THE PENNSYLVANIA FREEMASON
Issued Quarterly
Frlater.nity of Free and Ac-
February M A H ay, ugust and November at The Right Pennsylvania, by Ancient and Ho ran lodge of The Most cepted
Approved and Authorized To Be Printed B The Grand Master
(Continued from Pa ge l)
of the Thirteen Original Colon· d f 1es were arrange or display in the M
Temple, and daily the Masomc Temple were conducted the hundreds of tourists v!sihng Philadelphia for the Bicent mal Celebration en-
. current Masonic Year has also Indicated great dedication enth and t. · ustasm ac IVIty. Seven Special Comm
IN IT." Could you, as a Mason sin cerely and proudly wear such a
in For the and privilege of servMg you as Rtght Worshipful Grand astter _and for the many kindnesses and cour estes extended to Mrs McC . and me, I shall be ever grateful. am
the Grea t Light of Masonry contmue as. your guide, and may The Great Archttect of the Universe bless you and yours a s we walk this path toAnd, as we continue our Ma-
The Saints John
- Patron Saints of Freemasonry
There are two important dates on the Masonic calendar. One is St. John The Baptist Day, celebrated Tune 24th, a nd the other is St. John The Evangelist Day, celebrated December 27th.
two seasons - first when the su n is nea rest, and seco nd , when the sun h as r eached its northern-mos t summit and again turns toward the south.
Charges" of Freemasonry speak of St. John Th e Evangelist as a "Saint Of The Craft."
Class
Pennsylvania f h b umcaave een held for dedicating new o ge Room s and laying Cornerstones. your Gra_nd Lodge sponsored a Carib: C_rulse and shared Masonic fellowship With members of the Grand Lod of we have had nine Lod:: t soontthc JOEurney, may we always look well e ast. ·
Vol. XXIV November, 1977 No.4
Masonic Calendars
th Th\Gregorian calendar, now in use out most part s of the world
we ha ve completed and the final building in th e new Masonic Homes Health Care Center· your Officers have 29 offictal VISitati ons to other Grand ko.dges; we have es tabli shed a new pro-
Questions & Answers
What is a recognized Grand Lodge?
The two dates fall at the time of the summer an d winter when the sun attains its greatest north or south declination , then it apparently stand s still for a short time before turning in its course. These dates are known as the summer and winter solstices.
Why is it that Freemasonry ha s chosen these two men as patrons? Why are Masonic Lodges dedicated to them?
Why do Masons hold celebrations in their honor each ye ar? Were they Freema son s?
People in the ancien t days had their organi zations and guilds even as we do today, and dedicated them to a pagan god f or protection.
The worshiping of the sun or other deities h ad so permeated mankind that when Christianity was introduced to the world, the Church found it was impossib le to stop the people from such pagan celebrations.
It was natural to feel the need of adopting some patron for protection.
He was consta ntly admonishing the cu ltivation of brotherly love. Of all the Gospels, the Gospel of St. John is the most Masonic for the central theme is "Light." It portrays The Almighty as "The Light Of The World."
Lodges then came to be dedicated to the Holy Saints John, and it is interestin g to note that the early Freemasons were called "St. John's Masons," or "St. Tohn's Men."
The Church there fore consecrated its churches to God, and wisely substituted the name s of its Saints a s patrons Othe r socie ties and organizations followe d the same practice.
CJency program for n ew Symbolic Lodge we have produced and magt availabl e a new 25-year se rvi ce em em for the Lodge s to present· our Qu_arterly Communication held in Pittsbutgh on W ednes da y. June 1, 1977 attracted a re cord a ttend ance of more than 1200 and , we h ave expa nded the act JvttJ es of our Speci al Yo tl Program. u 1
From the standpoint of the Grand {-odge ?f Pennsylvania, it is one which lS constdered as being accepted as
lar and The Grand of the_ States have different ideas thzs subJect and as a result some rand. Lodges in other countries are recogmzed by some Grand Lod . Pope Gregory xuj h a opted by England and t e Amertcan colonies in 1752.
0 ges m ur country whlle others are not.
What Lo dges may be visited? replaced the Julian calendar pre Juliu s Caesar and introduced
. too its calendars, r eckonIng time by vanous beginnings
Having served you as Grand Master for the :oast 23 months a title of ho a .1 d' · · nor rstinchon shared by few M
Before answering these questions, let us review a. bit of ancient hi story: Before the days of Christianity, the early Greeks and Romans dedicated their templ es and sacred things to some god. T o the ancients , the sun was the source of power. Th ey observed the course o.f the sun through the year, and knew at one period of the year the sun the m warmth , new vegetation, bountiful crops and with it all , a new sou rce of ene rgy and hope .
Why did Freemasons choose St. Tohn
The Baptis t as their patron? One would suppose that they would name some outstanding perso n. But St. Tohn The Baptist was a humble man, a plain man who held , above all; his obligations to God and, with almost unbelievable s teadfastness , met ma rtyrdom. H e con· tinually preached repentance, virtue and h um iliation.
