Greetings, Brethren,
I just had the pleasure of visiting Fidelity Lodge #20 F&AM PHA in Washington, D.C. for a stated meeting and 2nd degree. The brothers there treated me extremely well, and their work was very impressive. They meet at the Grand Lodge building, where 25 lodges and 15 OES chapters meet, so you can find a Masonic meeting at that building nearly every night.
Visiting lodges in other jurisdictions is one of my favorite Masonic activities. You really get to see interesting differences. For example, Fidelity has a Sr. and Jr. Master of Ceremonies officer, and their Senior Deacon’s lecture in the 2nd degree is about twice as long as ours! They also have a lovely closing ceremony with the Brethren in a ring of fellowship around the altar. But the differences are superficial, and you also get to see the important similarities: the brotherly love, the focus on relief of the sick and distressed, the attention to Masonic ritual and education, the engagement with the community, and the pride in being part of the worldwide Masonic fellowship. Fidelity’s Master is a fairly regular traveler to Chicago, so I hope we’ll have a chance to host him here as well.
Back home in Berwyn, we’ve got a lot going on as well. Here’s the upcoming events:
April 17 – Special Saturday morning 3rd degrees, 9am-noon
April 19 – Visit to Shriner’s Childrens Hospital, families invited, 6-7pm
April 20 – Special meeting for 3rd degrees
April 27 – Stated meeting
May 4 – Special meeting for 1st degrees
May 11 – Stated meeting
May 18 – Special meeting for 3rd degrees Practice at Berwyn, 2nd degrees at LaGrange
May 25 – Stated meeting and 2nd degree
June 1 – Special meeting for 3rd degrees
June 8 – Annual meeting and election of officers (wow, already?)
We’re also planning a family picnic in June, date to be determined.