Why Memorial Day Matters

By Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB Gregory J. Knott

Memorial Day for many is the beginning of summer and time to spend outside with family and friends.   I have done so many times myself, but in recent years I have begun reflecting on what Memorial Day really should mean for all of us.

Sgt. Arthur J. Knott 1917-1944

In World War II my Great-Uncle Arthur J. Knott was serving in the 8^th Infantry Division, 45^th Artillery Battalion of the U.S. Army and was participating in the Battle of the Bulge near the Hurtgen Forest in Germany.

The 8^th Division was driving hard through what was described as “the dense and forbidding forests…During this day and night artillery hell in the mud and snow of the Hurtgen Forest…”  The 45^th Artillery was having on average one soldier per day wounded during the battle.  On December 24, 1944 Sgt. Knott stepped on a landmine and died two days later from wounds he received because of the explosion.

I have some letters that Art was writing home to his sisters.  The first few are from July 1944 when he was in England and things were going well.  In an October 13, 1944 letter, while he was in Belgium Art wrote, “I haven’t been feeling so well for the past few weeks.  My back has been hurting right smart, but the doctor don’t do it any good.  You know I am not a young chicken anymore and I can’t take it like I used to.  Have you heard any more about Junior (his brother/my Grandfather Hiram Knott Jr. who had been injured in Europe)?  How about Dad and all the rest (of his siblings)?”

Things were tough for Art and were going to get tougher in the weeks ahead, as the Battle of Bulge began in full force.  Yet from his letters, I could tell he was mainly concerned with his family.  How were his brothers and sisters doing?  He had two other brothers in the service, Hiram Knott, Jr. and Dillard Knott.  In many of the letters he was asking about his father Hiram Knott, Sr., but seemingly had not heard from him in many months.

Art’s letter give insight into what I believe most soldiers are feeling, that is they are serving their country to help and protect their loved ones at home.  They are ensuring our freedoms and liberties to help our democracy survive and prosper.

I never knew my Uncle personally, but learned his story him from his brothers and sisters all whom have passed on now.  

To the Gold Star families who have lost loved ones in the service to our country, I extend to you my heartfelt thanks for helping defend freedom.

WB Gregory J. Knott is the Past Master of St. Joseph Lodge No. 970 in St. Joseph (IL) and a plural member of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL) and Naval Lodge No. 4 in Washington, DC.  He’s a member of the Scottish Rite, the York Rite, Eastern Star and is the Charter Secretary of the Illini High Twelve Club No. 768 in Champaign-Urbana.  He is also a member of ANSAR Shrine (IL) and the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees.  Greg serves on the Board of Directors of The Masonic Society and is a member of the Scottish Rite Research Society and The Philathes Society.  Greg is very involved in Boy Scouts—an Eagle Scout himself, he is a member of the National Association of Masonic Scouters. 

The First Step in Masonry

An examination of the role of the Senior Warden

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB Adam Thayer

Recently, I’ve been lucky enough to sit as Senior Warden for a number of Entered Apprentice degrees. Of course, as often happens, my mind starts to wander during the “downtime” of the station, and I found myself considering the truly magnificent role the Senior Warden plays, that we usually take for granted.

At a relatively early point in the degree, the Senior Warden teaches the candidate, who is not yet a Mason, the proper way to approach Masonry. This lesson is often glossed over, as immediately after the man takes the first obligation and becomes a brother, however there are infinite depths that can be explored from this very short, simple teaching.

The Senior Warden is responsible for helping the candidate take his first step in Masonry. What a powerful moment, when we are reminded of how Masonry should be taught: an experienced, established brother guiding an inexperienced one, by example and by allegory.

The candidate is taught (and we are reminded) of the importance of walking and standing uprightly. This lesson is repeated over and over throughout the three degrees, however this is the first time the candidate is exposed to the idea.

The candidate is also taught to take growth slowly, and to only take one step at a time. It is very easy, in our excitement for the teachings of the fraternity, to get ahead of ourselves and try to learn everything at once. Freemasonry, however, is a progressive science, and it is pointless to try to learn the wisdom that we aren’t prepared for. So, for now, just take the one step in front of you.

Finally, we remind the candidate of the importance of acting on the square. Again, this is reemphasized at many different points in the degrees, however as it is one of the most valuable teachings of our institution it cannot be discussed enough.

All of this is taught in just a few sentences, which is a constant reminder to me of the depth of teaching that our ancient ritual writers were able to understand, and that we hope, by a constant application of study, to rediscover.
~AT

WB. Bro. Adam Thayer is the Senior Warden of Lancaster Lodge No. 54 in Lincoln (NE) and a past master of Oliver Lodge No. 38 in Seward (NE). He’s an active member in the Knights of Saint Andrew, and on occasion remembers to visit the Scottish and York Rites as well. He continues to be reappointed to the Grand Lodge of Nebraska Education Committee, and serves with fervency and zeal. He is a sub-host on The Whence Came You podcast, and may be reached at adam@wcypodcast.com. He will not help you get your whites whiter or your brights brighter, but he does enjoy conversing with brothers from around the world!

