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FAITH, HOPE, AND CHARITY Brothers Come Together to Help Comfort a Lonely Brother in Need
GRAND ALMONER, Ill. Peter Samiec, 33°, had a simple question: “Brother Patch, can you help a lonely Brother in need?” That’s all it took for a kindness train of Brotherly Love and caring to surround Brother Vincent Arnone, 32°, a devoted Mason for more than 40 years in the throes of late-stage brain cancer. That simple request started a cascade of caring that spanned hundreds of miles through Massachusetts and New Hampshire, involving dozens of Masons ranging from men in the craft for decades to a newly-raised Master Mason.
U.S. Marine Corps and Army Special Forces veteran Vincent “Vinnie” Arnone’s cancer had progressed to the stage that he had no choice but to move into hospice care an hour away from his home lodge, Plymouth Lodge, in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Detached from his community and lonely, he reached out to Scottish Rite, NMJ. Through Grand Almoner Samiec, Brother Arnone was connected to a network of local brethren willing and able to live up to their Masonic obligation to help Brothers in need.
“I reached out to Brother Keith Patch, who I know is an active and caring local Mason, to see if he could check in on Vinnie once or twice,” said Grand Almoner Samiec. “What happened next is one of the most impressive and meaningful stories of Masons living their obligation that I’ve been part of in quite some time.”
Brother Patch, 32°, is a member of Simon W. Robinson Masonic Lodge (Lexington, Mass.) and the Valley of Boston. “I know the kind of Brothers I have in my lodge, and I had no doubt we would help. What I didn’t anticipate was the ripple effect of caring that went way beyond our small group. It was incredible.”
Marshaling his personal Masonic network and the power of social media, Brother Patch helped activate the combined manpower of the Massachusetts 14th Masonic District, Major General Henry Knox Lodge (Military Veterans Lodge of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts), and other area Masons for support.
For months, more than a dozen newfound Brothers and friends visited Vinnie at his nursing home, providing him with the comfort and company he desperately needed.
Brother Matt Bordenca, a newly raised Master Mason from Tahattawan Lodge, dropped by to see Vinnie just days after learning about the lonely brother in need. “I was just raised, and our Masonic obligation was large in my heart. I hoped it helped Vinnie, but the time I spent visiting meant a great deal to me.”
Brother Michael Zildjian, 32°, Chaplain of Simon W. Robinson Lodge, visited frequently, often with his mother Janet’s famous meatballs in tow made especially for Vinnie to enjoy. Armen Zildjian, Worshipful Master of Simon W. Robinson Masonic Lodge, asked his mother-in-law and social worker, Terri Simmons, if she could help by deploying her skill set. That led to Mrs. Simmons visiting Vinnie over a number of weeks to make sure he was receiving all of the care and support services he needed and deserved.
“What the Masons did just changed everything for Vinnie,” said his brother Bob Arnone. “When he knew the cancer was bad, he was so down. These men strengthened his faith in people and confirmed his belief in the Masons.”
Bob said the manpower of the Masons was a blessing to him as well. With a full-time job and living two hours away from Vinnie, he realized, “it was very hard to keep up with his grocery shopping, picking up his medications, and taking him to his appointments.”
In addition to helping with errands and providing some financial relief for food and clothing, Bob said the Masonic family helped keep Vinnie’s spirits up throughout the autumn months.
“One guy read to him, one guy came in and sang Christmas carols to him. Just to see Vinnie so blessed by the comradery and attention was really incredible,” Bob said.
On a winter evening, with Masons from several lodges in attendance including Grand Almoner Samiec and Director of Membership, George T. Taylor, 32°, Brother Don McCarthy, 32°, of Joseph Warren-Soley Lodge, presented Vinnie with the Scottish Rite’s Sammy Lee Davis Peace & Freedom Service Award. The Scottish Rite recognition is for veteran Brothers who have honorably served in the U.S. military.
“When I was young, Vinnie was the big brother hero that went off to war,” relayed Bob Arnone. “Service had been his whole life.”
Presenting the Sammy Lee David Peace and Freedom Recognition. front row: Vinnie and Brother George Taylor, 32°, Director of Membership, Scottish Rite, NMJ. middle row: Wor. Armen Zildjian, WM of Simon W. Robinson Masonic Lodge; Scottish Rite, NMJ Grand Almoner Pete Samiec, 33°; and R.W. Paul Rolston, 33°. back row: Wor. Paul Fraser, SWR and Bro. Don McCarthy, Joseph Warren-Soley Lodge
served in the U.S. Army Special Forces, running classified missions in Laos and Vietnam and also serving in Afghanistan. In his civilian life, in addition to being a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Special Forces, he worked more than 30 years in the consulting field internationally, specializing in counterterrorism and SWAT tactics.
Bob said Vinnie was never your typical “nine-to-five kinda guy.” From working as a private detective to serving as editor of a newspaper, he said his brother did a little bit of everything.
Sadly, Vinnie lost his final battle to cancer. He was called to the Celestial Lodge on December 4, 2019. In addition to the many Masonic brethren who were touched by Vinnie’s life and legacy, he is survived by his five brothers: Paul, Joseph, Harry, John, and Robert. He had recently celebrated his 43rd anniversary as a Mason and was proud of his long commitment to many other organizations, including Shriners International, DeMolay, American Legion, and the Boy Scouts.
Brother Keith Patch, 32°, of Simon W. Robinson Lodge, helped coordinate Vinnie’s final wishes. “Brother Arnone had requested to be buried with his Scottish Rite NMJ Sammy Lee Davis Veteran’s Recognition pin and his Scottish Rite Veteran’s Jewel and to have taps played. It was the least we could do for this Green Beret who served our country so honorably and touched the lives of so many,” Brother Patch said.
Brother Arnone was laid to rest at Hillcrest Cemetery in Plympton, Massachusetts, on a rainy December afternoon. Still, the inclement weather did little to hold back attendance at his graveside Masonic Memorial Service.
Seven members of Simon W. Robinson Lodge, five members of Plymouth Lodge - A.F. & A.M., and four other Masons attended his moving ceremony. A Masonic Brother from Converse
A note from Bob Arnone, the brother of Vincent “Vinnie” Arnone
Lodge in Malden, Mass., who grew up with Vinnie and learned of his plight through social media outreach, also attended with a friend.
Bob said he was overcome with emotion when he saw how many Masons showed up for Vinnie’s service. He said his brother seemed to acknowledge the large turnout that day as well. “A huge gust of wind came up during the service, and I thought it was going to take us all away and I said, ‘Yep, Vin’s here,’” recalled Bob.
Vinnie’s brother John, who is also a Mason, attended the service. John and Vinnie followed the legacy of their late father, Brother Paul Arnone, 32°, who loved being a part of Freemasonry.
Brothers from across Massachusetts and New Hampshire gathered for Brother Vincent Arnone’s Masonic Memorial Service on December 9.
While Bob is not a Mason, after seeing the ways in which the fraternity loved and cared for his brother, he said he is interested in becoming one.
This outpouring of support all started with a simple phone call for help.
Brother Zildjian said it best when he wrote in a social media post: “You don’t need to be a Mason to serve humanity in this way. Find someone who needs help and do what you can to help them. Period. It is a priceless feeling to share love with a person who really needs it. And we all need it.”
So mote it be.
Brother Keith D. Patch, 32°, helped launch the kindess train in support of Brother Arnone in his last days.
