My Brethren: Back in 1969 when I was Worshipful Master of my Lodge , I we nt through twe lve months in whi c h I really thought I was an excellen t Master. It was on l y after I was out of the line for a period of time that I realized my assu med greatness was due to having a great Secretary. I h ave s in ce h ad the privilege to preside over t we l ve Masonic bodies and ha ve really l ea rn ed th e va lue of a good Secretary.
During my term as Grand Secretary, I have developed an even greater appreciation for the value of a " good" Lodge Secretary. My definition of a "good" Lodge Secretary i s " H e is the man who runs the Lodge and lets the Worshipful Master think he is doing it. " He is the one contin uity from on e Ma s ter to the next and for that reason has the accumulated knowledge to guide them . ll is my absolute opin ion th a t today the most vital hope for the survival of our Fraternity is the Subordinate Lodge Secretary. He is the link between hi s Lodge and the Members and his Lodge with the Grand Lodge.
R egretfull y, in the ten years that I ha ve served in the Office of Grand Secretary, I h ave watc h ed mor e a nd more of our good Secretari es retiring or leaving the office. Unfort un a te l y, many of our Lodges tod ay are filling th e C hair of Office of -Secretary w ith so m eo n e who h as littl e interes t in doing an effic ient job
This, the mos t vita l of Masonic offices, is also m a n y tim es o n e of th e m os t th a nkless in the reco g nition of a job we ll done. All too of ten Lodges simpl y ex p ec t a good job w ithout consideration of the effort required. The grea tes t r ewa rd which a Secretary r eceives is a n intangib le - it is the knowl edge of the grea t b en efit h e h as provided hi s Lodg e a nd th e Masonic Fraternity. M y Brethre n , yo ur Lodge g r ea tl y need s th ose of yo u wi th a co mp e te nce, wi llin gness a nd dedication to serve as Secretary of yo ur Lodge. Please, if you ha ve n ever con s idered thi s office g i ve i t some thought. We are here toda y beca u se of Brethren of th e pas t, and it now beco mes our inhere nt obligati o n to provide the continu ity for continuance to a future. Our Brethren of the pas t did not fai l us; let it n ever be said that w e fa iled th e Brethren of th e future.
DeMolay Supreme Council To Meet In Philadelphia
By Bro. Thomas R. Labagh, PYF Executive Director
The national governing bod y of th e O rder of DeMol ay wi ll m ee t in Philadelphia from April 25 th through Apri l 29t h 1990. The Annual Sessions o f the International S upre m e Co uncil and the International DeMola y Congress w ill be conducted at the Masonic Temple, One N orth Broad Street, Philadelphia , with hou s ing at the Phila delphi a Hershe y Hote l.
Mos t of th e m ee tings are open to a ll reg is tered vis itors, a nd thi s is a great opportunity for Maso n s, DeMola ys and p are nts to see the nation a l leadership a t work. Of particular interes t wi ll be th e program of th e Intern a tional DeMolay Congress. The Congress co n s is ts of the top active D eMo lay m e mbers of every jurisdi c tion o f DeMolay throughout the world. R epr ese n ta tives from t h e fift y sta tes, as we ll as the Dis tric t o f Columbia , Br az il , Ca nad a , Ger many a nd th e Philipp ines a re expec ted to attend.
D av id P. Kinney of L o ui si ana, International Master Counci lor will pres ide over th e Congress in cooperation with Loren Froomin of Ca liforni a, International Cong re ss Secretary. T h e Cong re ss revi ews programs a nd forms of reco mm en dation s whic h th ey prese nt to th e a ppropriate IS C committees for ac tion. The Congress provides opportunities for th e ac tiv e DeMol ay members to s h a r e th eir ideas, to di sc u ss solutions to the problems fac in g ever y De Mola y C h ap ter, and to en gage in vigorous di sc u ssion o f exciting n ew programs. One of the most va lu a bl e expe ri e n ces co mes in the ge n er a l Congress sess ions w h e re th e delegates take p art in proper parliamentary d e bate, p ass ing l egisl ati on and ad op tin g committee reports. Mos t importantl y, they make new fri e nd s hips w ith m e mber s from a ll co rn ers of th e De Mo lay w orld.
Bro. Joe R. Mann in g, Jr. , Grand Master of DeMo lay, w ill preside over th e sess ions of th e Internati o nal S upreme Council. Bro. Manning is a Pas t G r a nd Ma s ter o f th e Gra nd Lodge o f Ok lah o m a, a n d a lso a P a s t Sta te Mas ter
Councilor of th e Order o f D eMolay in th a t state. Bro. Manning is a l awyer and a form er State Legisl a to r in Oklahoma, now serving as the Legis lative Lia iso n on th e Staff of the Governor of his h ome s tate.
The Inte rnational Supreme Counci l wi ll discuss the recommendations of the Congress, revi ew proposed a m endme nts to the Statutes wh ich govern a ll DeMo lay Chap ter s, a nd consider nominations for th e Degree o f Chevalier, Cross of Honor a nd L egion of Honor.
