A crisis of conscience

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB Darin A. Lahners

I was disappointed by a recent decision made by the Grandmaster of Illinois regarding membership in Freemasonry when it comes to transgender individuals, much like I have expressed disappointment here over similar "decisions" made by various other Grandmasters of other jurisdictions.  However, this isn't a plea for Grandmaster Lynch to overturn his decision. While I disagree with the decision, I respect Grandmaster Lynch and his leadership. While I understand why he made the decision, I don't think he considered that his decision might directly have an unintended personal impact on some members.

I feel that for Freemasons, to have their sons become Freemasons at some point in their life, it must be an amazing feeling.  Unfortunately, because of this decision, I won't be able to have that experience with one of my sons.  One of my sons is transgender.   

I thought very hard about writing out a scathing response to the decision, and going point by point to argue why it wasn't really necessary. However, the more I thought about this, the more I disagreed with that approach  I just felt that it wasn't a good way to address the issue, that it would take legitimacy from any point I wanted to make.  In my mind, the only way to change the membership's minds on the subject was to try to educate them.  This is what I am attempting to do in this article. 

I realize that I'm probably going to still face backlash from those who don't want to learn about this subject.  If you're going to get angry by reading further, just stop reading, please. However, if I can get someone to at least maybe open their mind to an alternate viewpoint, the time and effort on the article has not been misspent.           

You see, unlike my other articles, where I try to passionately change your minds, that's not my motivation here.  Instead, I'm asking you to relate to me as a Father and a Brother. I'm asking you to extend your trowel and liberally apply the cement of brotherly love.  Some of you may have to apply it more liberally than others.  

To begin, I want to ask the reader to hold some concepts in their head when it comes to this subject.  The two main concepts are Gender Identity and Birth Sex.  Gender Identity is an internal identity of one's Gender, so for an individual, you know that you identify as male or female, or sometimes neither; while the sex at birth is assigned based upon the appearance of genitals you're born with. For the majority of individuals, their birth sex matches their gender identity.  In transgender parlance, this means that the individual is cisgender or cis for short.  For those who do not have a gender identity match their birth sex, this means that they are transgender.  Another concept is Gender expression, which is how a person presents their gender on the outside, which includes how they dress, behave, style their hair, voice, and body characteristics. 

When a person begins to live according to their gender identity, rather than the birth sex they were thought to be when they were born, this is called gender transition.  Possible steps in a gender transition may or may not include changing clothing, appearance, name, or the pronoun people use to refer to the individual. If they can, some people change their identification documents, like their driver’s license or passport, to better reflect their gender identity. Some undergo hormone therapy or other medical procedures to change their physical characteristics and make their bodies match the gender they know themselves to be. (https://transequality.org/issues/resources/understanding-transgender-people-the-basics)

When my son came out as Transgender in 2017 and asked for my help in getting hormone therapy, everything just made sense to me. From his proclivity to eschew female gender expression from a very young age to his struggles in adolescence into his teenage years, I felt a sense of relief and pride in the courage of my child to come to a point of understanding of himself and his identity.  While there were some bumps along the way during his transition, I can tell you that I rejoice that he is living his best life. He moved out on his own in 2021, and he's been going to University and working.  He's in a good relationship, and he prioritizes his mental health and well-being.  Words cannot describe the transformation he has undergone because he has been able to live his authentic life with love and support from his family. So in my own experience, I understood that I never had a daughter, but I have always had a son.  I love my children, and I want them to live a happy and fulfilling life.  

  

When this decision was communicated, I spoke with my son.  I told him in no uncertain terms that the decision meant that he would not be able to become a Freemason.  Now, being honest with myself, it's not like he had ever given me any indication that he wanted to become one.  However, the decision forced me to examine if I can still be an ally to my son, and continue to be a Freemason.  I told him, that if he felt that my being a Freemason made me any less of an ally to him, or would cause him to lose respect for me, I would hand in my demit immediately.  

