Our Gentle Craft

Updated D.C. Grand Lodge Website

2009-01-06T03:21:00.000-08:00

Dear Brethren,
The Grand Lodge F.A.A.M. of the District of Colombia invite all who shall see these greetings to visit us in our new and improved Grand Lodge homepage found at http://www.dcgrandlodge.org/

Fraternal Greetings to you all.

Grand Lodge...heading home from...

2008-08-11T07:39:00.003-07:00

I-64 Beauty in the Fall

2008-08-11T07:39:00.001-07:00

Heading Home from Grand Lodge...

2008-08-11T07:38:00.001-07:00

Following the Senior Deacon...to MaCoy's in Richmond

2008-08-11T07:37:00.000-07:00

Grand Lodge

2008-08-11T07:36:00.000-07:00

Masonic Picnic in Sasebo, Japan

2008-08-11T07:35:00.002-07:00

Nippon Lodge No. 9 Masonic Family Picnic

2008-08-11T07:35:00.001-07:00

A Mormon Mason: New grand master is the first in a century who is LDS.

2008-04-09T18:59:00.000-07:00

A Mormon Mason: New grand master is the first in a century who is LDS.
By Carrie A. Moore

Deseret Morning News

Published: Saturday, Mar. 29, 2008

It's been nearly a quarter of a century since Freemasons in Utah rescinded a 60-year ban that prohibited Latter-day Saints from joining their fraternity. And while many remember the religious division that had characterized Freemasonry in the Beehive State from pioneer times, Glen Cook believes he is evidence that things are changing among his Masonic brethren.

Cook, a Salt Lake criminal defense attorney and Brigham Young University law school graduate, is believed to be the first member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be elected grand master in Utah in nearly a century, overseeing the activities of several lodges around the state and looking to make the group more open to public understanding.

During a recent tour of the Masonic Temple in downtown Salt Lake City following his installation in February, Cook said there are definite misconceptions about Freemasonry in Utah, particularly among Latter-day Saints, "but there's also some reality there as well."

Church founder Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum, were members of the Masonic lodge in Nauvoo, Ill., in the early 1840s, and historians have written in detail about the role of fellow Masons in the murder of the two men in June 1844. Smith's successor, President Brigham Young, and the three succeeding presidents of the church all were made Masons in the Nauvoo Lodge, as were many who presided in church hierarchy during and following Joseph Smith's death.

After leaving the Midwest for what was then the Utah Territory, most Latter-day Saints eventually ceased active involvement with Freemasonry, despite the fact that lodges were chartered here beginning in 1859. Cook said he thinks pioneer Latter-day Saints simply were too busy trying to build a city in the desert and serving their church to participate. Some historians have speculated about whether Freemasonry was discouraged by LDS leaders.

Whether or not that was the case, religious tension within the organization escalated to the point that, in 1925, "the Utah Grand Lodge Code precluded any Mormon ... totally from any relationship whatsoever" with Masonry in Utah, according to author Mervin Hogan's 1978 book, "The Origin and Growth of Utah Masonry and Its Conflict With Mormonism."

That provision of the code remained in force until 1984, when it was rescinded.

Freemasonry is not a religious practice, but confusion about what it is stems in part from the fact that the fraternity is believed by many historians to have originated in the ancient world because its symbols and rituals bear some similarity to sacred ceremonies that existed among the Egyptians, Coptic Christians, Israelites and even the Catholic and Protestant liturgies all thought to have some common biblical source.

Many believe it originated with the stone masons who worked on Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, though no definitive evidence of that legend is known to exist. Others speculate that its tenets were had by Enoch, and possibly by Adam. Scholars have documented evidence that institutional Masonry dates back only to the Middle Ages, when great European cathedrals were being built by guilds of stone masons who practiced "the craft."

Cook said the fact that membership requires belief in a supreme being and a willingness to make obligations to fellow Masons through Masonic rituals and symbols that bear some limited similarity to LDS temple ceremonies also foster a misunderstanding of what the fraternity is, and is not.

"There is no question that elements of the (LDS temple) endowment and Masonic ritual are similar," Cook said. "The question for faithful Latter-day Saints is whether that makes a difference. I tend to be a rather concrete thinker."