This is th e firs t time in over fifty years that the ISC wi ll m ee t in P e nnsy l vania, a nd to commemorate thi s visit of the Supreme Counci l and the many national Masonic l eader s who are its members and supporters, Bro W Scott Stoner, R. W. Grand Ma ste r w ill be hos ting a Di s tinguish e d Guest Dinner a t the Union League o f Philadel phia.
A major exhibit of so me of th e Order o f DeMolay's priceless m emora bilia will b e on di sp l ay in th e Grand Lodge Library a nd Museum fo r the month s o f
March , Apri l and Ma y. Mos t of th e items to be displa yed have n ever l eft Kansas C ity, M issouri, w here th e Order was founded in 19 19 b y Bro. FrankS. Land.
T his w ill provide Pennsy l va ni a Masons a nd vi sitors an oppor tuni ty to learn about th e ea rl y histor y of the Order of D eMo l ay, and to s h a re in its ri c h Masonic heritage.
R egi s tration wi ll b e co ndu c ted in January a nd February of 1990 , and regis tration forms w ill be availab le from the P e nn sylvania Youth Fo undat ion offices The Visitor's Registration Fee of $25 wi ll include souve nirs, program bookl et, identifica tion ba dge, a dmi ssi o n to a ll m ee tings, the Hospi ta lit y Room, th e D eMola y Grand M as ter 's R ece ption and a t i c k e t to the S und ay Pra ye r Brea kfas t.
Much o f th e wo rk to ho s t this IS C Session w ill be done b y vo luntee r s , w ho w ill be supervisi n g programs a nd m ee ting s, prov idin g tra n sporta ti o n a nd actin g as h osts for our di s tinguis h ed g u ests.
For further information , registration forms , or to vo lun teer to assist with the program , contact: Bro Samuel C. Williamson, R.W.P.G. M. DeMolay Executive Officer by writing to him in care of the Pennsylvania Youth Foundation Office 1244 Bainbridge Road E lizabethtown , Pennsylvania 17022 or by calling (717) 367-1536
We are happy to report that Bro. William A. Carpenter, R. W. Past Grand Master is now showing sure signs of improvement. His l ooming presence has been conspicuously absent from many functions and Communications of the Grand Lodge. While his definite improvement is not complete, we are nonetheless cheered by this report, and our prayers are with both him and his wife Wally.
Bro. Carpenter and Wally wou ld welcome any kind of greeting from the Brethren, and Lhey would li ke to take this oppor tunity to thank everyone who has s h own so much support in the months past. Cards and letters should be addressed to Bro. Carpenter at home, where he is now resid ing:
Bro. William A. Carpenter, RW .P.G.M
1115 Woodside Avenue Upl and, Pennsy lvania 19015
Bro. John H. P latt, Jr., Librarian and Curator
Brethren, I h ave chosen to use a muc h different format for this quarter' s issue of The Pennsylv ania Freemason, beca us e I was so excited when my copy of Th e Master Builders, A History of th e Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of
Pennsylvan ia, Volume III: Grand Master Biographies reached my desk in November. We as members of the Craft, particular! y as Pennsy Ivan i a Freemasons, have much in which we can take pride. This third vo lu me has the larges t number of pages of all of the volumes The indi vidua l biographies of the men who h e l d the highest posit i on of aut h ority in this Jurisdiction gives u s an ou tstanding picture of what Freemaso n y is all about.
We speak so often of the use of symboli sm in our Craft and of the association to th e "working tools" of those "op erative masons" that sometimes we do not see some of the most important "working tool s" before our eyes. Then, as now, our Brothers needed to have the proper tools to build the Cathedrals , we today must use tho se tool s avai lab le to us
to build the Craft. The Master Builders for us are those tools!
By having the knowledge of the history of our organization , the finest Fraternity in th e World, we can better answer questions of both our supporters and our criti cs. Combin in g this vo lum e with the two previous ones , now gives u s the know -how to support our Crafl better. I have spoken man y times on the subject: " Working Too ls Less Used , " I wi ll sincerel y hope and pra y that th ese outstanding volumes wi ll not be categori zed under this subject. These vo l umes would make excellent gifts to our Brethren at those special Masonic occasions such as th e Raising of a Candid ate , a Masonic birthday, or p erhap s to a ne w Past Master. These volum es wou ld a lso m a ke a perfect gift to a loca l l ibrary by our Blue Lodges.
Fifth Masonic District Supports Drug and Alcohol Program
The 5th Masonic Distr ict, Bro. Jam es T. Young, D .D .G.M. , supports our Pennsyl vania Foundation for th e Preve ntion of Drug and Alcoho l Abuse
Among Chi ld ren in a big way At th e December Quarterly Communication o f th e Grand Lodge, Bro. Yo un g turn ed in checks i n the amount o f $5202 from his
D
E .
Di s trict for the Program. The grand tota l eventually topped over $6000. In recognition of this generos ity, the participa tin g Lodges in th e 5th Di s trict we re awarded th e Drug and Alcoho l Program p lates.