You see, at the end of the day, Freemasonry was something I decided that I could live without; but I could not live without my son's respect for me.  Luckily, my son understands what an important role Freemasonry has played in my life, and he knows that as an ally for him, and for others, I will continue to try to force inclusivity to be not just something that Freemasonry discusses, but something that we practice.

I understand that societally we are divided on this issue. I also understand that the majority of our Illinois membership does not agree with my view on this subject.  Again, I'm not writing this to attempt to change the decision.  However, what is concerning is Freemasonry's inability to read the room when it comes to Freemasonry's perception among our younger generations. It never stops amazing me.  At one point in time, Freemasonry had societal relevancy, but this was a long time ago. I would say the high watermark of this goes back to the October 8, 1956 issue of Life Magazine, when the Grand Masters of each state were featured on the cover. Any societal relevance we might want to reclaim is dependent upon decisions that are made here and now.  

When decisions are made that further separate us from appealing to the younger generations, I fear that we only have ourselves to blame for our continued slide into obscurity, especially in the eyes of Gen-Z and those generations to follow.  This recent article highlights Gen-Z's views on this subject: (https://time.com/6275663/generation-z-gender-identity/).  A recent study done by Ernst and Young, shows that in 2021, 52% of the Gen-Z's polled stated that they were stressed by others being treated badly because of their gender/race/sex/etc. https://www.ey.com/en_us/insights/consulting/is-gen-z-the-spark-we-need-to-see-the-light-report/gen-z-finding-meaning   In this particular study, E&Y LLP surveyed a representative sample of 1509 members of Gen Z from across the United States.  I would not be surprised if a similar study done today showed this percentage to be higher than 52%. So, I ask you to ponder if the men of Gen-Z and future generations will be more or less likely to join Freemasonry in Illinois and elsewhere as these decisions are rolled out.  

Maybe Freemasonry's problems with membership are directly tied to our obsession with the past when we should be trying to look to the future.  I know that as time goes on, Freemasonry will have more members who will have transgender children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren.  When this decision hits closer to home for more and more voting members of the Grand Lodge and/or Grand Line officers, I believe that we will see a policy change in Freemasonry in Illinois, and in other United States Grand Lodges as a whole when it comes to this subject.  It's just a matter of when.  

~DL

Darin Lahners is a father and Freemason, in that order. 

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

by Midnight Freemason Managing Editor

WB Darin A. Lahners

SEND MORE ARTICLES!!!!!!!!

I have recently been faced with a dilemma. As the managing editor of the Midnight Freemasons blog for the past several years, I have been trying to keep the blog afloat by either recycling old material, writing my own material for the blog, or begging for contributions.  When Todd Creason started the blog on October 7, 2009, I don't think he knew that it would grow into what it is today, which is a blog that gets over 40000 hits a month (not that numbers matter), and has served as one of, if not the premier Masonic blogs on the internet.  However, the job of being the Blog's editor is time-consuming, thankless, and sometimes frustrating. Todd did this job for a long time, Robert Johnson took over from Todd and served as well, and I came on as an assistant editor, and then graduated to become the Managing Editor. 

However, a blog is only as good as the material it is providing. I had tried to keep the blog on a regular schedule of its Monday/Wednesday/Friday publication.  However, unfortunately, contributions to the blog started to dry up, so I started to recycle old material on the blog.  I switched to publishing on Wednesday, thinking that would help keep the blog fresh and that I wouldn't encounter the issue the blog is currently facing, which is, a lack of contributions.   I began to think that it was time to say goodbye, and maybe it still is, I don't know.  What I do know is that I sent an email to Todd basically saying that we're not getting new material and we should probably just stop the whole thing.  Something happened shortly after I sent the email to Todd. 

I was at Villa Grove High School in Villa Grove, Illinois to support Heritage High School's Scholastic Bowl team in the Masonic Academic Bowl when I was introduced to a Mason from Tuscola, Illinois who asked if I was the guy who wrote for the Midnight Freemasons blog.  I  said that I was, and he commented about how much he liked the blog. So, I took it as a sign from the Great Architect that I still needed to labor in the quarry of this blog.   However, I also need to make better use of my 24-inch gauge.  

