing, I made some Masonic ones for me (to hone the skills)...and now I want to make a whole crapload in different woods.



I’m making one for my dad next (I’m a 5th generation Mason) and with my new micro carving bits I should be able to get more detail into the square and compasses.

 

What sort of activities do Masons take part in? Do you just meet and talk? I'm curious.

 

I can’t speak for everyone, but my lodge does a lot in Masonic education, charity work, and Masonic fellowship. When we aren’t on lock down. We have adopted an elementary school that has been part of our lodge in some way since 1860, when the classes were actually held in our building (which is that old). We raise money for school supplies (80% live below the poverty level), dental kits (Fantastic Teeth program), and 5 high school scholarships. We also maintain a Masonic cemetery that goes back to 1858. Almost all of the names on local street signs and the names of some small towns nearby are on headstones in that cemetery.

The education and fellowship is what we’re really known for, being a very active lodge of instruction. During pre-pandemic times we always had brothers working on their education degree work in all degrees, and we’d practice a lot of the other things that Masonic officers have to be proficient in. And whenever we meet - we eat.

The lockdowns have sucked, but we have a lot of elderly brothers and we don’t want to lose any more than we have through natural causes. We are looking forward to this being over, but we’re being careful until then.

 

Very cool. I actually found the halls a couple of years prior to being raised.

My lodge did the CHIP (CHild Identification Program), where a child could be fingerprinted, digitally photographed, etc so that if they were missing the parents would have all the information to provide the authorities. We did take the veterans to church services for a time as well.