Grand Lodge News

Greetings Brethren and Friends all…This is another Great Day for Freemasonry!

By now you have settled in after the holiday season, decorations packed up for another year, cookies and treats are gone and the house is back to normal…well almost. My family has settled in for another winter in Ohio. For us it’s a time for our family to gather for game nights, movie nights, and grandchildren sleepovers with lots of hot cocoa to stay warm. What are your family winter habits?

Ohio Freemasonry is always very busy following our Annual Grand Lodge Session. Annual meetings, officer election/installations, Masonic Service awards, all signs of the new year. Lodges often set out with new resolutions or promises each year much like we do for ourselves when the ball drops at midnight. Whether the Master is implementing new programs or scheduling traditional Lodge events, new year goals are established. account” step by step directions. The increased awareness from all of you is moving the needle in our Grandview membership program. I am proud to report all four communication avenues in our member accounts have realized improvement since the Deputy Grand Master Roll Out presentations in August 2019:

Email addresses from 36% to 40% or 2875 members. Mobile phones from 23% to 27% or 2875 members. Home phones from 58% to 59% or 718 members. Verified mailing addresses from 88% to 90% or 1436 members.

Stay true to your goals or resolutions. Typical resolutions of exercise and diet start strong but fade over time. They need to be renewed periodically, if not daily, to realize long term results. Stay true to your resolutions just like you do your Masonic obligations. I don’t know about you, but I renew my obligations every day with every choice I make and in everything I do. Stay true to your obligations in every choice you make each day.

Thanks to all of our Lodges who “Step Into the Light” for our Masonic Widows. An important charge in our Lodge Charter is to care for our Widows. I have seen where many of you recognize your Widows at special meetings, dinners and receptions. Some Lodges deliver gift baskets during the Holiday Season, and we have some that provide support and services to aid our Widows throughout the year. What does your Lodge do for your Masonic Widows? As you Live your Charter in 2020, do something special for your Masonic Widows.

You are making a difference Brethren! Kudos to our Ohio Masonic Facebook force who are posting the “How to update your Grandview Membership Keep up the great effort! Accurate information is the first requirement to good communication. Help our Lodges improve their communication ability by updating your Grandview account.

Brethren, it’s a time for personal renewal and rejuvenation in our craft. Step into the Light in your Lodge, assume new responsibilities and continue to perfect the ashlar of your Masonic journey.

Live Simply, Love Generously, Care Deeply and Speak Kindly.

Keith W. Newton, Grand Master

Find the Bullseye Congratulations to Bruce Diller of Hope Lodge #214 in Delphos, Ohio, the winner of last edition’s Find the Plane search! There were 4 Planes in the last edition.

In this edition, we celebrate 'Fulfilling the Mission' by exploring our Fraternal, professional and personal achievements. As you read through this edition, consider your own goal of giving, and how you are going to achieve success! Search through this entire edition and count how many times you find the Bullseye graphic to the right (do not count the example graphic).

Submit the correct answer along with your contact information (name/address/phone) and Lodge affiliation to Ohio Masonic Home, ATTN: OMH Marketing, 2655 W. National Rd., Springfield, Ohio 45504 or via email at OMHmarketing@ohiomasonichome.org by March 13, 2020, and be entered to win a prize, courtesy of the Ohio Masonic Home Print Shop! (Your participation serves as permission to include your name and Lodge affiliation in the next edition of the Beacon.)

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T he G rand L od e of O hio Masonic Charity Helps Ohio Youth

Masonic Charity is more than money – but sometimes money helps too! For Masons in Ohio, Masonic Charity includes helping distressed Brethren, their widows and orphans; providing scholarships to graduating high school seniors; preserving our history and culture in the Grand Lodge Museum; supporting the Ohio Masonic Home; and helping schools, teachers, and young people through the Masonic Model Student Assistance Program.

This year, under the leadership of Right Worshipful Brother Tim Larimore, the Masonic Model Atudent Program is helping schools with teacher training, unity days, and special workshops. Recently, the Grand Lodge Charitable Foundation sponsored an MMSAP training session on Safe Schools for 106 teachers and administrators in the Zanesville area.

New this year, the Masonic Model trainers are planning a state-wide training session for Ohio’s youth groups: DeMolay, Job’s Daughters, and Rainbow for Girls. The MMSAP trainers will be meeting with youth group leaders to help them develop skills and strategies to deal with the issues facing young people today. This represents an extension of services in a new direction, and Right Worshipful Brother Larimore is very excited about the possibilities. The training will be held at Aladdin Shrine near Columbus.

