‘Congratulations are in order’

    

Tremendous news broke earlier today.

Bro. Oscar Alleyne, the Right Worshipful Junior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of New York, the First Vice President of the Masonic Society, and a lot more, has been elected to membership in Quatuor Coronati Lodge 2076 in London.

Holy cow!

If you’re not familiar, that’s a kind of immortality in Freemasonry.

Meanwhile, at the meeting of Pennsylvania Lodge of Research, Bro. Moises Gomez was named a Fellow of the lodge! Huzzah! Moe is the RW Grand Historian of New Jersey.

I don’t know if I can sit with you guys at lunch anymore. I’ll certainly avert my eyes in the hallway.

But, wait, there’s more!

In the outside world, two Prince Hall brethren are on their way to elected public office.

RW Bro. Darren Morton, the Grand Senior Warden of the MW Prince Hall Grand Lodge of New York, won the Democrat Party primary Tuesday for Comptroller of the City of Mt. Vernon. And Bro. Malik Evans, of Eureka Lodge 36, won the party’s nomination for Mayor of Rochester.

Well done, brethren, and good luck in November!

     

‘Pennsylvania Lodge of Research’

     

Pennsylvania Lodge of Research will meet next month in Conshohocken for its Installation of Officers and to hear Moises present a paper. From the publicity:

Pennsylvania Lodge

of Research

Saturday, June 26

10 a.m. to noon

Fritz Lodge 308

RSVP (a must) here

Agenda items to include:

• Installation of Officers, including the Brother Senior Warden, Yasser Al-Khatib, being seated in the Solomonic chair.
• Moises Gomez, the Right Worshipful Grand Historian of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey, to present “Freemasonry in Cuba.”
• Lodge business and lunch.

1801 Fayette Street in Conshohocken.

     

‘Moises to deliver the Truman Lecture’

     

Missouri Lodge of Research’s Truman Lecture Series will continue as scheduled, but with this difference: It will be shown online.

Moises Gomez, once and future Grand Historian of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey, will present his well traveled “Freemasonry and the Underground Railroad” on Saturday, May 16 at noon Central Time.

There is no cost to join in, but it will be carried via Zoom, so you’ll need to have an account set up, and you also will register here. From the publicity:

Freemasonry and 

the Underground Railroad

Once again, many Freemasons stepped in and gave of themselves with considerable risk to do what was right. Slavery is a significant part of American history, and led to the Civil War that turned brother against brother, and culminated in voting rights, civil rights, and the end of segregation in America.

This is a powerful lecture which deals in Toleration, Equality, Justice, Truth, Sacrifice, Acceptance, and Respect for others.

Open to all Master Masons, family and friends.

“The time is right to always

do what is right.”

  

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Research Lodge was chartered by the Grand Lodge of Missouri, AF&AM on September 30, 1941 under the direction of MW Harry S Truman for the purpose of gathering and disseminating historical information pertaining to the origin and development of Freemasonry and to its members who have contributed to its growth and development.

One of the annual events that the Missouri Lodge of Research sponsors is the Truman Lecture, which has hosted a number of notable Masons over the years on a variety of topics. Most remarkable about the series is that it represents Freemasonry in action, the act of presenting to its membership a breadth of knowledge and information by some of the most notable speakers in the contemporary craft.

Membership in MOLoR is open to any Master Mason in or out of the state of Missouri. In-state members may participate as active members, with access to lectures and events in the state. Out-of-state correspondent members receive MoLAR’s quarterly newsletter, an annual book selection published by the Lodge of Research, and all of their other correspondence materials.
     

‘Freemasonry and the Underground Railroad’

     
Upcoming lecture. From the publicity:

Moises Gomez

The Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library of the Grand Lodge of New York will welcome RW Moises Gomez, Past Master of Atlas-Pythagoras Lodge 10 in New Jersey, to present a lecture on “Freemasonry and the Underground Railroad.” Thursday, June 29 at 6:30 p.m. at Masonic Hall (71 West 23rd Street in Manhattan).

Through this lecture, Gomez plans to construe the evolution of the Abolitionist movement and its relationship with Freemasonry. In addition to discussing the Abolitionist movement, he will speak about the role that Prince Hall Freemasons played in their struggle to achieve justice, freedom, and equality for all.

Gomez has presided over six Masonic bodies and has membership in more than 30 Masonic organizations, research groups, and societies, such as SRICF, AASR, York Rite, Red Cross of Constantine, Athelstan, and National Sojourners and Operatives. He is the chairman of the annual Allied Masonic Degrees Masonic Week in Virginia, and is a past Grand Historian of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey.

Seating is limited, so please RSVP here. Photo ID is required to enter Masonic Hall.
     

‘MRF Symposium 2015’

     
The Masonic Restoration Foundation’s Sixth Annual Symposium in Philadelphia is only a month away, but the deadline to register is July 31.

I am happy to report most of the presenters this year are brethren of The Masonic Society. Yours truly will be among them, and I hardly can contain my excitement to be working with these Freemasons.

All the copy that follows is taken directly from the MRF’s website, but here are the essential links:

Symposium registration here. Hotel accommodations here. Full program here.

Click to enlarge.