For those who accept Joseph Smith as a prophet and believe he actually saw God and Jesus Christ in vision as a precursor to restoration of Christ's ancient church, "then the rest, I would suggest, should be a corollary" of that belief."

I think sometimes we spend too much time worrying about issues that don't really matter to our salvation.

"Nothing in LDS faith or practice precludes Latter-day Saints from becoming Masons, he said, though family and church obligations may limit the amount of time Mormon men can spend in other pursuits like Masonry.

"Freemasonry should be an adjunct to your faith and not a barrier to its exercise," Cook said. "I tell people that the only secrets we have are modes of recognition and the passwords. For those, you have to look on the Internet."

The "Encyclopedia of Mormonism" addresses questions about the faith's view of the fraternity, noting "the philosophy and major tenets of Freemasonry are not fundamentally incompatible with the teaching, theology and doctrines of the Latter-day Saints. Both emphasize morality, sacrifice, consecration and service, and both condemn selfishness, sin and greed. Furthermore, the aim of Masonic ritual is to instruct, to make truth available so that man can follow it."

The ritual resemblances between the two "are limited to a small proportion of actions and words," according to the encyclopedia, and "where the two rituals share symbolism, the fabric of meanings is different.

"Cook said he sees signs within the Utah fraternity that a new openness is developing toward the community at large, and toward Latter-day Saints in particular, evidenced not only by his recent installation in ceremonies that were open to the public, but also in a willingness to acknowledge the faith in ways it hasn't previously been recognized.

On Feb. 2, during meetings before his formal installation took place, Cook said "a seasoned brother came to me and said, 'We should have a moment of silence for (deceased LDS Church) President (Gordon B.) Hinckley,"' as his funeral was taking place. "At 11 a.m., the grand master called the Grand Lodge of Utah to silence for that."

Later in the day, as members were having lunch together in the Masonic Temple downtown, someone mentioned that President Hinckley's funeral cortege would be passing their building shortly. "A group of Masons gathered on the front steps for that, not limited by religion, and stood with their hands over their hearts as the cortege passed," Cook said.

"I think those three things really signaled to me the change that has come about. ... I think LDS culture has changed, and that today, civic activities are not inappropriate."

As for what he plans to emphasize during his term as the 137th grand master of Utah, Cook said he will focus on the fraternal tenets of brotherly love, belief and truth.

"I find Freemasonry to be something at which to marvel, to be something which I view in awe," Cook wrote in a recent message published in a fraternal newsletter. "In a world in which men war and shed the blood of the innocent based on race, ethnicity and tribe, we have united ... without regard to the color of a man's skin, caring only about the tenor of his heart."

In short, Masons "are men who try to lead moral and upright lives. They contribute significantly not only on a private basis, but in a public way" as well, he said, noting they fund Shriner's Hospital for Children, help with arthritis research and other community causes.

"It's the place where I've found friends, men who have cared for me and my family and hold the moral values that I hold."

This article used with the permission of MormonTimes.com, which is produced by the Deseret Morning News in Salt Lake City, Utah.

It is not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Copyright © 2008 Deseret News Publishing Company. Used by permission.

What Makes a Man a Mason?

2007-12-05T23:39:00.000-08:00

WHAT MAKES A MAN A MASON?

By George M. Free

What makes a man a Mason,O brother of mine?

It isn’t the due guard, nor is it the sign,

It isn’t the jewel which hangs on your breast

It isn’t the apron in which you are dressed.

It isn’t the step, nor the token, nor the grip,

Nor lectures that fluently flow from the lip,

Nor yet the possession of that mystic word

On five points of fellowship duly conferred.

Though these are essential, desirable, fine,

They don’t make a Mason,O brother of mine.

That you to your swornobligation are true

'Tis that, brother mine,makes a Mason of you.

Secure in your heart you must safeguard and trust,

With lodge and with brother be honest and just,

Assist the deserving who cry in their need,

Be chaste in your thought, in your word and your deed.

Support he who falters, with hope banish fear,

And whisper advice in an erring one’s ear.

Then will the Great Lights on your path brightly shine,

And you’ll be a Mason, O brother of mine.

Your use of life’s hours by the gauge you must try,

The gavel of vices with courage apply;

Your walk must be upright, as shown by the plumb,

On the level, to bourn whence no travelers come.