All MMSAP programs are conducted by professional trainers from the National Masonic Foundation for Children, a program of the Conference of Grand Masters for North America. Funding is provided by the Grand Lodge Charitable Foundation. Please consider a gift to the Foundation to help us continue this outstanding work.

Celebrating Service to the Craft

Each year several hundred Master Masons in Ohio hit milestone service anniversaries such as 25, 50, or 75 years of membership. On a rare occasion, a Brother reaches 80 years of service. This milestone was reached in the new Masonic year by Brother Derrill Arthur Hablitzel of Port Clinton, Ohio; a member of Oak Harbor Lodge, No. 495. Brother Hablitzel is 101 years young. He became a Master Mason in 1940 and has remained a member of the same Lodge for 80 years.

On October 27th, Grand Master Keith Newton led a delegation of Grand Lodge Officers to Port Clinton to present Brother Hablitzel his 80 Year Award. The Grand Lodge permits Masters, District Deputies, and Past Grand Masters to present the various service awards from 25 to 75 years of service, but the 80 Year award is reserved exclusively for the Grand Master to present. In these photos, Grand Master Newton presents the award to Brother Hablitzel who received his DDS degree from Ohio State University, and as his sweater shows, remains a proud Buckeye to this day.

Across the state, twenty-seven Master Masons qualified for their 75 year service award and another 200 earned their 70 year award. Many of these men can be seen on the Grand Lodge Facebook page as various Grand Lodge Officers make the presentations. In 2020, one Lodge, Scioto No. 6, had three members eligible for their 75 year award and four other lodges had two members reach this milestone. It is a very exclusive honor.

In all cases, however, whether it is a first anniversary or an 80 year award, the Grand Lodge of Ohio celebrates all of its members and thanks them for their loyalty and dedication to the Craft. Master Masons such as Brother Hablitzel become inspiring examples to the rest of us, and we acknowledge and honor his service to his family, patients, community, Lodge and Freemasonry.

Keeping the Secrets… One Mason’s Story

Freemasons are famous for their secrets. But what does this mean? What are secrets? Who are we really talking about? What does it mean to keep a secret?

There is perhaps no better answer to this question than the story of Brother John Bergmann, 99 years old and a 60-year member of Community Lodge, No. 684, in Columbus, Ohio.

Brother Bergmann served as a codebreaker during World War II. Early in the war, he lost an eye to combat in the Burma – China Theater while on a secret mission with Army Rangers. He then served for the rest of the war in Maryland with occasional trips to London to speak with his counterparts. His work put him in contact with General Dwight Eisenhower, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and the famous mathematician – codebreaker, Alan Touring. His unit helped decipher Japanese and German messages and win the war. Today, the public knows about the Enigma Machine, the Colossus Computer, and the Turing Bombe code breaking computers. But for many years, long after the war, these were secrets.

Brother Bergmann kept these secrets from everyone – family and friends alike – until 1983. For thirty-eight years, he had a cover story about his military service and his injuries. It was only after the government lifted the restrictions that his story became known, and he began to share his experiences with veteran’s groups, schools, and others. In 2017, he was interviewed for the Veterans History Project of the Cincinnati Hamilton County Public Library. That interview can be seen on YouTube with a simple search for “Veterans History Project John Bergmann.”

The secrets of Freemasonry are generally understood to refer to the modes of recognition we inherited from the original medieval stonemasons – the signs, tokens, and words of the three degrees. We also understand that as Masons, we agree to respect and protect the privacy of our Brethren as well as the affairs of the Lodge. When a Brother tells us something in confidence or asks for advice on a personal matter, he does so with the trust and expectation that we will not tell others about his private concerns. Likewise, when the Lodge conducts business matters holds elections, and deals with charity and membership issues, the members of the Lodge will not make this information public. As Masons, we promise to exercise judgment and self-control and practice those truly Masonic Virtues of silence and circumspection. Brother John Bergmann exemplifies these virtues and is an inspiration to all. T he G rand L od e of O hio

Ohio Grandmaster Keith W. Newton

presented Brother Eldon Mongold, resident of Springfield Masonic Community, with his 70 year service pin during the annual Xenia Lodge #49 awards ceremony this past November. Brother Mongold was raised a Master Mason in 1950 in Martinsville Lodge #391, Martinsville, Ohio. When Martinsville Lodge merged with Wilmington Lodge in 2001, Brother Mongold then joined Xenia Lodge #49, where his son is also a member. Brother Mongold and wife, Ruthella, have resided at Springfield Masonic Community since 2014.