How Good it is for Brethren to Dwell Together in Unity

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB Gregory J. Knott

On a recent trip to Washington DC, I had the honor of visiting Potomac Lodge No. 5.   Potomac Lodge is located in the heart of the Georgetown area of DC.  It was a fantastic night for a visit as the Entered Apprentice degree was being conducted that night.  In addition Corinthian Lodge No. 18 of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia was visiting.

The lodge room of Potomac Lodge No. 5 in Washington DC

One of the first things you notice in any visit to a DC lodge is diverse array of brethren that are in attendance.  These brethren are from all walks of life, many of whom are career military, work in government or are civilian contractors.  

Though I didn’t personally know any of the brethren, I was welcomed like a long lost friend.  We had dinner before the meeting, where the conversation was both interesting and enlightening.  

As with every lodge, Potomac Lodge has many historical artifacts in their possession.  But no other lodge in the world has the gavel that George Washington used at the laying of the cornerstone of the United States Capitol building.    The actual gavel is stored in a bank vault across the street from the lodge.

The brethren of Potomac Lodge did a fantastic job with the ritual and floor work.  Four new brethren were initiated as Entered Apprentice’s that night.  You could feel a true sense of excitement in the room as these new brothers began their Masonic journey.

It was a great pleasure to also meet the brethren of Corinthian Lodge who are some of the finest Masons I have ever met.  There seriousness in regards to the craft was obvious.

Brethren of Corinthian Lodge No. 18 MWGLPHDC who were visiting Potomac Lodge.

I encourage you to visit a lodge in DC if you ever have the opportunity.  You will find the brethren friendly and ready to welcome you.   I have found the visits so gratifying myself that I became a plural member of Naval Lodge No. 4 in 2014.  It is truly an opportunity to “Dwell together in Unity.”

~GJK

WB Gregory J. Knott is the Past Master of St. Joseph Lodge No. 970 in St. Joseph (IL) and a plural member of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL) and Naval Lodge No. 4 in Washington, DC. He’s a member of the Scottish Rite, the York Rite, Eastern Star and is the Charter Secretary of the Illini High Twelve Club No. 768 in Champaign-Urbana. He is also a member of ANSAR Shrine (IL) and the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees. Greg serves on the Board of Directors of The Masonic Society and is a member of the Scottish Rite Research Society and The Philathes Society. Greg is very involved in Boy Scouts—an Eagle Scout himself, he is a member of the National Association of Masonic Scouters

A Poem

by Midnight Freemason Guest Contributor

Bro. Brett Thomas

Untitled

The Master stands, chisel in hand

His canvas is a living stone, his canvas is a man.

Shaving here, honing there, the Master perfects the stone

As time continues onward, the perfect ashlar is shown.

Intemperance, pride, greed and the like

The Master quells with every strike.

The living stones, imperfections all

Fall as dust with the hammer's fall.

The rough stone, chisel, and circumstance are furnished by the Master

My choices are the hammer's strikes, making the perfect ashlar. 

Bro. Brett Thomas is a Florida professional firefighter and a newly passed FC. He is a member of Cabul Lodge, No 116 in Green Cove Springs, Florida.

Lighten Up Francis

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB Adam Thayer

With apologies to our ever-patient editor, Robert.

I recently enjoyed a discussion with some of the other Midnight Freemasons, regarding page views (which is the only solid metric we have to measure our success) and how we had noticed a correlation between the depth of the topic discussed and the amount of viewers that we reached. Of course, if you’ve ever been involved in any organized Masonic education, you’ve had this discussion too; in fact, the Nebraska Grand Lodge Education Committee has it ever year when we’re planning our topics!

As educators, we all want to dig deep into the guts of Freemasonry and teach how it ticks, but unfortunately this turns off many of the people we are trying to reach, who would much prefer something lighter and more easily digestible. Those few scholars who do brave the depths of our more advanced topics are rewarded with a wealth of knowledge, but the more average Mason wouldn’t get past the headline “A Judeo-Christian Examination of the Middle Chamber Lecture”. (That was not a random example, it’s a paper I’ve been dying to write)

As entertainers (and let’s be honest, that is a part of our job as well), we are under the constraint of giving the public what they want, even at the cost of sacrificing some of our deeper esoterica. If we do our jobs perfectly, you will be entertained, and you will learn something in the process. If done poorly, we either write something fun with absolutely no substance, like we’re the pop musicians of Freemasonry, or we write something so dense that nobody can understand it, like modern day Albert Pikes.