STATEMENT OF OWNERSIDP
( Acto£ Oct. 23, 1962: Section 4369 Title 39, U nited States Code) Februa11 I , 1989. The Penn sy lvani a Freema son: publi;hed quatterly at Masoni c Temple, One :-.lonh Broad Street, Philadelp h ia, PA 19107. Pub isher: Right \\ OI>hipful Gr.tnd Lodge o r the ;\ ost Annem and Honomble Frdtemit) of Free and Accepted 1\.la'iOns of Pl'nnsylvania. Editor: Robert A. Pote. Owne1: The Rig ht Worshipful Grand Lodge of the Most Anciem and Honorable Fratemit) of Free and Arcl'pt(.'{l ;\lasons of Prn n s) lvania. Kn own bon d- h o ldrts. n o n e. No adn•Jt ising h and lt'tl. Fn't' distribution mrragrs 195,000 mch quaner. I re11ify th at the \latemrnh made b y me art• rorrt'CI am rompktt" Roht n A. Pme, Editor
Gree tin gs from the Committee on Mason ic Education for the Grand Lodge of Penn sylva nia.
April 1990 is a very important month in Pennsylvania Freemasonry, for it has been designated by Bro. W. Scott Stoner, R. W. Grand Master as Masonic Educa ti on Month . It is very important, a l so, because for the first time, to our knowledge, every Lodge in Pennsylvania is being asked to engage in a COMPETITION, a competition in LODGE PROGRAMMING.
S in ce October 27, 1989 , when a ll Lodge Chairmen of Masonic Education were notified of the proposed Lodge program for Apri l 1990, man y Lodges have bee n l aboring diligently and creativel y and enthusiasticall y to WIN THIS COMPETITION .
Many of you may not have heard of this Lodge activity, and so that you are aware of what yo ur Lodge Chairman a nd his Committee are doing on behalf of yo ur Lodge, the bas i c outline of th e program is as follow s:
Every Lodge Chairman will encourage the Lodge members to deve lop a 10 to 15 minute program based on o ne of th e following ten th emes, o-r any number of th e t en if the Lodge so chooses:
I. Freemasony, What It Means to Me.
2. Biblical Characters In Freemasonry.
3. Masonic Symbols.
4. Freemasonry And The Family.
5. My Lodge And My Community.
6. Leadership And Freemasonry.
7. Freemasonry In The 21st Century.
8. Are We Masons Aware Or Unaware?
9. Freemasonry And Masonic Education.
10. Masonic Experience.
The program ma y be developed and presented by any member, or te a m of
members, of the respective Lodge. The program must be presented at the Apri l 1990 Stated Meeting of the Lodge.
After the Apri l 1990 Lodge presentation, the program will be submitted to a ll Lodge Chairmen of each respective Masonic Dis u·ict, and only one program will be se lected to represent that Masonic District. All programs must be sent to the Grand Lodge Committee on Masonic Education. Each Masonic D istrict will then submit its selected program to one of the six Masonic regional areas in w h ich the district is located.
The regional Area Chairman together with all the regions' District Chairmen will then se lec t one program to repre sent that entire Masonic Area.
In October 1990, during the annual meeting of all Area and District Chairm an at Patton Campus in Elizabethtown , the six selected programs will be reviewed and one program will be selected as the BEST PROGRAM for the year 1990.
T he winning program will be presen ted to the R W. Grand Mas ter and th e Grand Lodge at the December 1990 Quar terl y Communication of G rand Lodge. The winning Lodge Chairman a nd his Committee, toge th er wi th the re s pective D i strict Dep uty G r a nd Master, Distric t Chairman a nd Area Chairman of M as onic Ed ucation, will make the presentation to th e Gra nd Ma s ter.
The Masonic Educa tion Co mmittee recog nizes that ever y Worshipfu l Mas ter wants to ha ve a good program at eve ry Stated Mee ting o f his Lodge, how ever, he m ay n o t be able to due to the la c'k of a continuity o f good program ma:terial.
The Commi ttee al so recognize s that there i s a great wea lth of talented members in every Lodge, if o nl y the Lodge Chairman on Maso nic Ed uca ti on ca n
tap this great resource for this particular activity. The Committee cha ll enges every Mason with talent to volunteer and try to win this compe tition. We stated in the A u gust issue of The Pennsylvania Freemason that, "Masonic Education in our Grand Lodge and each subordinate Lodge is being pursued wi th a renewed vigor." We received on l y one written response to that article, and it was quite negative. We sin cerely regTet that a District Chairman did indeed slip through the cracks in th e paper shuffle, and hopefully, we have corrected that particu lar situation . We hasten to add, how ever, that even though we will experience glitches a long the way, Masonic Education is on the move in Pennsylvania and the move is positive .
Chairman
Bro. George H. Hohenshildt,
R.W.Sr.G.W.
Area A-1
Bro. Edward E. Tourje, P.D.D.G.M .
Area A-2
Bro. Edward 0. Weisser, R.W.Jr.G.W.
Area B-1
Bro. William L. Carey, P.M.
Area B-2
Bro. Terry D. Bentzel, D.D G.M.
Area C-1
Bro. G lenn W. Olsen, P.M.
Area C -2
Bro. Everett J. Elliott
P .D.D.G.M.
Secretary to the Committee
Bro. Jonathan D. Schau
1990 Dates for School of Instruction Sectional Meetings
March
