Well, Spring is finally here, and the Lodge has another busy month coming up as you can see from the Trestleboard. Please join us for as many of the events as possible. We have seen a slight increase in attendance, which is encouraging; however, we still have a lot of room for improvement. Please, contact that "Missing Brother" you have not seen in Lodge in some time and offer to take him along with you! As always, if you have transportation needs, contact our Transportation Chairman, Bro. Bob Tidwell.
We will raise a candidate to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason at our first Stated Communication. This is the final degree planned to be conferred at a Stated this year. The EA and FC conferrals at previous Stateds were greatly enjoyed by those attending. The candidates really appreciated and benefited from the company of the additional Brethren. Since we had such a good time with conferring the degree in costume in March, we will do so again for this degree. Please note: the Stated Communication will open as always at 7:30 PM; however, we will open a Fellowcraft Lodge at 6:00 PM to receive the catechism return. The Stewards will serve the meal following that at 6:45 PM.
Please take special note of Sunday, April 17th. Bethel No. 22 will hold their Masonic Recognition Night, and all Master Masons are welcome to attend their meeting in the North Lodge Room. I encourage you to come out for this event. The girls go to a lot of work to prepare, and they truly enjoy seeing Masons from the Lodge in attendance.
On April 18th Most Worshipful Donald Maynard Robey, PGM, will assume the East and confer the EA Degree on a candidate who is his life-long friend. MW Don's ritual work is widely acclaimed and will be the highlight of the evening.
On Tuesday, the 26th we will hold the first of what I hope will be a series of Fellowship Nights - opportunities for us to get together outside of the Lodge setting and get to know one another better as friends as well as Brothers (I also encourage you to bring friends who may be interested in Freemasonry). We will gather at Bungalow Billiards in Springfield and will have a couple of pool tables devoted to our group. The Lodge will pay for the tables plus providing heavy snacks (wings, nachos, and the like). Purchase of beverages or other food items will be on a pay as you go basis. Please call or email me if you wish to attend. I'll take names on a first come, first served basis up to a total of about 35. I hope these events will be of interest to you. If so, we will have several others, some of which will include families.
The last event of the month will be our annual Charter Night in the Replica Lodge Room. We are expecting visits from Fredericksburg Lodge No. 4 and from William G. Hill Lodge #218 in Raleigh, NC. Since we will have such a large attendance, we will call off to the main Lodge Room to hear Rt. Wor. Jack Riddell's fine presentation on the history of our Lodge and Illustrious Brother George Washington.
I hope you are well and that your cable tow will permit you to attend your Lodge frequently.
Sincerely and fraternally,
Jesse T. McMahan
Worshipful Master
| Day | Time | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| Sun 04/03/2005 | 7:00 pm | LODGE RITUAL SCHOOL: Practice for FC Degree |
| Mon 04/04/2005 | 7:00 pm | CALLED COMMUNICATION: FC Degree |
| Tue 04/05/2005 | 7:00 pm | TRUSTEES' MEETING: Lodge Anteroom, GWMNM |
| Sun 04/10/2005 | 7:00 pm | LODGE RITUAL SCHOOL: Practice for MM Degree |
| Thu 04/14/2005 | 7:30 pm | STATED COMMUNICATION: Conferral of Master Mason Degree |
| Sun 04/17/2004 | 6:00 pm | Masonic Recognition Night: Bethel No. 22 , Job's Daughters |
| Mon 04/18/2005 | 7:00 pm | CALLED COMMUNICATION: EA Degree |
| Mon 04/25/2005 | 7:00 pm | DISTRICT RITUAL SCHOOL: HENRY KNOX FIELD NO. 349 MM Degree |
| Tue 04/26/2005 | 6:00 pm | FELLOWSHIP NIGHT: See Master's Message |
| Thu 04/28/2005 | 7:30 pm | STATED COMMUNICATION: CHARTER NIGHT Rt. Wor. John Price Riddell, PDDGM: The History of Illustrious Brother George Washington In Our Lodge Masonic Birthdays |
STATED COMMUNICATIONS - The Stated Communications of this Lodge shall be held at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial (GWMNM), Alexandria, Virginia on the second and fourth Thursday of each month except the fourth Thursdays of November and December and for the additional Stated Communications for the observance of George Washington's birthday, June 24th for Saint John the Baptist Day and December 27th for the installation of officers on Saint John the Evangelist Day.
CALLED COMMUNICATIONS - Usually on Mondays as announced herein.
LODGE RITUAL SCHOOL - Will always occur the Sunday before a Monday Called Communication Degree at 7:00 PM, unless otherwise stated. Additional ritual schools will be announced herein when necessary.