The issue becomes this: what level do we write at, to pull in new viewers, to keep our current readers coming back, and to bring back viewers we may have lost. Does that sound familiar? What if we substituted “viewers” for “brothers”? Isn’t that the same issue that most of our lodges are having right now? In my Scottish Rite valley, it is referred to as “The Three R’s”: recruitment, retention, and reinstatement.

In education, if you’re very lucky, you have someone with a big-picture view to balance out the needs of the viewers with the needs of the writers, and we’re blessed to have an editor who keeps us in line but still gives us the freedom to write what we want, and for that I am infinitely thankful.

So, now I’m going to turn the question around to you: what do YOU want to see here? We have this great feedback section at the bottom of every post, we would love for you to use it!!! Let us know if there’s something you want to read about. If you read one of our papers and want more like it, tell us. If you think we’re completely wrong about something (it happens more than you think), tell us. Page hits is only a useful metric to track how many eyeballs we reached, but what we really want to know is how many minds did we reach!

~AT

WB. Bro. Adam Thayer is the Senior Warden of Lancaster Lodge No. 54 in Lincoln (NE) and a past master of Oliver Lodge No. 38 in Seward (NE). He’s an active member in the Knights of Saint Andrew, and on occasion remembers to visit the Scottish and York Rites as well. He continues to be reappointed to the Grand Lodge of Nebraska Education Committee, and serves with fervency and zeal. He is a sub-host on The Whence Came You podcast, and may be reached at adam@wcypodcast.com. He will not help you get your whites whiter or your brights brighter, but he does enjoy conversing with brothers from around the world!

Bringing Back The Light Part 5: The Return Of The Rite

by Midnight Freemasons Founder

Todd E. Creason, 33°

Most Excellent Grand High Priest of Illinois, Sean McBride holding old Homer Royal Arch sign

Part 5 of the Bringing Back the Light Series

The Royal Arch had an important role in Freemasonry in Homer, Illinois from the beginning of Freemasonry's story in that community.  In fact, it was Royal Arch Chapter funds that built the Homer Temple in 1896.

But the Homer Royal Arch Chapter's light went out just a few years ago--its long history ended with little more than a note in the Lodge minutes and the surrender of the charter to the Illinois Grand Chapter.  We took the metal Royal Arch sign down from beside our entry door outside, and tossed it in the junk room.  There was little that could be done to save it at the time--the Lodge struggled each month to just get a quorum to open the Lodge.  The Lodge knew when the Chapter went under that if something didn't change soon, they'd be next.

MEGHP Sean McBride and Greg Knott prior to Admiration Chapter opening for the first time

A lot has been done in the last three years, but the Lodge has a long way to go.  The last thing you'd expect us to be thinking would be about bringing back the Royal Arch.  But that's exactly what a few of us were thinking.  And we began talking about it in earnest with the Grand Chapter of Illinois.  We had some different ideas about what a chapter might look like in Homer.  We didn't seek to reform the original chapter--we thought we had a far better idea.  We wanted a new chapter--a more regional chapter.  We wanted a chapter with a particular focus on Masonic education and member development.  We wanted a chapter that wouldn't only thrive, but could serve as an Education resource to other York Rite Chapters and Blue Lodges in the area.  And the Grand Chapter liked that idea very much.

And that's how the idea for Admiration Chapter was born.  In fact, it is still going through the process of being chartered, but in Illinois, there are few Chapters doing work that is getting more talk and attention than Admiration Chapter in Homer, Illinois.  Even before we've got a charter, we're growing rapidly.  We have great meetings, short on business and long on excellent educational programs.  During our last meeting we had a moderated discussion on civility that was probably one of the best meetings I've ever attended.  A few weeks ago, we had Chapter degrees at Homer Lodge--nine candidates went through those degrees (including the Worshipful Master of Homer Lodge No. 199).  There were probably more Masons in the Homer Temple that evening than had been congregated in that building in many decades.

Admiration Chapter members with nine new Royal Arch candidates at Homer Temple in April 2016

We understood that Chapter would play a key role in bringing back Homer Lodge--in fact, we believe that Admiration Chapter will help a lot of Lodges because our focus is on education.  That's what our new members want, and that's what we so often fail to provide.  Boring meetings are much of the reason we can't get our members coming to our meetings, or retaining the interest of our new members.  It's going so well with Admiration Chapter that even the Grand Chapter is looking at some of the things we're trying to do and how they might apply some of those same principles at the State level--providing our members with good education, and resources so that they can continue to explore and come to understand and apply all that Freemasonry has to teach to their own lives.

As I said in my first book, Famous American Freemasons, our Fraternity has always attracted industrious men.  It still does. 