The Book of your faith be the rule and the guide,

The compass your passions shut safely inside;

The stone which the Architect placed in your care,

Must pass the strict test of His unerring square.

And then you will meet with approval divine,

And you’ll be a Mason,O brother of mine.

The Grand Lodge of Ohio Celebrates its 200th anniversary!

2007-12-05T23:07:00.000-08:00

We are the oldest and largest fraternity in the world, and this year we will be celebrating our bicentennial when six Lodges met in Chillicothe in 1808 to form the Grand Lodge of Ohio. There will be many public events around the state to mark this milestone.
Masonry has been a valuable asset over the years - from the time Ohio was formed out of the Northwest Territory to the present by helping our communities through our charitable contributions.
My theme for this special year is "The Wonderful World of Freemasonry." I chose this theme because we have so much to offer. No matter if we are active in the Scottish Rite, York Rite, or the Shrine, we are one family and conduct our lives in a moral and compassionate way with brotherly love, relief, and truth.

If you are not a Freemason, and you live in Ohio, they offer opportunities for personal improvement and development, so feel free to visit their site. If you want to become a member of the "greatest fraternity on earth", and you live in Ohio, please contact them for more information.

On behalf of the 116,000 Masons in Ohio, their Grand Master welcomes you.

Ronald L. Winnett

Grand Master of Masons in Ohio 2007-2008

"A Heaven Sent Message" from the Heart of a Virginia Mason.

2007-12-05T20:31:00.000-08:00

Dear Brethren the world over, I've recently composed a poem that expresses how I feel about the Fraternity with which we are all associated, and I entitled it, "A Heaven Sent Message" and post it here in its entirety for your review. I should hope it rings true in your hearts as well as it has in mine. We do need the teachings of the Fraternity more now than we ever had in the history of the world, we have been entrusted with a "Heaven Sent" message that we have an obligation to share with one and all, whether through our attitudes, words and or actions. It is my hope that this poem will inspire many of our inactive Brethren to rekindle the Masonic flames in their hearts, and give them the courage to return to their Blue Lodges and become actively involved in the great work carried on there.

A HEAVEN SENT MESSAGE

When the wages of war are raging, and the costs is millions of lives,
God, in His Infinite Wisdom, often looks down from the skies and cries.
He sees His sons and daughters fighting, waging war in His name,
So He sent down from Heaven some lessons which have now gained worldwide fame.

The lessons of which I have spoken, are often concealed in plain view,
they're available to all men in free lands,
and concealed in their hearts each day anew!
They are the lessons of Brotherhood, under the Fatherhood of God,
and with these glad tidings we are prepared to spread this glad message abroad!

War, ravaging and death, do not have to last endlessly,
This is the message that we teach to each initiate anew,
for with God as our Father in Heaven, and a message of peace in our hearts
we can learn to act with mercy and benevolence we can choose to impart.

These are some of the lost lessons, as taught in our ancient Fraternity,
who chief message to the world is Brotherhood, and who each gladly bend the knee!
With each solemn oath we covenant, to help, aid and assist,
both brother Master Masons and all who such as shall our assistance implore,
and we as upright men and Masons are obliged to assist them even more.

We are to teach the children, the bright hope of this our homeland,
the lessons of charity, relief and truth,
as each week we meet in this sacred band,
to implant the message in each new heart and new hand
that comes humbly seeking the light that we have to offer to them,
those noble souls who at the West gate succeed in knocking,
and are allowed to enter in,
it is in these new youths and brethren that our message will spread throughout the land!

With each new song we are singing,
the message will spread far and wide,
til each new heart will be singing
the message that we do not have to hide!

This message is one universal and all encompassing plea,
that we each respect each others beliefs, and learn to live in liberty!
It has long been in plain view, in many small towns throughout this land,
where one will see on many a sign posted, a welcoming sign to their land,
posted with the symbol of our ancient Order, the Golden Compasses and Square,
having been put there by many a small country lodge farm hands,
to welcome all those who are traveling through their small country town,
each seeking to assist in spreading this glorious message around.

Often we hear of racial divides, even within our own brotherly Band,
such should not be, my dear Brethren, as we have the light that shall stand!
Let no racism exists amongst us, it is our duty to teach,
that as a world-wide Brotherhood, we do not regard a man after the color of his skin,
but look down deep inside and judge a man from within!

