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A Journey of Gratitude It’s been close to three decades since Sebastian Napolitano first set foot in the Newton Masonic Building in Newtonville, Massachusetts. He had been having problems in school for some time, and after attending several appointments, he was diagnosed with dyslexia. “I don’t remember much, but what I do remember was just a struggle. Being dyslexic and going through school was very difficult,” he recalled. During one of these appointments, his family was introduced to a brandnew tutoring program through Massachusetts General Hospital. “It was just starting. One of the clinicians there told us about it, and that’s how we got the connection,” his father Stephen said.
Brother Sebastian Napolitano (left) with fellow Dalhousie Lodge members Larry Bethune (center) and Stanley Chu (right). Brother Larry Bethune also serves as the Chair for the Greater Boston Children’s Dyslexia Center Board of Governors.
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Sebastian was just nine years old when he began attending the Center. “Obviously, the program has evolved since then, but the tutors were very compassionate. They strived to help you to keep moving forward and never give up. That philosophy still holds true today,” he said.
Sebastian and his family’s involvement at the Newton Masonic Building didn’t stop when he completed his tutoring at the Center. Stephen called the program “Godsent” and said that from the time Sebastian began attending the Center, the changes were evident in his son. Besides improved progress reports, he gained confidence and began to believe that he could accomplish anything if he worked hard enough. He went on to be one of the first graduates of the very first Children’s Dyslexia Center in 1995. Sebastian and his family’s involvement at the Newton Masonic Building didn’t stop when he completed his tutoring at the Center. While attending a Christmas party there, his father was introduced to
members of Dalhousie Lodge which was also housed in the building. After asking some questions about Freemasonry, he decided to join the Fraternity. “The Center was how I found Freemasonry,” Stephen said. “It was a wonderful thing that I did find Freemasonry, as it has made me a better man—it really has made me a better man.” Sebastian also remained connected to the building, volunteering at lodge events with his father. “I remember thinking, ‘maybe this is one way to give back and to pay it forward for what was given to me,’” he said. While volunteering at one of these events, he was approached about joining the Fraternity. “I still remember vividly sitting down at a blood drive with a Brother at Dalhousie, Bernie Goulding, who gave me my application. I filled it out, and the rest is history. It’s going back almost 13 years that I’ve been involved.” Since joining Freemasonry, Sebastian especially enjoys participating in ritual and has become skilled at reading his Masonic cipher book. “It’s not easy to read. So for someone with my background, being able to read it and then being able to memorize it shocks some people,” he said. “It's unbelievable the way he understands the cipher and reads the cipher when he had such a struggle with reading itself. To see him now at different lodge meetings, the way he can read it, understand it, memorize The Northern Light