~TEC 

Todd E. Creason, 33° is the Founder of the Midnight Freemasons blog and is a regular contributor.  He is the author of several books and novels, including the Famous American Freemasons series. He is the author of the From Labor to Refreshment blog.  He is a Past Master of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), and currently serves as the Secretary, and is also a member of Homer Lodge No. 199 where he serves as Senior Warden.  He is a member the Scottish Rite Valley of Danville, the York Rite Bodies of Champaign/Urbana (IL), the Ansar Shrine (IL), Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees, Charter President of the Illini High Twelve in Champaign-Urbana (IL), and a Fellow of the Missouri Lodge of Research.  He is a charter member of a new Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter U.D.  He was named the 2014 Illinois Secretary of the Year Award by the Illinois Masonic Secretaries Association.  You can contact him at: webmaster@toddcreason.org

Depression In The Craft

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB Adam Thayer

Recently, I made a post on Facebook about how depression and comedy go hand in hand. The feedback I got was surprising; a lot of Masons wrote me in private, saying they too were depressed, and it made me think: am I depressed? Is Freemasonry filled with depressed people?

Depression seems to be more prevalent among certain mind sets: the artists, the aesthetes, those who are creative and appreciate beauty. Those who, in a search for truth and beauty, may find themselves naturally drawn to a society that teaches the importance of both.

I’ve often joked in the past that after finishing a big art project (like writing five papers in a month), I experience the artistic version of postpartum depression; I feel drained and empty, overwhelmed at the thought of ever writing another word, and completely disconnected from the world around me. Of course, it is nothing like real postpartum (which involves hormones and other complicated things), but it’s a pretty appropriate metaphor for my experience.

Science has long shown a solid link between creativity and mental disorder, and I know that personally when I’m at my most creative I’m also a complete wreck. As Lord Byron once said, “We of the craft are all crazy. Some are affected by gaiety, others by melancholy, but all are more or less touched.”

Freemasonry is the perfect home for the artist, who can create and share with his brothers in a place where criticism is, generally, positive and useful. The written word is especially powerful, as we value the exchange of knowledge so highly, however our craft has also enjoyed the talents of many successful painters, sculptors, musicians, actors, and those skilled in stagecraft, all of whom find that they may continue to refine their work within our metaphorical walls, and in return hide allegorical messages in their product for us to discover and enjoy.

As for me, I’m just trying to recover from the mad rush of papers in March and April, and force my fingers back onto the keyboard. I’m sorry I haven’t been as active in writing as I had been in the past, and I hope that I’m on the uphill climb of this roller coaster again!

~AT

WB. Bro. Adam Thayer is the Senior Warden of Lancaster Lodge No. 54 in Lincoln (NE) and a past master of Oliver Lodge No. 38 in Seward (NE). He’s an active member in the Knights of Saint Andrew, and on occasion remembers to visit the Scottish and York Rites as well. He continues to be reappointed to the Grand Lodge of Nebraska Education Committee, and serves with fervency and zeal. He is a sub-host on The Whence Came You podcast, and may be reached at adam@wcypodcast.com. He will not help you get your whites whiter or your brights brighter, but he does enjoy conversing with brothers from around the world!

The Secrets are All Out There, Jack

by Midnight Freemason Guest Contributor

Bro. Mike Kennelly

I recently had a co-worker ask me about joining the Freemasons. He noticed the emblem on my car and of course my Masonic ring. I was excited. Our small lodge does not receive many petitions. 

I asked why he was interested in joining the fraternity and the answer he gave stopped the petition process cold. “I have been having a lot of medical issues, Jack” This guy is a huge Duck Dynasty fan and my children informed me that some character on the show calls everybody "Jack", so now this guy follows everything he says with "Jack". 

He continued, “I have heard that if you’re a Mason you can get help with your medical bills”.  I replied “My name is Mike, and that is not a good reason to join. Yes there are some innate advantages to being a Mason, which comes with the work and time you put in, but Masons join to help others, not to help themselves."

He was not happy about it but I told him I could not sign his petition to the lodge at that time, and that maybe he should learn more about the organization before deciding if Masonry was right for him. It turns out, Masonry was not right for him. 

Shortly after this he began to somewhat harass me about Freemasonry. He apparently did some “research” online and found out as much as he could about the secret rituals, handshakes, and other secrets of the fraternity. 

One afternoon he cornered me and said, “You Masons are nothing special, Jack. All of your “secret” rituals are on line, HAHA!” He caught me off guard but I stayed cool and said sarcastically “Yeah, that stuff is probably all true, I mean, it is on the internet.” and then I walked away.  He did make me think though, "Is that true? Is all of our ritual really posted online?"

I did my own research and was really surprised as to what I found. He was right, all of our secret rituals, handshakes, and passwords are out there and very easy to find.  I did find a lot of fluff as well--goats, skulls, etc. 

