I had the good fortune two weeks ago to visit Mariners Lodge 67 on the occasion of its Entered Apprentice Degree done tavern style. (They had me at “tavern.” All you have to do is add tavern to the name of whatever you’re doing, and I’m there. I even brought a clay pipe with me…just in case.) It was a great night with the First Section conferred expertly in the lodge room, with the Junior Warden in the East, and the Lecture and remaining work presented next door in the dining room. The Lecture really was done tavern style—not just with the brethren seated at table with food and drink, but in a way similar to how Masons did it in ye olden days—with the call-and-response method of the Master posing questions, and the brethren answering. Not all of us. To keep things orderly, a group of eight or so did the talking while the rest of us did the eating and drinking. (If you’re not aware, the modern lecture we see today—the monologue of twenty minutes or so—is an example of how things have changed over the generations. In the tavern age of Masonic meetings, the lecture was a group function. The Master asked questions, and the brethren on the sidelines took turns answering them. This form of lecture has become the Opening ritual, and there were lectures for all three degrees.*)
Anyway, it was a great night for those reasons and others, and another outstanding evening is planned for next Wednesday. From the publicity:
Mariners Lodge 67
Wednesday, April 12 at 7 p.m.
Masonic Hall
71 West 23rd Street
Manhattan
Doric Room, 8th floor
Work of the Evening: Talk by RW Piers A. Vaughan titled “Symbolism, and Freemasonry as a Mystery School.”
Brother Vaughan became a Mason in England in 1979, and he joined a number of orders before joining St. John’s Lodge No. 1 in New York, of which he is a two-time Past Master. He has traveled extensively across the United States and other countries giving lectures on a variety of topics ranging from Masonic history to talks on the symbols and esotericism of Masonry. He is the author of several books on Masonic topics, including Renaissance Man and Mason, which was published in October 2016. He is a longtime friend of Mariners Lodge and we are delighted to have him back as this month’s speaker.
Maritime Festive Board Menu: a Jamaican feast including Stewed Oxtail; Jerk Chicken; Grilled Snapper Jamaican Herbs and Spices; Rice & Peas; Callaloo (Jamaican-Style Stewed Greens); Shredded Steamed Cabbage & Carrots; Caesar Salad; Mixed Fruit Bowl; Soda and the Infamous Mariners Lodge Punch.
Cost of the Festive Board is $35 plus transaction fees. Reservations, before Monday the 10th, are required. Click here.
Don’t forget the lodge’s charity gala too:
And in other news, Worshipful Master Anthony Kofi A. Osei-Tutu visited Havana about a week and a half ago, and met with the Grand Master of Cuba!
*If you want to learn why lodges open only on the Third Degree, RW Samuel Lloyd Kinsey, a Past Master of Mariners, will present his lecture “The American System: Why We Open on the Third Degree” on Thursday, April 20 at Old Number 2.
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