YOUTH MEETINGS AT GWMNM - Alexandria-Washington Chapter, International Order of DeMolay, meets the first and third Sundays at 2:00 pm in the North Lodge Room. Bethel No. 22, International Order Jobs Daughters, meets the first and third Sundays at 6:00 pm in the North Lodge Room.
All the very best to our Birthday Masons. Note the 10 Brothers with 50 or more years as Masons! Special greetings and best wishes to them. If you see a Brother here who you know has not been to Lodge in some time, please give him a call and remind him to come - we would love to celebrate with him in person.
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It is with great sadness that I report the passing to the Celestial Lodge of two of our members, both of whom were 50 Year Veterans. Bro. Jacob Henry Bosserman (EA: 03/06/50; FC: 05/29/50; MM: 09/18/50) passed away on 03/02/05. Bro. Edward Gorman Irby (EA: 05/15/47; FC: 06/19/47; MM: 07/24/47) passed away on 03/03/05. Please include these Brethren and their families in your prayers. |
Job's Daughters:
Will be having their regular Bethel meetings on April 3rd and 17th at 6:00 PM in the North Lodge Room. As always, all Master Masons and any adult with a proper Masonic relationship are invited to attend. The girls love having visitors at their meetings! Again, please take special note of Masonic Recognition Night on the 17th.
Bethel 22 has been keeping quite busy attending Grand Visitations all over the state this winter. A Grand Visitation is a special meeting held to honor their Grand Guardian, Mom Sue Rees, and Associate Grand Guardian, Dad Terry Kern. The girls perform the majority of a regular meeting and then a special ceremony for their special guests. They then retire to refreshments and socialization.
Spring is finally here and car wash season is just around the corner. The girls would love to wash your car for a donation to help the Bethel get to Grand Session this year. Car washes are held at the Hayfield Exxon at the intersection of Telegraph and South Kings Hwy. Please check the website for specific dates and times (http://calendar.yahoo.com/vabethel22).
The Bethel will also be holding a Charity Ball on April 2nd in the Assembly Hall at the Memorial to benefit St. Jude's Children's Hospital.
Demolay:
Will be having their regular meetings on April 3rd and 17th at 2:00 PM in the North Lodge Room. As always, all Master Masons and any adult with a proper Masonic relationship are invited to attend. Our Chapter is going strong, and our continued support and attendance is important to the boys.
Thanks to MC C.J. Mrozek's hard work, the Alexandria City Council has issued a proclamation honoring the April 12th anniversary of the Chapter. On the 16th the boys are planning a paintball outing with our Lodge and John Blair Lodge. Please check out their website or give C.J. a call for more information. The Master Councilor/Honored Queen Ball will be held at Kena Temple at 8:00 PM on the 23rd. Finally the MC has a planned service project on the 30th to participate in the Virginia Beach Royal Arch Walk a Thon. Our Lodge's support for any and all of these activities will be greatly appreciated.
RW Dunaway, RW Canard, and Bro. Watkins traveled to the Masonic Home for Bro. Robert Moore's 50 Year Veteran Pin presentation by MW Quinley. Also in attendance were MW Robey and MW Cole. Bro. Moore's outstanding support of the Home was lauded.
Congratulations to the following members have assumed distinguished positions in the Appendant Bodies. Our Junior Warden, Bro. Tom Little was elected and installed as High Priest of Mount Vernon Chapter No. 14 of Royal Arch Masons. Worshipful Jim Stevenson (PM, 2003) is now Illustrious Master of Triangle Council No. 3 of Cryptic Masons in Washington, DC. And, Worshipful Mark Underwood (PM, 1996) was just elected and installed as Most Illustrious Grand Master of all Cryptic Masons in Washington, DC.
The George Washington Birthday Celebration on February 26th had a superb turnout. We were blessed with a break in the weather, and the wreath-laying ceremony at the tomb occurred on a brisk, cloudless morning with snow still on the trees and ground. It was a beautiful sight! There was many a moist eye after the bugler, Worshipful Bill Turner, finished playing "Taps" at the end of the ceremony. Approximately 60 people joined in for the reception at Collingwood, and Barbara's hot cider was a hit after coming in from the cold. All enjoyed the official reception of MW Quinley in Lodge, and his remarks and wit were warmly received. Over 130 Brethren, family and guests attended the banquet, the highlight of which was a rousing speech by Bro. Jim Rees, Executive Director of Historic Mount Vernon. His topic dealt with the perspectives on Illustrious Brother George Washington in modern literature and textbooks. His call for more recognition of the examples and teachings of such true national heroes rather than emphasis on modern sports and film stars was met with a long, standing ovation.
Brethren, I need some input from you on news to include in these pages. If you have been elected to office in an Appendant Body, have received a Masonic honor, or have a personal milestone you would like your Brothers to know about, please give me a call or email! Starting next month, I plan to have room for photos as well, so send those along if you have them.