Another day he cornered me again. “You Masons are liars, Jack. You guys say that you do not show favoritism to other Masons but from what I read that's not true. I read about a guy who got out of a traffic ticket because he and the police officer were both Masons.”

Again I didn’t react or take the bait. I just smiled and said, “Doesn’t work for me, it seems that there must not be any Masons of the Department of Public Safety because I get a couple of tickets every year." But, out of his negative darkness I did find light. I had an afternoon free and used that time to contemplate his questions and remarks. 

First off, let me tell you how I feel about the fact that our “secrets” are easily found online. At first I was saddened and upset that some brothers, for whatever reason, decided to publish our rituals online. I thought of motivation. "Was this a brother that had been kicked out? Was it for financial gain? Why would someone go through the effort of passing through the degrees just to give it away?"

But then, in a flash, I realized the truth, and was no longer sad or upset. The truth is that is does not matter. Sure it would be great if all of stuff we kept behind the tyled door remained there, but the actual physical acts of ritual are to me,  not the important part of Masonry. What is important is the promise of being a Mason.

When men become Masons they make a promise not to give the secrets of Masonry to anyone. Yes, the secrets are out there, given away by men who are far from Masonic, but the key is that no one will ever hear the secrets from me. 

It's similar to money. Physical money is worthless. It’s just a piece of fancy green paper. It has no value and is not backed by any physical commodity such as a shiny rock. The value of money is in the amount of a product someone is willing trade you for it. The rituals we do are the same.  Yes they are intellectually valuable to Masons but without understanding them in the proper context they are worthless. To non-masons just knowing the ritual is akin to trying to pay your dues with pesos. No value, wrong context. 

But then why would any man want to become a Mason if everything Masons do can be found out for free and without going through the work of passing through the degrees?

This is where the real value of being a Mason comes in. The real value is in the man that can keep a secret, not in what the secret actually is. A man that can keep his word about something that many find unimportant and even silly, tells me something. It says that my trust in him can extend much farther that the lodge room. If you cannot be trusted to keep even the most trivial secrets to yourself when asked to do so, especially after promising to do so, how can you be trusted with anything? 

I certainly would not go into business with or let that person borrow money. I would never tell them anything personal for fear that they would turn around and tell it to the man standing at his other shoulder. I cannot trade the secret of ritual for anything, it can be found for free, so holds no "intrinsic" value, but the trust earned by proving that you can keep a secret can be traded for the rest of your life, that does.

That brings me to the statement about Masons looking out for Masons. Yes Jack, you are 100% correct. Masons do look out for other Masons. We do this because Masons come with the value of trust. No matter where they have travelled from, a true Mason has done the work to learn the secrets but more importantly the Mason has done the work to keep his secrets. This Masonic trust does sometime have advantages. Sometimes it can help you land a job, the trust can lead to business contacts and more business opportunities, and this trust can lead to lifelong relationships that always pay you back and I do not mean monetarily. And according to “Jack”, being a Mason can save you  traffic ticket money and points on your licensee, but I have never had such luck.  

Membership has its privileges and that is a natural part of life. Just as gangs attract like-minded thugs and criminals to fill their ranks, Masons attract like-minded men to help fill their ranks as well, both in and out of the lodge. 

So I will continue to not take the bait from the profane when it comes to Masonic Privilege. Not only do I value my ability to keep the secrets I also value my time. And that is my two cents, Jack! 

~MK

Bro. Michael Kennelly is a new Master Mason being raised in Williams - Grand Canyon Lodge #38. He is also the father of three ages; 16, 14, and 10, he is a busy brother. He is a utilities director for a private golf course in Flagstaff AZ. Bro. Kennelly lives by the motto "CDC" (consistency + discipline = CONFIDENCE).

Bringing Back The Light Part 4: The Museum

by Midnight Freemasons Founder

Todd E. Creason, 33°

The Homer Masonic Temple Museum (IL)

Part 4 of the Bringing Back the Light Series

So thanks to our previous efforts at Homer Lodge No. 199, the former junk room had been cleaned out.  New carpet had been put down, but we didn't really have a plan yet for that spare room.  About the only thing in that room was three glass display cases (leftovers most likely from past business tenants on the first floor).  And we're looking at this huge pile of historic records and artifacts and trying to figure out what to do with all of it--specifically how to tell the story contained in those records and those objects we found up in the attic.  It was a no-brainer.  We could display the best pieces on the walls and in the display cases in our spare room.

And so we went about deciding what we'd put in that room.  We found an old projector, along with two sets of old hand-tinted glass degree slides.  We found several old Master's hats (including a collapsible silk top hat).  There were old collars and jewels from the Lodge, from the York Rite that had a long history of the building, and the Eastern Star.  In fact, once curtains were hung in that room, the curtain tiebacks are actually Eastern Star jewels.  One of my favorite things was something that Greg Knott found rolled up in a tube.  The original 1896 blueprints for the Lodge printed on cloth.  Greg scanned them and we framed one of the best reproductions to display.  Without even trying we filled those cases and the walls with the story of Freemasonry in Homer, Illinois. 