I recognize that the blog is a repository of great articles, all of which can be used for Masonic Education.  However, I also recognize that the blog isn't getting contributors to contribute like it once did.  I don't want to be forever known as the guy who killed the Midnight Freemasons blog, but I also have to recognize that the blog doesn't need to have an article every week to still serve its purpose as a repository for Masonic Educational material.  So, henceforth, when I have a new contribution, we will publish it. I don't know when that will be.  But if something happens in the world of Freemasonry and spurs articles, we will be here.  

To help make the dissemination of information on the blog easier, I will be trying to find a new theme that will allow better search or indexing, so please be patient as you may see the blog look different in the coming days as I look into this.  To quote one of the articles here: "We're not dying, we're refining".   

I'd like to thank all of the men and women who have contributed to the blog up to this point. I'd also like to thank the readers. If you are interested in helping refine the blog, please submit your material to: editormidnightfreemasons@gmail.com  

Freemasonry has a membership problem (which has caused a leadership problem)

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB Darin A. Lahners

Emeritus contributor Robert Johnson published an article this past Wednesday on this blog, The Midnight Freemasons: Not Leadership, which has these key takeaways (From his TL/DR version of the article):

• Freemasonry as an organization has no stance, responsibility, or obligation to teach Leadership.

•  Leadership can be learned within Freemasonry, but it is no different than how it is learned in other organizations – including real-life work experience. We are not special – which means, it isn’t our mission.

• There is nothing wrong with hosting leadership training as long as it is: 1. Secondary or tertiary to the understanding, application, and continuing study of the Philosophy of Freemasonry. 2. Does not demand a Grand Lodge Budget line-item expense that surpasses that of Masonic Education. 3. Qualified individuals who are leaders in the real world, with actual credentials, and have resumes that have been validated, must lead these workshops or camps.

RJ asked me to write a follow-up to his article, so without further ado, I wanted to expand on some of what RJ had to say as well as how it relates to some current issues that our Fraternity is facing. I believe they are interrelated as we discuss leadership.  

Point One:

Freemasonry has a membership problem which has caused a leadership problem.  

You might want to write this down:

Freemasonry has a membership problem which has caused a leadership problem.  

Freemasonry has an obsession with membership numbers because we have been declining from our post-WW1/WW2 numbers. These numbers were artificially inflated by the men who came back from those conflicts and felt that they were missing the comradery that many of them had become accustomed to during their combat tours.  The graph below shows that we hit our high watermark of membership in 1959 when we had a total of 4.1 million members, out of approximately 53.3 million males over the age of 20, meaning that around 7.7%  of the eligible male population were Freemasons.  In 2022, there were 881,219 members in the US according to MSANA out of approximately 128.4 million males over the age of 20,  meaning that less than 1%  (approximately .06%) are Freemasons.  I used the age of 20 because some jurisdictions require a man to be 18 years of age while others require 21 years of age for membership, so I settled on 20 years of age as a median. The US census data usually had an age distribution in units of 5 years, so 20 years of age was also easier to use as a starting point.  Even though the peak of our membership happened sixty-five years ago, it seems that we keep chasing this unicorn. 

Graph courtesy U.S. Membership Statistics – Masonic Service Association of North America (msana.com) 

Masonic bodies have decided that quantity of members is the measurement of the success of our organization, instead of the quality of our membership. Because of using an incorrect metric to judge the success of our organization, and not upholding our standards for membership, some masonic lodges have collectively turned the ballot box into a turnstile. In some cases, the only qualities that they look for are a heartbeat, a bank account, and the ability to say yes or no to the investigation committee. In fact, the only thing that might get a candidate black-balled from joining a lodge or Masonic body are qualities that shouldn't even be discussed in our Fraternal gatherings, like a member's sexuality, race, religion, or political affiliation.

We need to stop pretending that every man who is a Mason is good.  We have some members that aren't good men.  Some of these men, men who should never ever have set foot into a Masonic lodge, now are appointed and elected leaders in our fraternity.   

