Grand Master’s Message Grand Master Michael Burke Johnson

Grand Master’s Message

As we start a new year, let us all give thanks to our Lord and Savior that we have been able to survive the Covid 19 pandemic that severely affected our order. We realize that we are not out of harm’s way yet, but many of our Commanderies are back to work and conferring the orders on the backlog of candidates that we accumulated during the shutdown.

When we confer the orders, please keep in mind that there is no greater ritualistic experience than when a candidate receives the Order of the Temple. There is no greater honor than to learn and practice the teachings that are provided to us by the orders of knighthood we confer. With enthusiasm, we must confer these orders on our new Knights so that they will be inspired to tell their Brother Masons to continue their Blue Lodge experience through the York Rite and the Christian orders of the Knights Templar.

For this triennium I have placed the membership committee in the very capable hands of Sir Knight William Garrard, Sir Knight Stuart Drost, and Sir Knight Jerry Pugh. Many of you have by now heard of the program for membership that this committee has been providing at our department conferences. They are asking for volunteers to get this information to the constituent commandery level, and I sincerely hope that all of our Templars will unite in their efforts to advance our order.

Over 200 years ago, our early Templars laid aside their own separate jurisdictional entities to form the body we know today as the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the United States of America. I believe that we owe these early Templars a great debt for their unselfish actions, so in honor of them, we must preserve and propagate this great order. They made it possible for us to enjoy a Christian fellowship and to worship with our brothers. Let us repay that debt by showing a positive gain in our membership.

May God bless you, your families, and our Templar family in this New Year of 2022.

Michael B. Johnson, grand master

4 january 2022