Todd E. Creason examining some old degree slides found in the attic.

But something interesting began to happen as we went along--we began receiving donations.  One of the first items we got was the altar that belonged to a Broadlands Lodge, which had merged with Ogden Lodge some years earlier.  The members of Ogden Lodge wanted to see it put to better use than collecting dust in their back room.  One of Ogden's members died and his daughter donated some of his personal items to the museum, including his Shriners fez.  We have received a few photographs of past members taken during WWII and Korea that we'll be hanging.  Ogden Lodge also donated some beautiful old tracing boards that we have prominently displayed.

The museum is quickly outgrowing our little room.  We have plans to take over the hallway walls and dining room as we get further along.  We also have plans to beginning documenting our present day work as well by hanging some new photos on the walls of our restoration efforts, and our resurgence in the community.  We may be an old Lodge, but we're an active Lodge--the history continues, and we believe the story is a long way from being over.

We've had a few open houses since where we've opened the museum.  We have plans to do that on a more regular basis.  Each time we've opened the Lodge the public, we've collected stories.  Almost always as people look at the photos on our walls and the pictures of our Past Masters, they'll point at something or someone in particular and tell a story about something the Lodge was once involved in, or a story about one of the men or women involved with the bodies that met in our building over the last 160 years.  And I'm sure as we go along, we'll collect many more.

We should all remember that Lodges are often historic places, and we should take the effort to preserve that history, and find ways to share that history with the communities we're in.  If you don't have room like we do in our Lodge, perhaps find out if your local historical society or county museum would be interested in sharing some of your history.  It's been pretty remarkable what the response has been to our little museum, and the reactions we've gotten to it.  

~TEC 

Todd E. Creason, 33°, is the Founder of the Midnight Freemasons blog and is a regular contributor.  He is the author of several books and novels, including the Famous American Freemasons series. He is the author of the From Labor to Refreshment blog.  He is a Past Master of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), and currently serves as the Secretary, and is also a member of Homer Lodge No. 199 where he serves as Senior Warden.  He is a member the Scottish Rite Valley of Danville, the York Rite Bodies of Champaign/Urbana (IL), the Ansar Shrine (IL), Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees, Charter President of the Illini High Twelve in Champaign-Urbana (IL), and a Fellow of the Missouri Lodge of Research.  He is a charter member of a new Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter U.D.  He was named the 2014 Illinois Secretary of the Year Award by the Illinois Masonic Secretaries Association.  You can contact him at: webmaster@toddcreason.org

Captain America - Civil War - Freemasons in Battle

by Midnight Freemason Editor

Robert H. Johnson

*Special Edition*

So, my wife and I went to see Captain America - Civil War and it's no secret this new movie involves of course, Captain Steve Rogers AKA Captain America and Bucky, AKA The Winter Soldier. About twenty minutes into the movie, I remembered something I wrote a few years ago before I was involved with the Midnight Freemasons.

I initially wrote it for the "Whence Came You" Podcast page, May 30th 2012. So, here is the repost...

Captain America - A Freemason?

Thinking about the success of the comic series and of course recently the movies, there is something just so "stand-up" about Steve Rogers AKA Captain America. And then there is this quote from the Comic book --The Ultimates #7: Cap (Steven Rogers) is chatting with his old sidekick (who has grown old, while Cap has been frozen). Bucky says, "So why don't you come down to The Lodge on Friday? You remember Donnie Hudson? He's seventy-five this weekend and all the old crowd are throwing him a roast." Gail interrupts, "Oh, never mind about all those silly aprons and secret handshakes, Steve."~ Taken from www.wcypodcast.com May 30th, 2012.

So there you have it, while you're there watching the new movie Captain America - Civil War, just think about how Bucky and Captain America are Lodge Brothers!

~RHJ

Bro. Robert Johnson, PM is the Managing Editor of the Midnight Freemasons blog. He is a Freemason out of the First North-East District of Illinois. He is the Secretary of Waukegan Lodge No. 78 and Education officer for the 1st N.E. District of Illinois as well as a past member on the Grand Lodge Education Committee. He is also a member of the York Rite bodies, AMD, The Illinois Lodge of Research and a member of the Scottish Rite Valley of Chicago as well as a charter member of the Society of King Solomon, a charity organization run by the Grand Lodge of Illinois. Brother Johnson currently produces and hosts weekly Podcasts (internet radio programs) Whence Came You? & Masonic Radio Theatrewhich focus on topics relating to Freemasonry. In addition, he produces video shorts focusing on driving interest in the Fraternity and writes original Masonic papers from time to time. He is also a co-host of The Masonic Roundtable, a Masonic talk show. He is a husband and father of four. He works full time in the executive medical industry and is also a photographer on the side as well as an avid home brewer. He is currently working on a book of Masonic essays.