T he G rand L od e of O hio Grand Master’s Class Called for Spring 2020

Grand Master Keith W. Newton has authorized Ohio’s twenty-five districts to hold Grand Master’s Classes on or near May 9, 2020.

His decision provides a new opportunity for men who are busy with work, travel, and other obligations to experience the three degrees in a single day. Since they began in 2002, Ohio has offered a Grand Master’s Class every few years, and today, roughly one in five active Masons in Ohio completed their degrees in such a class. Grand Master Newton recognizes the value of giving men the chance to join in the manner best suited for their needs. He wants to see every good and true man “Step Into the Light” of Ohio Freemasonry.

New for this year: candidates in the 2020 Grand Master’s Classes will also be allowed to join the Scottish Rite or York Rite on the same day.

Where will the classes be held? The twenty-five districts will be holding classes in locations across the state. Most will be held on May 9th, although a few will be held earlier or later. The chart shows the locations, times, and costs of lunches and refreshments. Districts Date Location Address Time Cost 4th & 10th May 2, 2020 Kenton Masonic Temple 202 N. Main St., Kenton 8:45 AM $12.00 5th & 11th May 2, 2020 Defiance Masonic Building 123 Clinton St., Defiance 9:30 AM $10:00 2nd May 9, 2020 Dayton Masonic Center 525 W Riverview Ave., Dayton 8:00 AM $15.00 3rd May 9, 2020 Sidney Masonic Temple 303 E. Poplar St., Sidney 9:00 AM $15.00 7th May 9, 2020 Lucasville Lodge #465 326 Robert Lucas Rd., Lucasville 9:00 AM $10.00 8th May 9, 2020 Fairborn Lodge #764 1267 Yellow Springs Fairfield Rd., Fairborn 9:00 AM $10.00 9th & 15th May 9, 2020 Ohio Masonic Home 2655 W. National Rd., Springfield 8:00 AM $10.00 12th May 9, 2020 Morning Dawn Lodge #7 307 Third Ave., Gallipolis 9:00 AM $10.00 13th May 9, 2020 Lancaster Lodge #57 224 South High St., Lancaster 9:00 AM $10.00 14th May 9, 2020 Northwest Masonic Temple 2436 W. Dublin Granville Rd., Columbus 8:45 AM $20.00 16th May 9, 2020 Tiffin Lodge #77 181 S Washington St., Tiffin 9:00 AM $10.00 17th May 9, 2020 Marietta Masonic Temple 308 Front St., Marietta 8:30 AM $12.00 18th May 9, 2020 La Fayette Lodge #79 3867 Northpointe Dr., Zanesville 10:00 AM $10.00 19th May 9, 2020 Heath Masonic Complex 875 Irving Wick Dr. West, Heath 8:00 AM $20.00 20th & 21st May 9, 2020 Canton Masonic Temple 836 Market Ave. N, Canton 9:00 AM $15.00 22nd May 9, 2020 Lyndhurst Masonic Temple 5516 Mayfield Rd., Lyndhurst 8:45 AM $15.00 23rd May 9, 2020 Valley of Cambridge 935 Wheeling Ave., Cambridge 9:00 AM $10.00 24th May 9, 2020 Perry Lodge #185 788 E. State St., Salem 8:00 AM $10.00 25th May 9, 2020 Unity Lodge #12 4785 Washington Ave., Ravenna 8:00 AM $10.00 1st June 6, 2020 Cincinnati Masonic Center 317 East 5th St., Cincinnati 8:00 AM $10.00 Grand Masters Class Schedule

4th Degree of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Scottish Rite Freemasonry confers the 4th through the 32nd Degrees. Instead of Lodges, the Scottish Rite is organized into Valleys. There are 12 Valleys in Ohio. To join the Scottish Rite, a Master Mason must receive the 4th Degree, which is titled, “The Builder.” Following this, he can attend degrees over time at his convenience. These degrees do not need to be seen in order, and most valleys only offer all 29 degrees over a period of several years. After he has witnessed the 4th and three other degrees, a Scottish Rite Mason can receive the 32nd Degree.

Mark Master Degree by the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons The York Rite of Freemasonry consists of the Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, Council of Royal and Select Masons, and Commandery of Knights Templar. In Ohio, there are four degrees in the Chapter, three degrees in Council, and three degrees or orders in Commandery. The first step in this series is the Mark Master Degree, which is based upon the traditions of medieval stonemasons and symbolic Freemasonry. After becoming a Mark Master, the new Mason will return to his local chapter to become a Royal Arch Mason. He can then continue to the Council and Commandery to complete is York Rite experience. 6 WINTER 2020