‘It’s beefsteak season!’

   

Mariners 67

Mariners Lodge 67 in the First Manhattan District will host its famous Beefsteak Dinner later this month, which I mention here to urge you to attend. These are unforgettable banquets for enjoying course after course of terrific food (and not just beef), libations, song, and a camaraderie I don’t think can be found elsewhere. It’s a rite of passage unto its own.

This will take place Saturday, February 24. From the publicity:

Maritime Festive Board

and Beefsteak Banquet

February 24 at 6:30 p.m.

Masonic Hall, Jacobean Room

Attire: Tuxedo (preferred) or Business Formal, and everyone gets a Butcher’s Apron. This event is open to Masons and male guests only. Doors open at six; gavel at 7:30.

Tentative Menu:

First Course

Iced Shrimp, The Ancient Mariner’s Cured Salmon, House Pickles

Second Course

House-Smoked Brisket Pastrami with Rye Toast, Roast Pork with Rolls, Tomato-Braised Lamb Meatballs

Third Course

Memphis-Style Dry-Rubbed Pork Ribs, 72-Hour Braised Beef Short Ribs, Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing

Fourth Course

Strip Steak, Lamb Chops, Roasted Potato Wedges

Fifth Course

Assorted Dessert Platters

Draft beer from the legendary Bronx Beer Hall.

Click here to book your seats. This is a perfect group activity for your lodge.

Granted, the ticket price is a lot of money, but if you plopped down in a restaurant and ordered those dishes, you’d have to wash dishes to get back out the door.

Click here for coverage of the last time I attended.

Make time to read Joseph Mitchell’s legendary story from 1939, originally in the New Yorker, titled “All You Can Hold for Five Bucks.” Click here and turn to Page 291.

     

‘Wendell K. Walker Lecture 2013’

  
If it’s spring, it must be time for the annual Wendell K. Walker Lecture hosted by Independent Royal Arch Lodge No. 2 – “Old Number 2” – of the First Manhattan District. It’s this Thursday!

Courtesy Rome Sentinel

RW Bro. Bruce Renner will speak on “The Outermost Order: Freemasonry and the Western Esoteric Tradition.” Bro. Renner is a Past Senior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of New York, and is the president of the board of trustees of the Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library. In the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Bro. Renner holds memberships in several Valleys in upstate New York; he holds the 33°, and he currently is working on a comprehensive history of the AASR in New York from the Union of 1867 to the present. In the York Rite, he is a Past Grand High Priest of the Grand Chapter of New York, and holds both the KYCH and the Order of the Purple Cross. (I have never heard of the latter.) His lecture Thursday night will define what is meant by “esoterica” in the Craft, and will explain various paths an esoterically inclined Mason might wish to pursue, acknowledging however that not all the brethren are so motivated.

Once again, the lecture and the dinner will take place in separate venues, and reservations are required. Leave me a note with your name and e-mail address (not for publication) in the Magpie comments section, and I’ll put you in touch with Bro. George, the Junior Warden of the lodge. The lecture will be hosted in the Empire Room on the twelfth floor of Masonic Hall (71 West 23rd Street in Manhattan) at 7:30 p.m. Afterward, the brethren will retire to dinner at Aleo, located at 7 West 20th Street. The fixed price menu, at $50 per person, includes wine and beer, and gratuity. A cocktail cash bar will be available.

See you there!
  

‘A grand evening’

    

Wednesday night was the occasion of the public apron re-presentation for both RW J. Scott Nagel, District Deputy Grand Master of the First Manhattan District, and RW Jason Sheridan, Grand Director of Ceremonies, at Masonic Hall. St. John’s Lodge No. 1 specifically. Scores of guests, dozens of dignitaries, more than several speeches, and the main event itself made for a dizzyingly eventful evening.

Opening the historic George Washington Inaugural Bible before the start
of the public ceremony.

Posting the colors.

Jason, left, accepts his Commission from Deputy Grand Master Bill Thomas.

Scott, flanked by his wife and Grand Master James Sullivan,
accepts his Commission.

VW Piers Vaughan, Worshipful Master of St. John's,
presented Jason his jewel of office.

The Solomonic Chair of St. John's No. 1, AYM.

The gavel.

‘Apron presentations’

    
I intended to post this weeks ago, while there still was time for dinner reservations, but here is the good news anyway.

RW John Walker Robinson and RW Jason Sheridan are the kind of Masons you like to see in Grand Lodge office. Both are important to the 21st century revival of Craft Masonry in New York City, and with many more years of labor ahead of them, things will improve further.  (I look forward to getting to know RW Bro. Nagel.)

It is a classy tradition in the Grand Lodge of New York, that of presenting (or re-presenting) the grand rank apron to the staff officer in his mother lodge. These events are pretty amazing, with testimonials from longtime brethren, and the presence of so many relatives and friends. I regret not being able to attend tomorrow night, but I hope to be there on the 17th.

‘Tonight at the First Manhattan District’

    
Tonight is the first of the three-part Masonic Development Course in the First Manhattan District. Topics will include the 24-inch gauge and Masonic etiquette. The brethren will meet from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Wendell Walker Room, first floor of Masonic Hall. (71 West 23rd Street in Manhattan.)

 

The remaining dates:

 

Session 2, Monday, Jan. 17, 2011
Session 3, Monday, Feb. 7, 2011

 

The cost per person is $30, which pays for the course book, and the framed certificate and pin for those who complete the work.

 

The purpose of the MDC is to educate new Masons in each of the three Craft degrees including ritual, tradition and history. It is recommended that this course be taken immediately after conferral of the Master Mason Degree.

 

The Masonic Development Course booklet is available through Lodge Services at Masonic Hall. It should be distributed in advance of Session 1 to allow sufficient time to complete the homework assignment.

 

In the Introduction to the MDC the instructors will define Freemasonry. The brethren will gain insight into:

 

• Origins and Purposes of Freemasonry
• Famous Freemasons
• Transition from Operative to Speculative Masonry
• Origin of First Grand Lodge
• Is Freemasonry a Secret Society? Is it a Religion?
• Qualifications of a Petitioner
• Preparation of the Candidate
• The Dignity and Decorum of Freemasonry

 

The first section also explains the Entered Apprentice Degree. The brethren will review and discuss questions pertaining to the ritual.

 

In the second section, the importance of the Middle Chamber Lecture is discussed and explained. In this section the brethren will discuss the symbolism of the Fellowcraft Degree. All quiz and discussion questions will be reviewed and discussed by all participants.

 

The last section explains the Hiramic Legend and the meaning of the Master Mason Degree.

 

Each section should consist of a 2-to-3 hour session. Instructors who are well versed in a particular topic should be used to present and discuss that topic. Homework assignments should be given prior to the first session and after Sessions 1 and 2.

 

MDC should be given on a non-meeting night, either in the collation room or in a facility where the brethren feel comfortable, knowing the lodge is taking an interest in the education. The new brethren and their mentors should attend together. If necessary the course can be given by a group of lodges or as a district.

 

Every brother taking the course should have a personal copy of the Standard Work and Lectures.

 

By the end of the third section every brother should have a working knowledge of each of the three degrees and should be able to explain the meanings and importance of each.