It matters not whether the two Saints John were actually memb ers of the Masonic Fra ternity, but they have b een called th e patrons of the Fraternity down throu gh the ages because they exemplifi ed the principles of F reemaso nry in their daily lives by their deeds and their words. These two humble men did not engage in any of the pomp and glory of the world.
C}n{y Lodges which are under the /Urt sdtctwn of Grand Lodges which yol!r. Grand Lodge recognizes as bein When traveling in other For example, in the Craft rute the dates from the year 4 000 B C It called the Year of Light Lucts) and causes the year 1977 to b come A.L. 5977. e-
Then, the sun, after a fruitful season, left them; and they felt the cold, the grains in the field failed to fl ourish , and all nature seemed to sleep.
For a long period only St. John The Baptist was the patron Saint of Freemasonry. It was not until after the 16th Century that St. John The Evangelist was also adopted as a patron. Th e "Old
It is because Freemasonry r ega rds the character and internal qualifications of a man - not the exterior appearances- that these two men are fittingly called the patrons of our Fraternity. They possessed th ose internal qualification s that made the ·r eal and true man. Freemasonry hon ors th em above all others for they were living examples of th e Golden Rule , the practice of virtue, love for their fellowmen, and love for their God.
I h 1 . asons ave trave ed Widely within our , Jl • d' · own Jrts Jchon and have had the I zs tctwns and pla · L d . . ·u b . nnmg o ge vzszts it inquiries
f · · · P easure o many other Jurisdictions Observtnl!. the State of the Craft on the d Rofyal Arch Masons date their calenar rom 530 B c k ' , mar mg the com
m19e7n7cebment of the Second Temple. AD.
ecomes A I (A · · tio · · nv. nno Inve no r the Year of Discovery) 2507 oyal a nd Select Maste rs b . . the Year of D . egm at tio epos Jt (Anno Depos im,s). the completion of Solorobon s temple In 1,000 B.C. A.D. 1977 ecomes A. Dep. 29 77 calendar beg in s . e a te of th e foundin g of th Order of the Temple in th Th e refore, 1118 is deducted from e present era a nd AD 1977 b A 0 (A · · ecomes
· · nno Ordinis) 859
In Scottish Rite Ma · dar run s from th . the calen(Anno Mundi) e of th e world
J · an 1s the same as th ewJs h ch ron ology (Anno H eb )e The year b . . ra1co . Accordingly, tember is 37G O B C t P to mtd-Seo5737 and f · ·_Plu s 1977 , or A.M. 3761 ,B C I rom l mtd-Septem ber on is
· · Pus 977, or A.M. 5738.
Symbolic Lodge level in all m t I I am · d Y rave s, convmce that Freemasonry 'II notdonly prosper but will pro uce a greater brotherhood amona we show evidence of mo/' dedication, more enthusiasm and e
greater participation in the a and t' · · programs ac IVIhes of our Symbolic L d and Grand Lodge. o ges
all Edds up to one very vital conI Ion yery. Member, my Brethren be In ht s rightful place for goo a nd of Freema sonr attentiOn is directed to the seventh c apte: of Jud ges in th e Old T es tam e nt where It re lates how Gideon's s m II my of selected men was v ictori ou: o nrthe mu ch larger n umber of M . 'd' _ver 1 b · 1 1an1tes - on Y ecause every man in Gideon' se lec t army was in hi s rightful pl s ace.
Suppose that a special Masonic med I was struck. On one side of the medal would be shown the World F a s , - reemas arena of activity. On the ot Side would appear the wording, "I 2
Christopher Wren's Edict
among many laborers , etc .. f ngod!y custom of swearing is too o te n heard to th e dishonor of God d conte mpt of au thority and to th therefore, that such impiety m:y utterl y banish ed fr?m the se works intended for th e service of God and th honor of religion - it is ordered th cus tomary swearing sha ll b ffi a crime to d' · e a su cient to th lll smJss any laborer that comes e ca ;_and the clerk of the work s upon suffic ient p r oo f shall d' . h according! A d 'f ' ISmiss t em b tn k n I any master working st( s all Fot admonition re11s pro anatJOn a mon g hi s apbrenhces, serva nts and it sha ll 11is f ault . and he be e to e censured by the commis s toners. ·
W !he. great Sir Christopher len rssued thzs edict to the operative ';!a;ons en gaged in building the Cath e- 21 in London, on Septem-
The ancients knew that, after due time , the friendly sun in its cycle would come back to them bringing again light , warmth, food and hope.
Is it any wonder that these people worshiped the sun as a god? Even today, people the world over r evere the sun and welcome its warmth , and even travel to follow it during the cold and dark winter months
It is significant to note that the two festival days of the Saints John fall at
Lodge Dues Time
Your Symbolic Lodge du es are always due on or before the annual meeting of your Lodge held in December.
Paying your Symbolic Lodge due s, when due , is not only a Masonic responsibility- it is a Masonic privilege.
The "s uspensions for non-payment of dues" in our Symbolic Lodges seem so unnece ssary.
Govern yourself accordin gly.