In the real world, leadership problems occur when employees are promoted based on their job skills and not their leadership skills.  When employees in the real world are promoted based on their job skills, and they need formal, ongoing training on how to be good supervisors or leaders, they usually end up as poor leaders and end up having the below leadership problems.

• They have communication issues.
• They are in constant conflict with other managers or employees.
• Difficulty dealing with their employee's demands. 
• They are resistant to change.
• Their employees have low morale.
• They do not take responsibility for their decisions or have no initiative to make decisions.
• Their employees have low motivation.
• They use an outdated leadership style, usually one which is authoritarian.1 

In theory, Freemasonry should not have any of the above leadership issues. Our leadership is elected democratically to the main leadership positions in almost every Masonic organization. At least, that's what is supposed to happen, more on that later.  Reading the above leadership problems, how many of you feel that many of those could apply to at least one or more Masonic bodies you belong to?  The fact that you said yes, says all you need to know.  

Why is this?  We currently have men in leadership positions in Freemasonry who have no business being in a leadership position. Freemasonry is a bureaucracy,  and it requires a lot of members to serve in leadership positions to keep the Masonic machine running. Members who are appointed to leadership positions at the District and Area levels are usually not appointed based on their leadership abilities, but because they are good at memorization and mimicry.  Furthermore, because some of these men have waited patiently in the progressive line of whatever body, kept their mouths shut, and placated the current leadership, membership advances them election cycle after election cycle.       

In Freemasonry, like in business, when bad leaders are put in positions to appoint others into leadership roles, they will appoint those who also believe them to be good leaders. This leads to them surrounding themselves with sycophants that will further inflate their belief that they are entitled to their leadership roles.  These men end up getting a fancy title and apron, and with it, the power and influence to maintain the status quo.  The law of probability means that there will be a distribution of men who are good leaders with those who are terrible ones in these positions, and varying degrees in between.      

While I agree that leadership training should not be Freemasonry’s primary objective, I do believe that Leadership Development training is desperately needed in our organizations, usually at every level.  I will go a step further than RJ and state that if Masonic bodies are going to do leadership development training, the training needs to be taught by an accredited organization that specializes in Talent Development.  We can ill afford to use Masonic Leaders who are not qualified or accredited to teach leadership development.  Just because I have taken multiple leadership training courses, I do not consider myself qualified to instruct one. On top of this, some of the elected officers in the Grand Lines of Masonic Organizations and some of the members appointed to the Masonic bureaucracy are the members who need the leadership training the most, so they should not be involved in teaching something they are not good at. 

We also have to acknowledge that no amount of leadership development training will turn a bad leader into a good leader.  We have those predisposed to the philosophy of Servant Leadership within our fraternity, and these are the leaders that Freemasonry needs to promote and elect. Servant leaders put the needs of their team members first and strive to create an environment where everyone can thrive. This style of leadership is particularly well-suited for all-volunteer organizations, where the success of the organization depends on the dedication and hard work of its volunteers.2  The experience of leadership in any organization can help men predisposed to be good leaders become better ones,.  However, those who are bad at leadership will believe themselves to be great leaders. They will learn nothing from their leadership experience because they believe they have nothing left to learn.   

Furthermore, the Progressive Line often means that when we have bad leaders in our organizations, they continue to get promoted or elected because:

Point Two:

The majority of Masonic membership is only concerned with maintaining the status quo.

You might want to write this down:

The majority of Masonic membership is only concerned with maintaining the status quo.

Freemasonry suffers from the Status Quo bias.  The status quo bias is a type of cognitive bias that involves the preference that things stay as they are or that the current state of affairs remains the same.3  

Progressive lines of leadership keep advancing. On the rare occasion where there is competition for an office, we see the membership side with the status quo. 