When We Remember

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Robert H. Johnson

We've all had those moments, those laughable incidents in lodge. More often than not, the moments are horrific when they happen and like most recollections of that nature, turn into amazing anecdotes we tend to tell around the dining room tables while eating hot dogs, frozen pizzas or cold sandwiches.

I was recently talking to a brother over the phone who was looking to pay his dues. He informed me he had gotten behind because he traveled frequently and usually pays up to three years in advance, something we secretaries are just fine with. This time however, he was behind because he had just had heart bypass surgery. I'll call this brother, "Jack".

He told me everything was great, and that his recovery was coming along well. Obviously, I was thrilled to hear this. But that's when this brother told me a story about his mentor, his mentor who he almost imitated.

It was 2010, a third degree. This brother was about to receive the culmination of craft masonry. It was an exciting night. I remember it, as I was Jr. Deacon at the time. Well, this fella didn't know that his dad came into town to be the Chaplain. I can tell you he got a smile on his face as big as I had ever seen, when he heard the Chaplain start to do his thing in the start of the degree. "I remember smiling and thinking...that's my dad!", Jack told me.

After the first section was over, we were all in the dining room having a good laugh and grabbing a drink before the night continued. We were about half way through the 2nd section, when our candidate Jack heard something most candidates never hear...One of our members who had a part in the degree collapsed right next to him.

Needless to say, the candidate thought it was all part of the degree experience. But as we all know, it wasn't. It turned out the brother who collapsed had a heart issue and he fell right there in the middle of a degree. I know you're all reading this thinking, "what happened?" And I am happy to report the brother got up and sat on the sidelines the rest of the night.  Jack had no idea what had happened and the rest of his degree went off smoothly.

A few weeks later Jack had to get back on the road, as was his profession. He had a stay with us for about 3 months, in which time he progressed through the degrees. His mentor was the man that fell. Sadly, we lost that mentor in 2011. Jack didn't know and, in fact, he found out from me while on that phone call. He said he remembers fondly those three spring months in early 2010, and tells the story in his travels about the time his mentor took a spill and how he thought it was all part of the gig.

He reminisced a bit more on the phone reflecting on the bypass surgery he had just come out of and now, finding comedy in it. For a moment he gave pause, then said to tell the brothers he thinks about us all the time and even though the things that happen to us in the moment can be serious, we survive, we push on and all deal with them in our own ways, most of us look back and have a laugh, a chuckle and, remember.

~RHJ

Bro. Robert Johnson, PM is the Managing Editor of the Midnight Freemasons blog. He is a Freemason out of the First North-East District of Illinois. He is the Secretary of Waukegan Lodge No. 78 and Education officer for the 1st N.E. District of Illinois as well as a past member on the Grand Lodge Education Committee. He is also a member of the York Rite bodies, AMD, The Illinois Lodge of Research and a member of the Scottish Rite Valley of Chicago as well as a charter member of the Society of King Solomon, a charity organization run by the Grand Lodge of Illinois. Brother Johnson currently produces and hosts weekly Podcasts (internet radio programs) Whence Came You? & Masonic Radio Theatrewhich focus on topics relating to Freemasonry. In addition, he produces video shorts focusing on driving interest in the Fraternity and writes original Masonic papers from time to time. He is also a co-host of The Masonic Roundtable, a Masonic talk show. He is a husband and father of four. He works full time in the executive medical industry and is also a photographer on the side as well as an avid home brewer. He is currently working on a book of Masonic essays.

Did Freemasonry Evolve From The Jedi Knights?

by Midnight Freemasons Founder

Todd E. Creason, 33°

Brother Junior Deacon, the Tyler is at his post, is he?

Is it possible that over thousands of years, the Ancient Order of the Jedi Knights evolved into Modern Freemasonry?  I couldn't help but notice as I watched the Star Wars movies again how similar the Ancient Order of Jedi Knights was to Freemasonry.  

I began researching the question, and once I started looking for it, the evidence began to pile up almost immediately.  I noticed how often terms like "Apprentice" and "Master" and "Knight" had been used in the movies. And of course there's the Jedi Council that meets in the Temple--and they have a Grand Master, Yoda, who was a source of great wisdom, enlightenment and leadership.  And Yoda even looks a lot like some of our Past Masters today!

And of course, it becomes even more obvious that there is a connection with the Jedi Councils millennia ago and today's Masonic Temples when you realize some Jedis were members of the Ancient Order of Jedi Knights, and others were members of the Ancient and Accepted Order of Jedi Knights. 

