‘Hear ye, hear ye: Short Talk Bulletins’

     
For twenty bucks a year, you can subscribe to the Masonic Service Association’s Short Talk Bulletin Online Audio Library. There are more than 275 available currently and, it seems, they add a couple more every month. From the publicity:

For almost a hundred years the Masonic Service Association of North America has published the Short Talk Bulletin every month, discussing various symbols, lore, and Masonic historical figures and events, being the de facto public face of Masonry in North America. If Masonry in North America were a church, these would be the sermons.

These have historically been printed and mailed. By subscribing to the Short Talk Bulletin Online Audio Library, every month you will receive the current Short Talk Bulletin as a spoken audio file, and in addition will receive notification of and access to the growing collection of historical STB as they are produced. The vision of Anaba Publishing is to record all of the historical STBs, being spoken/delivered by various Masons around the country; to preserve this ongoing legacy to speak to the world about the value of Masonry; and provide real and tangible support to further the goals of the MSANA: disaster relief, educational publications, and Masonic information. Membership in the Short Talk Bulletin Online Audio Library equals direct support for the MSANA. All content is used with permission of the MSANA.

Participating Narrators:

VW Bro. Peter Cutler, DEO 14th, Maine
Bro. Colin Briton, Freeport 23, Maine
RW Bro. Mark Rustin, Grand Secretary, Maine
Bro. Michael Smith, Freeport 23, Maine
RW Bro. Toby Williams, PDDGM 14th, Maine
RW Bro. Arthur L. Borland, DGM, Oregon
RW Bro. S. Joseph Esshaghian, Grand Orator, California
Bro. Erick Weiss, Freeport 23, Maine
MW Bro. Craig Hummel, PGM, Iowa
RW Bro. Dexter Rowe, DDGM 6th, Vermont
Bro. David Asherman, Freeport 23, Maine
Bro. Daniel Margasa, Amity Mosaic Lodge, Danvers, Massachusetts
WM Bro. Donald Cyr, PM Freeport 23, Maine
MW Bro. Brian J. Murphy, PGM, Montana
MW George Braatz, PGM and PGS - Ohio; Executive Secretary - MSA
Bro. Darren Marlar, Chaplain, Lodge 102, Rockford, IL
MW Bro. Russ Chardonia, PGM - California
MW Bro. William J. Thomas, PGM - New York
MW Bro. C. Michael Watson, PGM GS, Ohio
MW Bro. Walter MacDougall, PGM, Maine
RW Bro. Alan C. Hindley, DDGM 14th, Maine
Bro. Phil Pearce, Dallas 192, Georgia
Bro. David Kancz, United 8, Maine
     

‘Prince Hall cornerstone ceremony in Jersey’

     
Prince Hall Freemasons will gather at Pilgrim Baptist Church in Summit, New Jersey next month to dedicate a cornerstone. From the publicity:

Cornerstone-Laying Ceremony

Sunday, October 16

12:15 to 1:30 p.m.

Pilgrim Baptist Church

77 Morris Avenue

Summit, New Jersey

It has been the custom of the ancient and honorable fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons from time immemorial, upon due invitation, to assemble the Craft and, with appropriate ceremonies, to lay the foundation stones of Masonic edifices, churches, and other public edifices. Having accepted the invitation of Pilgrim Baptist Church to lay the foundation stone, we will convene for that purpose.

Pilgrim Baptist Church in Summit, New Jersey.

This ceremony is open to the public. Grand Lodge officers wear tails with their apron and collar of office. Brothers are dressed with the apron and collar of office.


Have you ever seen one of these celebrations? Definitely worth your while, as it offers a glimpse into a centuries-old tradition in Freemasonry that intentionally is shown to the public. Click here to read part of the Brent Morris Short Talk Bulletin on the subject.
     

‘The tools of civility’

     
You have heard of The Rules of Civility, now the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York connects its fraternal members to the tools of civility.

Magpie file photo

“There is a growing attention across our grand jurisdictions to civility projects, and bringing attention to the way we deal with each other,” said Grand Master William J. Thomas in his St. John’s Weekend address at Utica in June. “In its broadest sense, civility is just good manners.”

“Our Grand Lodge is taking a leadership posture,” he added. “We have established a working relationship with the Civility Task Force of the North American Conference of Grand Masters, and appointed a Special Committee on Civility. I ask that you encourage your Lodges and Districts to give attention to this project, with an objective of leading by example. If we act courteously and civility among ourselves and in our profane lives, perhaps it will influence others to behave likewise.”

The tools of civility include:

• Pay Attention and Listen. Listen intently when others are speaking. Inhibit the “inner voice” from interrupting with comments such as “The problem is…” or “We’ve always done it this way.”
• Be Inclusive. Civility knows no ethnicity, no level of leadership, no forum, no religion, no generation, and no bounds. Being inclusive includes everyone. It is about leading and serving for the betterment of mankind.
• No Gossiping. Gossiping is one of the most hurtful behaviors and accomplishes nothing.
• Be Respectful. Respect has nothing to do with liking or disliking someone. Respect means you can disagree without being disagreeable. Civility is respectful behavior. Respect is honorable behavior.
• Build Relationships. Leadership is about building relationships. Therefore, being civil is especially helpful in this process.
• Use Constructive Language. Be mindful of the words you use, when you use them, and also of the words you speak through your non-verbal communications.
• Take Responsibility. Don’t shift responsibility or place blame on other people. Hold yourself accountable, accept your own faults, speak positively, and respect everyone.
• You be the example. Be the example, so that others will say, “I want to be like him.”

If you haven’t seen “What Would George Washington Do?,” the June 2015 Short Talk Bulletin penned by Grand Master Thomas, click here. In it, Thomas cites the seventeenth century moral text that Washington as a youth made his own, transcribing its teachings into a personal journal for his own right thinking and right acting that is in print and available to this day. In fact, a free copy can be had, courtesy of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, by clicking here.

Other tools being harnessed by the Grand Lodge of New York are:

The Civility Center

Civility in the Craft: Points for Discussion

April 2014 Short Talk Bulletin titled “Civility” by then Deputy Grand Master of California Russ Charvonia.

Seven Stages of Civility

Civility and Respect: A Behavioral Spectrum


“Freemasonry is a progressive science,” as we say in our Craft ritual. I think part of what that means is the tenets of the fraternity do not deal in corrective measures—there isn’t talk of sin and redemption—because it is entirely a proactive teaching. Live your Masonry, and you’ll never err. I have been blessed to be among Freemasons who exude civility; I have been with those who could profit from these lessons; and I think myself and most of us land somewhere in the vast middle. Civility is present throughout Masonic imagination. Those who have ears will hear. A ritual part of the lodge closing that had been absent from our New York work for too long, but restored just a few months ago, leaves us with these words: “Every human being has a claim upon your kind offices. Do good unto all.”

SMIB.