In some cases, when it’s time to elect the junior most officers into the Grand progressive lines,  these lines will ask for interested men to apply. However, when it comes time to vote for the leadership of the Grand Line at the Grand session, only one candidate is offered to the membership.  Membership usually is not allowed to know anything about the other applicants, as the applicant put forward is the one who best fits the siloed group think of the other Grand officers in that line.  I envision a scene similar to what I’ve illustrated below from Todd Browning’s Freaks. Imagine the officers of that Grand Line dancing inebriated on the table screaming: “One of us! One of us!”  

While these other candidates can run from the floor at these Grand Sessions, they are not the candidates who have the backing of the bureaucracy of the Masonic leadership of that particular organization. The only way wholesale change can happen at a Grand level requires the membership to revolt against the status quo, and put leaders into each office in that line who would be willing to make wholesale changes to their organization and they would have to replace each cog in the Masonic bureaucracy with those who would implement their vision.  Membership would also have to be willing to be courageous enough to vote for legislation that would implement change.  

Unfortunately, a majority of our members are unwilling to vote for change.  This means that our leadership problems are a direct result of our membership.  Regardless of what majority of the vote an election for a leadership position requires or an amendment needs to pass, both require a majority of our member's vote.  Ergo: The problematic leaders in our organizations are a direct result of the membership. The members who voted them into the fraternity,  the members who cast votes for them to remain in power, or the members who appointed them to a leadership position.       

Let's be honest with ourselves, on the off chance that a visionary leader or leaders would be elected or appointed into these bodies, they immediately put a target on their back by those who defend that status quo if they rock the boat too much. As Freemasons, even though it might not be our jurisdiction, what is happening in Texas, and DC, and apparently in upper echelons of leadership in Appendant Bodies should make us all embarrassed. Is this really how we want to portray ourselves to the profane world?  I realize that there are two sides to every story, but from an outsider looking in, it reaffirms everything I've said so far.  

As an organization, Freemasonry is so beholden to our past, our history, and our sacred landmarks, to the status quo; that we seem incapable of thinking about the future.  The landscape of decaying Masonic temples that exist in small towns across America proves me correct.  In many cases, our departed brethren built magnificent structures, never thinking once that at some point, the cost to maintain the building might cause the lodge they so dearly loved to merge with another or close entirely. And yes, while I said membership numbers are not the measurement of our organization's success, we still need a membership to continue to be an organization.

Yet, instead of focusing on making decisions about what we want for our future, we have members and leaders who continue to kick the can down the road. Because our average age of membership is in its early to mid-'60s, the members that are in my age demographic and younger are going to be the ones who are going to have to make the difficult decisions to close and consolidate our masonic lodges, temples, chapters, councils, valleys, etc. in the next ten to twenty years, again because the brethren who protect the status quo didn't have the forethought to start the conversations, the hard conversations early.  Hopefully, I'm wrong, and we have enough good leaders in place who have created five-year plans, and succession plans,  and they have started to have these conversations.

Even one of the most successful marketing campaigns that Freemasonry has ever had, the "Not Just a Man..." marketing campaign,  is five years old, which in marketing terms is ancient history.  In my own personal opinion, the one thing that we could use to help market Freemasonry to men today is Masonic Education.  Why Masonic Education?  Masonic Education is like a gym workout for your brain.

RJ states that Leadership Training should not demand a Grand Lodge Budget line-item expense that surpasses that of Masonic Education.  This is because, in our personal experience, Masonic Education is not thought of or utilized as an asset to the fraternity or to its membership, so it is not prioritized.  What men get out of Masonic Education is something that a majority of other civic organizations cannot provide, yet, many of our members and leaders eschew it.         

Why is this? They do not understand what Masonic Education is.  There seems to be a prevailing thought that Masonic Education equals teaching of Esoteric philosophy.  Because of this, Masonic Education is either thought to be of little or no value to the practical application of Freemasonry. Often Masonic education is pushed as things that classify as Masonic Instruction, Leadership training, Officer Training, or teaching ritual and floorwork.  While both develop membership, there is a distinct difference between Masonic Instruction and Masonic Education.    

Point Three:

Masonic education is not Leadership training, Officer Training, or Ritual/Floorwork instruction.  