The Masonic Restoration Foundation Symposium is the largest gathering of Masons in the United States who are expressly committed to observing the highest standards of excellence in the Craft. This year we are honored and privileged to be holding this great event at what is arguably the most beautiful Masonic temple on the continent: the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

The Symposium will take place from August 21-23, with meetings conducted in Corinthian, Ionic, and Norman Halls. The event will begin with an authentic English-styled Festive Board held in the Grand Banquet Hall on Friday evening, conducted by the brethren of Fiat Lux Lodge No. 1717, an English Emulation Lodge chartered under the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, and featuring comments from our Keynote Speaker, Robert Herd. Along with our usual lineup of interesting speakers, brothers will have the opportunity to see an Entered Apprentice degree using the unique Pennsylvania ritual, conferred by Fritz Lodge No. 308, the host lodge for the Symposium. Registration for the Symposium is $110.00.

This event is not to be missed, and we have secured excellent rates for accommodation at the Courtyard directly across from the Temple. All the information you need to participate is found here on this web site. We look forward to seeing you at the Symposium!

Brian Skoff
Master, Fritz Lodge No. 308
Organizer, MRF Symposium 2015

What is the MRF Symposium?

The MRF Symposium is a meeting place for Masons who are seeking the highest form of Masonic experience they can attain within their lodges, while strictly conforming to the laws, resolutions, and edicts of their respective grand lodges. It is a gathering for those who pursue quality in the Craft to share ideas and discuss their work. The Symposium begins on Friday evening at 7 PM, with a Festive Board in the Grand Banquet Hall, and concludes at noon on Sunday. We are fortunate to have an excellent program of speakers and presenters this year.

Who May Attend the Symposium?

Any Mason in good standing may register for the Symposium, provided he is a member of a Grand Lodge which is a member of, or is recognized by any of the Grand Lodges which are members of, the Conference of Grand Masters of North America. Registration for the Symposium is $110.00.

Topics and Panels

• Freemasonry’s “Near Death” Experience
• Constituting a New Observant Lodge
• Restoring an Existing Lodge
• The Initiatory Experience and Human Nature
• Incorporating the Fine Arts into the Lodge
• The Role of the Masonic Restoration Foundation
• Restoration Through the Centuries
• Come to Your Senses
• Admit Him if Properly Clothed
• Can We Transform a Brotherhood of Change?

Oscar Alleyne will give the Symposium's
Closing Address on Sunday morning.

Andrew Hammer, President of the Masonic Restoration

Foundation, will present the Opening Address.

Robert Herd will deliver the keynote address
at the Festive Board on Friday evening.

Dress Code for the Symposium: The Festive Board Friday evening will be formal (tuxedo is preferred, but black suit and black tie will be acceptable).

Saturday all attendees are required to wear dark suit and tie. No jeans or sneakers are permitted in the Temple.

Sunday will be business casual.

Note on Parking: A 20 percent discount will be provided only at the parking garage located at 1201 Filbert St, Philadelphia (if you exit the 13th Street side of the garage, the rear of the hotel is across 13th Street).
     

‘Back to the Bowery’

  

Bust of Tompkins
at the church

Freemasonry is headed back to the Bowery this weekend.

Beginning the Scottish Rite Northern Masonic Jurisdiction’s celebration of its bicentenary, the New York Council of Deliberation will re-dedicate the gravesite of Daniel D. Tompkins, the first Sovereign Grand Commander of the NMJ, on Saturday morning.

Click here for information about the site and a previous celebration of Tompkins.

The gravesite is located at St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery, at 131 East 10th Street, at Second Avenue. The brethren will gather there at 11 a.m.

Any questions should be directed to Event Chairman Moises Gomez at gomez1rego(at)aol.com
  

'Deep Purple'

  

Ambassadors Jason, Piers, and Steven traveled to Atlas-Pythagoras Lodge No. 10 Friday night, bringing with them the historic George Washington Bible. The holy text has been owned by their lodge, St. John's No. 1 Antient York Masons, since the 1760s, and it is in fact the Volume of Sacred Law upon which George Washington took his first presidential oath of office on April 30, 1789 at Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York City.

I can't even remember the last time I was in a Craft lodge, but Friday night was the installation of Moises Gomez into the Solomonic chair. Wasn't going to miss that. And besides, he asked me to take pictures.

They came from all over New Jersey, from New York City, from the Hudson Valley, Delaware, New Hampshire, maybe elsewhere too. About 150 of us met to salute a Mason who I think is the hardest working Brother I've ever seen. We all know guys who excel in a million things in lodge, or in Scottish Rite, or the Shrine, or wherever, but Moises is everywhere. And without neglecting family and career.

Of course now that he is Master of his lodge -- oh, did I mention it's Atlas-Pythagoras Lodge? The Provincial Grand Lodge of Union County? -- I imagine he'll have to change some of his habits and scale back the extra-curricular stuff. Or at least that would be my strong advice to him.

It was a grand evening. Plus I got to see Piers, Jason, and Steven from St. John's No. 1. I hardly get to see those guys any more.

The Rampant Lion Pipe Band set the tone by opening the festivities with a Scottish march.

The George Washington Inaugural Bible with Square and Compasses.

The banner of the lodge. I'll try to decode the coat of arms. Clockwise from top left: Atlas and Pythagoras; three plows denoting New Jersey heritage; three S&Cs representing Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty; and the cornucopia, because this lodge has everything in abundance. "Ex tenebris lux" can be understood as "From darkness, light." 

The appointed officers for 2012. Thurman, at left, is the Historian.

Not easy zooming in to get this shot of the new Master's gavel,
presented to him by Junior Warden Mike.

It's almost a crime to cut into this cake.

Very Worshipful Brother Piers Vaughan presents Worshipful Brother Moises Gomez a miniature replica of the George Washington Inaugural Bible, a memento from St. John's Lodge No. 1 AYM.