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| Most of the brethren present at Saugerties. |
I conclude the Magpie Month of May with news of The American Lodge of Research’s visit to George Clinton Chapter of Rose Croix Saturday. Officers from both groups presented talks from the lectern in Saugerties.
RW Bro. Christopher Winnicki, Senior Master of Ceremonies of The ALR, opened the day with his research into the first edict of the Roman Catholic Church against Freemasonry. This presentation connected many historical dots involving a succession of popes and a variety of European monarchs and their empires before concluding that Pope Clement XII’s 1738 ban on Catholics joining Freemasonry had less to do with any alleged fault of our fraternity, and more to do with one pope’s desire to excommunicate a certain royal personage. A fascinating thesis worth hearing directly from this scholar.
Sublime Prince Marc Eskridge, 32°, MSA, HGA, who serves as Commander in Chief of Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Consistory, discussed the Core Values imparted by the rituals of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction. Zeroing in on the 20°, Master ad Vitam, he explained how a lesson in Integrity was taught ironically through the history of Benedict Arnold’s disloyalty during the American Revolution. Citing another Revolutionary War leader, Benjamin Franklin, as presented in the 25°, Master of Achievement, Eskridge explained how this Founding Father’s prowess in science, industry, and commerce most definitely made him a hero in Service to Humanity.
SP Robert Rhoades, 32°, Past Most Wise Master of the Chapter, discussed possible influences of Freemasonry on Colonial America, in which he urged the brethren to be wary of broad assertions of the Craft’s importance in our nation’s early years. Not all signers of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were Masons, for example, only some of them. “Let’s not embellish the accomplishments of an already accomplished organization,” he cautioned.
And closing the enlightening day, The American Lodge of Research’s Worshipful Master, Yves Etienne, 33°, MSA, who has served in the East of the four bodies of the Valley of New York City, treated the brethren to “Who Is, or What Is, Tubal Cain?” This exploration of the genealogy of the first artificer in brass and iron, who is central to Masonic ritual, examined one Biblical generation after another. In this way, Etienne peeled back many layers of knowledge to reveal symbolic and other significance to these Biblical figures that Freemasons can appreciate.
The American Lodge of Research meets in New York City, but also devotes one meeting per year to traveling beyond the city and holding special meetings with lodges and other Masonic bodies. The four bodies of the Valley of the Hudson are dispersed around the Hudson Valley, north of New York City.
Many thanks to RW and Ill. Dave Barkstedt for setting it up. We had a great time!