You might want to write this down. 

Masonic education is not Leadership training, Officer Training, or Ritual/Floorwork instruction.   

Masonic Instruction is learning the ritual, floor work, and everything else that relates to the work being performed within a tyled lodge.  It is also the teaching of those skills that will help develop members' leadership and management abilities. It is part of member development which requires the instructor to be proficient in the skill that they are teaching, which is why you see those who have passed the Board of Grand Examiners tests instructing ritual and floor work.  This is why I will reiterate the point I made above, leadership development training needs to be taught by an accredited organization that specializes in Talent Development.   

While I have a great appreciation for our Ritualists and those who do excellent floor work, I am always amazed that some of these men have no desire to understand where the ritual or floor work came from and what it actually means.  Masonic Education is learning about the meanings behind the work being performed within a tyled lodge space.  It is a study of the philosophies of the world,  the liberal arts and sciences, Masonic ritual, the sacred volumes of law from the various world religions, Masonic history, and esoterics.  It is the nurturing of the member's intellect, imagination, and spiritual growth. It is the key to understanding how to follow the instructions left on the trestleboard which guide us as we struggle to shape our rough ashlar into a perfect one in our personal quarries.  It is part of member development which can be undertaken alone, but it really should be done in a group setting, which is why it should be prioritized as a part of our meeting experience. 

When done properly in a group setting, men will let their guard down.  When this occurs, you see the actual working of brotherly love.  You see men who might be polarized oppositely from each other in the profane world agree on something.  Every member has a voice during Masonic education. Because of this, it allows the exchange of differing ideas and concepts to flow freely. It is through Masonic education that our membership develops their ability to think independently and philosophically and take the lessons taught by our kindred science and apply them in the profane world.

This being said, maybe we should not be surprised when some of our Grand Lines promote  Masonic instruction as Masonic Education.  An educated membership is a membership that will ask questions, study the constitution and bylaws of that particular body, and demand change.  It is much easier to instruct the membership how to memorize our rituals and mimic floor movements, what duties they should perform in each chair in the lodge room, and how they should manage the lodge when they become the presiding officer.  It is easier to have a membership full of parrot masons squawking in unison: "One of us, One of us" than to have a membership that asks questions and demands accountability and transparency of its leadership.

Our leadership problems have been caused by membership, and they can only be fixed by membership.  Each of us must begin to be courageous at our local lodges and tell our brethren who want to give signed petitions out like candy on Halloween that you will blackball any candidate they bring to the floor for a vote if they do not make a concerted effort to get to know that man for months before offering them membership.  We must identify and vote alternative candidates into power in cases where the leadership of that organization is not doing its job.  We must bring up legislation at our grand sessions that will move Freemasonry forward into the future, and if it does not pass, we must continue to bring it up until it does, no matter how long it takes.  Change in Freemasonry doesn't happen overnight, it happens very slowly, but we'll get there eventually.  It's just a matter of time. We must have the patience and stay the course. 

~DAL

 

1. https://businesstrainingexperts.com/common-problems-caused-by-poor-leadership-skills-and-how-to-fix-them/#:~:text=A%20list%20of%20the%20most%20common%20problems%20your,Low%20motivation%208%20Problems%20managing%20peers%20More%20items

2. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/servant-leadership-all-volunteer-organizations-lanning#:~:text=Servant%20leaders%20put%20the%20needs,hard%20work%20of%20its%20volunteers.

3.https://www.verywellmind.com/status-quo-bias-psychological-definition-4065385#:~:text=The%20status%20quo%20bias%20is,of%20affairs%20remains%20the%20same.

