New Regular Contributors

New Regular Midnight Freemason Contributors

I am pleased to announce the addition of three new Regular Contributors to the Midnight Freemasons Blog.

Patrick Dey

Patrick M. Dey is a Past Master of Nevada Lodge No. 4 in the ghost town of Nevadaville, Colorado, and currently serves as their Secretary, and is also a Past Master of Research Lodge of Colorado. He is a Past High Priest of Keystone Chapter No. 8, Past Illustrious Master of Hiram Council No. 7, Past Commander of Flatirons Commandery No. 7, and serves as the Secretary-Recorder of all three. He currently serves as the Exponent (Suffragan) of Colorado College, SRICF of which he is VIII Grade (Magister), and is a member of Gofannin Council No. 315 AMD and Kincora Council No. 8 Knight Masons. He is a facilitator for the Masonic Legacy Society, is the Editor of the Rocky Mountain Mason magazine, serves on the Board of Directors of the Grand Lodge of Colorado’s Library and Museum Association, and is the Deputy Grand Bartender of the Grand Lodge of Colorado (an ad hoc, joke position he is very proud to hold). He holds a Masters of Architecture degree from the University of Colorado, Denver, and works in the field of architecture in Denver, where he resides with wife and son.

Jim Stapleton

Jim Stapleton is the Senior Warden of USS New Jersey Lodge No. 62. He is also a member of the New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education No. 1786. Jim received the Distinguished White Apron Award from the Grand Lodge of New Jersey. He was awarded the Daniel Carter Beard Masonic Scouter Award. Jim is also a member of the Society of King Solomon.

Phillip Welshans

Phillip Welshans is Senior Warden of Palestine Lodge #189 in Catonsville, MD under the Grand Lodge of Maryland A.F. & A.M. He is also a member of the Maryland Masonic Lodge of Research #239, and the Hiram Guild of the Maryland Masonic Academy. As a member of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, S.J. in the Valley of Baltimore, he has completed the Master Craftsman programs and is a member of the Scottish Rite Research Society. His interests are primarily in Masonic education, particularly the history of the Craft, esotericism, and the philosophy of Masonry.

Please join me in welcoming all three brethren to the Blog.

~DL

Midnight Freemasons: One Million Hits And Counting!

by Midnight Freemasons Founder

Todd E. Creason, 33°

All part of our plan for world domination . . .

The Midnight Freemasons blog just recently celebrated a milestone.  Over the holidays, we passed 1,000,000 hits!  That's what I said--ONE MILLION HITS!  In less than four years! 

It wouldn't have been possible without three things.  The first is an amazingly talented team of writers that provide top notch content, three times a week, 52 weeks a year.  The second is our faithful readers who not only read us three times a week, but share what they read here with others.  And finally, our Managing Editor Robert Johnson, whose tireless efforts and devotion to this effort has made it a resounding success. 

One of the things I'm most proud of is the Midnight Freemasons blog.  We are making a difference beyond my wildest expectations.  You only need to read a few pieces to realize what has made this blog so successful.  It's the passion our writers have for the subjects we talk about here.  Men have joined our great Fraternity because of the things they've read here--we hear that all the time.  Lodges all across the nation have gotten ideas from our blog and put them to use.  The things we talk about get talked about in Lodges, in Grand Lodges, in Masonic forums, and appendant bodies.  Our blog pieces are used for Lodge education, and are frequently reprinted in Masonic newsletters and magazines.

And our writers are involved in everything!  Our writers don't just write, they do things!  They write blogs.  They record podcasts.  They publish books.  They write for Masonic magazines and journals.  They speak.  They serve as officers in their Lodges.  They are Shriners, and York Rite, and Scottish Rite, Tall Cedars, Allied Masonic Degrees, and on and on and on.  If we started listing the titles and positions that have applied to our team of writers, it would be an impressive list indeed.  When they write about a subject, you can be sure they're writing based on their own unique knowledge and experience.  I believe that's what makes us unique--as it was once said, it's one thing to research and write a book from the library archives, and another thing altogether to write it from the trenches. 

I thank the writers, I thank our tireless editor Robert Johnson, but most of all, I thank our dedicated readers that have come back again and again!  Something tells me the second million hits won't take nearly as long as the first million!   

~TEC

Todd E. Creason, 33°, FMLR 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 Dreaded Announcements

By Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB Gregory J. Knott

It was a wonderful degree, with the work being near perfect. The candidate was very impressed and was processing mentally the experience he had just came through. The Master of the lodge thanks the brethren for coming and assisting to bring the brother to light. Then it happens….

The Master now says, “its’ time for the dreaded announcements.” For the next ten to fifteen minutes, brethren stand up and announce dates for the next degree, pancake breakfasts, blood drives, about a door that is squeaking, etc.

After a recent degree, I wondered what impression this left on the newly raised brother. After all, this night was supposed to be about him. Is this his first indication of things to come in Freemasonry; reading of the minutes and paying of the bills?

Let me be transparent and admit, I freely chime in and announce when the next High Twelve meeting is or when the Scouts are having a fish fry.

But maybe it is time to put our focus back on why we assembled to begin with; the newly initiated, passed, or raised brother.

But how are people supposed to know what is going if you don’t have the announcements? Here are some suggestions:

•  Printed list - this might seem like an old fashioned way of conducting business, but having a list of upcoming events that could be handed out at the degree would be very useful.

• Develop an email list - this is a quick way to distribute information to brethren who wish to receive it. But keep it simple, don’t use an attachment such as .pdf file for a flyer. Just put the message in the email itself. Most people are reading email on their smart phones and viewing an attachment on a phone is a hassle.

• Facebook – many lodges have FB pages now as do some masonic districts, Grand Lodges, etc.

•  Area calendar – I have developed a Google calendar that shares when lodges in my area are having stated meetings, degrees, events, etc.

•  Call-em-all – the Grand Lodge of Illinois has set up a means whereby lodges can use this very efficient system to send messages to their members either via phone or text.

•  Come to the monthly stated meetings – what better way to know what is going on, than to actually come and participate at a lodge meeting.

Let’s return our focus at degree work on why we assembled to begin with, our new brother.

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.