Luke Skywalker--Obviously a member of the Scottish Rite Southern Jurisdiction or the eagle would be "wings down" on his helmet

Then there's the stark symbolism of darkness and light. The emphasis of staying on the more difficult enlightened path, and not being seduced by the dark side. The goal of becoming a better man. The idea of old mentors of the Craft helping apprentices learn traits and skills that enable them to be a force of good in the world.  Then Darth Vader chops off Luke's hand, then later Luke chops off Darth Vader's hand--that's obviously got a York Rite connection somewhere in the murky past.  All very strangely Masonic.
 

Still angry at being suspended for un-Masonic conduct.

And then there are the Jedi levels that obviously evolved into the Degrees and levels we know today:

The Younglings-- Entered Apprentices 

The Padawan--  Fellowcrafts 

Master Jedi--  well duh, that should be obvious.  Once they get to this point they can start wearing their Master Jedi rings and put the emblem on their X-Wing Fighters.  Luke Skywalker welded his ring right onto his android hand so he wouldn't lose it.

 Jedi Knights-- The precursor of the York Rite 

The Jedi Grand Master--Yoda sat in the East 

Then there was the big annual Convocation where all the Jedi Masters came together and had a meeting, then enjoyed a few nice dinners together at a fancy hotel and pretended they didn't know the Jedi Nobles causing a ruckus across the street in the Cantina.  Vendors were set up in the basement where the Jedi Masters could buy belt buckles, key-chains, and cufflinks with their well-known symbol on them--the crossed light sabers and blaster.  They might even buy a nice sweater for the family dog that says "My Master is a Jedi Master."

So did Freemasonry really evolve from the Jedi Knights?

Of course it did.

Happy Star Wars Day!

 ~TEC 

Todd E. Creason, 33°, is the Founder of the Midnight Freemasons blog and is a regular contributor.  He is the author of several books and novels, including the Famous American Freemasons series. He is the author of the From Labor to Refreshment blog.  He is a Past Master of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), and currently serves as the Secretary, and is also a member of Homer Lodge No. 199 where he serves as Senior Warden.  He is a member the Scottish Rite Valley of Danville, the York Rite Bodies of Champaign/Urbana (IL), the Ansar Shrine (IL), Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees, Charter President of the Illini High Twelve in Champaign-Urbana (IL), and a Fellow of the Missouri Lodge of Research.  He is a charter member of a new Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter U.D.  He was named the 2014 Illinois Secretary of the Year Award by the Illinois Masonic Secretaries Association.  You can contact him at: webmaster@toddcreason.org

The Grand College of Rites

By Midnight Freemason Contributor

W.B. Gregory J. Knott

The Grand College of Rites of the United State of America (GCR) is one of the lesser knows bodies of Freemasonry. GCR was formed in 1932 when Sovereign Sanctuary of the Egyptian Masonic Rite of Memphis voted to transfer control of their degrees to the newly formed GCR.

The purpose of the GCR is to “dedicated to preserving the history and rituals of defunct and inactive Masonic orders.” By controlling the degrees under their jurisdiction, the GCR ensures that these older rituals aren’t subject to the occasional resurrection that often occurred.

Equally important is the preservation of the rituals for study by interested parties. The GCR annually publishes Collectanea, which is available exclusively to members of the GCR. Collectanea is a combination of a summary of the annual meeting minutes and a printing of one of the rituals for one of the rites or degrees controlled by GCR. In the 2015 edition The William H. Peckham “Cerneau” Scottish Rite 4°- 9°.

Illustrious Arturo de Hoyas, Knight Grand Cross, is the Grand Archivist for the GCR. Brother de Hoyas has done some outstanding work in researching these old and obscure rituals.

At Masonic Week 2016, Jeffrey N. Nelson of Bismark, ND was installed as Most Illustrious Grand Chancellor for 2016-17.

I joined the GCR a number of years ago and have attended the annual meeting at Masonic Week. Membership is open to any Master Mason in good standing. Annual dues are only $15 and this includes receiving the annual edition of Collectanea. I would highly recommend that anyone interested in learning about these old rituals to join the GCR. Back issues of the publication are available for purchase to members of GCR.

~GJK

WB Gregory J. Knott is the Past Master of St. Joseph Lodge No. 970 in St. Joseph (IL) and a plural member of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL) and Naval Lodge No. 4 in Washington, DC. He’s a member of the Scottish Rite, the York Rite, Eastern Star and is the Charter Secretary of the Illini High Twelve Club No. 768 in Champaign-Urbana. He is also a member of ANSAR Shrine (IL) and the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees. Greg serves on the Board of Directors of The Masonic Society and is a member of the Scottish Rite Research Society and The Philathes Society. Greg is very involved in Boy Scouts—an Eagle Scout himself, he is a member of the National Association of Masonic Scouters