Darin Lahners is our Managing Editor. He is a host and producer of the "Meet, Act and Part" podcast as well as a co-host of an all-things-paranormal podcast, "Beyond the 4th Veil." He is currently serving the Grand Lodge of Illinois Ancient Free and Accepted Masons as a member of the Committee on Masonic Education He is a Past Master of St. Joseph Lodge No.970 in St. Joseph. He is also a plural member of Homer Lodge No. 199 (IL), where he is also a Past Master. He’s also a member of the Scottish Rite Valley of Danville, a charter member of Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter No. 282, Salt Fork Shrine Club under the Ansar Shrine, and a grade one (Zelator) in the S.C.R.I.F. Prairieland College in Illinois. He is also a Fellow of the Illinois Lodge of Research. He was presented with the Torok Award from the Illinois Lodge of Research in 2021.

Education Application – Episode 2: The Current “Culture Club”

by Midnight Freemason Guest Contributor

Bro. Mark St. Cyr

 

Originally published at the Whence Came You Podcast (link here) on August 29, 2023 for its  Education Application series. Adapted here for the Midnight Freemasons. 

Let’s dig in…

When I refer to culture, I’m speaking directly to the attitude of all those involved both from an operational sense, as well as its general membership. In other words – all its statutory officeholders all the way through the rank and file membership.

So with that, let’s now use an actual real-life example to give further context that’ll also help ease further understanding.

Ready? Here we go…

A meeting was about to begin and everyone was ready to start, then it became obvious one officer was missing.

As everyone looked around it became apparent one of the officers was either going to be late or was a no-show, but no one knew. Everyone began doing the “Do you know?” Did he call you?” Did he say anything to you?” and so forth. You’ve all witnessed scenes like this.

So now the obvious was to find out so a decision to delay or something other could be had.

A phone call went out where it was then learned – he had just finished a colonoscopy and was in no shape to attend and fulfill his role at the meeting.

The brothers, to a man, took sympathy with the situation and proceeded to make hurried arrangements to still conduct the meeting. As to “get it in the books.”

Luckily they were able to meet quorum because there just so happened to be one extra in attendance who just so happened to be the only one to return of many who participated in a recent one-day class.

Now let’s move into the true devil in the details in all of this and just to reiterate: Remember during the inaugural episode I made the point I will not sugarcoat issues? Well, we’re now going to enter that sugar-free zone. So here we go…

First and foremost…

Had this newly initiated brother not been there?

A quorum would not have been met – therefore – no meeting. Resulting in a complete waste of time for all involved. A true debacle right out of the gate.

Next…

How is it that a brother, who has now moved to the next level up in the line of chairs for higher office allows such a thing to happen regarding his nonattendance and the difficulty he surely knows that causes?

Another…

To simply not take the time nor even make the effort as to warn or notify anyone prior, even up to the day of the actual meeting is cause alone for stern rebuke in and of itself. Let’s be candid here: This type of procedure is one that’s scheduled in advance. This is not like some emergency that happens to everyone where making arrangements to the contrary is impossible. We’ve all had those, and they happen. It’s called life.

But it doesn’t stop there…

The handling by this brother is one thing but then everyone else’s reaction to it was not what should be thought as “acceptable” by any measure. As a matter of fact – it borders on pitiful if not downright so, trying to argue to the contrary, which many of you may now be contemplating with arguments such as…

“The missing brother may have a legit excuse that we just don’t know – and the attending brothers were just trying to work through what was just a bad situation the best they could therefore blah blah blah”

Sure, OK, but I’m sorry, it’s arguments like this that demonstrate why you yourself may be more of the problem than you fully understand. Why? Because it’s these sorts of responses, general nullifications, or excuses if you wish that de facto legitimize situations such as this to happen routinely, continually ad infinitum.

Again, If you think I’m being too harsh here? Let me lay it out this way…

To reiterate: A procedure such as this (the colonoscopy) is usually scheduled far in advance. At some point in time when adding it to his own calendar – mentally or otherwise. He must have become aware there was going to be an obvious conflict.

Again, for clarity, I ask you to answer for yourself: Does one simply not know or does one casually forget when their respective Lodge meets either day or time? Add to that: especially if it's a seasoned member?