When we return to our heavenly abode,
after traveling here far below,
it will be refreshment so sweet,
as we shall again meet with those who have gone this way before,
we have carried on in our cause of spreading our Brotherhood abroad,
and in teaching each man, woman and child about the Fatherhood of our God.

Each will be held accountable for the hand that they choose to play,
in spreading this message of freedom, equality and liberty for all each and every day,
And when the Supreme Grand Master above shall call us home, from our toils here below,
Won’t it be great to stand at that Gate knowing we have such a benevolent Friend?
The Lion of the Tribe of Judah, He it is Who will let us in!

From the heart of Brother Eric James Martin, a Master Mason from Lynnhaven Lodge No. 220, 56th Masonic District of Virginia, and a member of Freedom Military Lodge No. 1775 of the District of Colombia.

Introducing Brother Howie Damron-National/International Ambassador of Scottish Rite and Blue Lodge Freemasonry.

2007-12-05T10:58:00.000-08:00

Howie has recently been named National/ International Ambassador of Scottish Rite and Blue Lodge Freemasonry and his albums “Hiram’s Call” and “The Masonic Touch” are being ordered worldwide by the Brotherhood. His newest compositions, “I’m Living DeMolay” and his daughter Karisa Damron's new song she just wrote and recorded called “Follow the Eastern Star” have moved both of there careers up into new levels. Both Howie and Karisa claim, “It's not for fame and fortune that we do what we do but the facts are it’s who we are and what we love and it’s pure pleasure that we see it as a mission of helping lives to understand what we already know and that is that life is so well worth living and the teachings of Freemasonry is needed worse today than ever in the history of the craft and that’s thousands of years”.
Howie's son Seth, who is a 32nd Scottish Rite Freemason, is now joining them on stage as a guitar player and singer and the fun is rising to new heights. An evening at one of the performances is one that’s not forgotten for a long time. His loves in life are simple but long; things like family, friends, freedom, hunting and fishing, compassion about disabled and less fortunate, God, Country and on and on. But then for those who have heard his music already knows all of his loves, for it’s all in his music that he shares.

For more information on Howie, or to order one of his CD's online, visit http://www.buckeyewild.com/ You may pay for your online orders using PayPal as an added convience.

The Real Freemason

2007-11-30T20:42:00.000-08:00

The real Freemason is distinguished from the rest of mankind by the uniform unrestrained rectitude of his conduct.Other men are honest in fear of punishment, which the law might inflict; they are religious in expectation of being rewarded - or in dread of being punished - in the next world.

A Freemason would be just if there were no laws, human or Divine, except those written in his heart by the finger of his Creator. In every climate, under every system of religion, he is the same. He kneels before the universal throne of the Divine in gratitude for the blessings he has received and humble solicitation for his future protection. He venerates the good men of all religions. He disturbs not the Religion of others.

He restrains his passions where they cannot be indulged without injuring his neighbor or himself. He gives no offense, because he does not choose to be offended. He contracts no debts which he is certain he cannot discharge, because he is honest upon principal.

[Originally published in the "Freemasons' Magazine" circa 1796 ]

Quote: Be Free, Make a Difference, Become a Freemason.

Enjoy the Voice of Freemasonry Magazine!

2007-11-30T20:24:00.000-08:00

Dear Brethren,

I would like to invite you all to download and read a copy of the latest edition of "The Voice of Freemasonry" magazine as published by the Grand Lodge of DC. You can download the current issue by clicking on the following link: http://www.dcgrandlodge.org/pdf/Voice2007-4.pdf

Remember to Be Free, Make a Difference, Become a Freemason.

Approaching the Portal of Freemasonry

2007-11-30T20:01:00.000-08:00

I have found this guide provided as a download by the Grand Lodge of Vermont to be most informative for those who are seeking more information on the Fraternity as they seek to decide whether to join us or not. I recommend it as good reading material to all who are interested in the Fraternity; however, be sure to check with your State's Grand Lodge website for information on Freemasonry in your state, as the history and other details vary from state to state.

You'll find the article here at: http://www.vtfreemasons.org/downloads/portal.pdf

Read it first, then comment on it here at The Voice of Freemasonry.