Let’s move on to another…

He answered his phone. That’s how it was learned. They had to call him to find out, otherwise – squat. So what have we learned? Well, we are now fully aware he was not incapacitated enough to answer – therefore logic dictates – he was also not incapacitated enough to not call and let someone know. Or said differently…

By dint of his own actions, it demonstrated the decision in relation to commitment of obligation was not worth his effort. You may want to disagree, but the fact proves otherwise. Sorry to be so blunt, but that’s what I do.

Here’s the other in all this that needs to be part of this summation: The vast majority of the brothers attending this meeting were themselves all high officers in different bodies both in blue lodges as well as concordant. Why is this important to the overall thesis?

Because: as far as could be discerned, it was all just shaken off as “Oh well, another day in the life of Lodge.”

This is a snapshot of the culture permeating throughout Freemasonry today where the jokes write themselves. Think about it. A brother decided he would rather go through a colonoscopy and beg for forgiveness later than – attend a meeting that lasted little more than 40 minutes consisting of a discussion itself mere minutes on prior meeting plans, then a reading of the minutes from the prior meeting of plans discussed at the last meeting – then – adjourned.

The problem is – it’s no laughing matter. And It’s all true. How do I know?

Because I was there – I was that new initiate.

We’ll tackle how this and more can change in subsequent articles. See you then.

Mark St.Cyr
Freemason

Education Application – Episode 1: The True Existential Crisis Facing Freemasonry

by Midnight Freemason Guest Contributor

Bro. Mark St. Cyr

Originally published on the Whence Came You Podcast (link here) on August 7, 2023. Adapted here for the Midnight Freemasons.

Before we delve into this topic, it is important to clarify a few points. First and foremost, this series does not reflect any endorsement or should be inferred as such from any Grand Lodge or Concordant body. Please refer to your jurisdiction’s rules for governance before considering any application of the ideas presented here.

Now, let’s get to the heart of the matter. This is not a cookie-cutter recital of methodologies borrowed from management guru books. Instead, we will address the hard issues that need to be addressed within the Craft. For decades, the Craft has grappled with these issues, and the results speak for themselves – actually, they’re screaming.

What you can expect from this series are real-world solutions presented in quick and easy-to-understand scenarios. These solutions will be delivered by me, off the cuff, and in an extemporaneous manner. I must clarify that I’m not here to make friends; I’m here to provoke thought. The former takes place in the Lodge room, while the latter will take place here.

Now, you may be wondering, “Why should I listen, and who is this guy anyway?” Allow me to answer that question.

I have spent the last two decades at the forefront of thought leadership in the world of business and financial insight. While I understand that some of you may try to find fault with my arguments or give knee-jerk reactions of “But that won’t work here!” and more, I ask you to keep an open mind and consider whether I may make some points worth considering and applying.

To give you a metric to judge my credibility, let me share a story. A few years ago, one of the top business and financial news outlets sought perspectives on the prospects of the US economy and Apple, the largest company at the time. They asked Warren Buffet for his thoughts and quoted him in their article. When they wanted a viewpoint on Buffet’s thoughts, they quoted me. This is not to brag but to emphasize that I may possess some knowledge in this domain.

Ultimately, what you take away from this series is up to you. But at the very least, you now have a metric to judge my credibility.

Now, let’s address the true existential crisis facing Freemasonry today: Nobody wants it to be just a hobby. This argument (e.g., just some hobby) undermines the Craft itself, as well as attempts to shore up membership and keep those remaining engaged. Unfortunately, many cannot see this issue or, even if they do, refuse to come to grips with it. The numbers prove that this problem will continue to worsen, no matter the remedies the Craft employs.

To understand why this issue is so significant, we must recognize that any organization or structure faces a dozen core issues that can cripple it. While each issue alone could be self-sufficient in causing substantial damage, they usually work in combination. In severe cases, all of these issues are present simultaneously.

Identifying and remedying these core issues is challenging, which is why many once heralded institutions crumble into oblivion once the so-called “management guru consultant class” leaves, declaring “Problems solved.” These methodology presentations often fail because they apply the latest buzz phrase from some generic best-selling book. The decision to bring in these consultants is often based on a desire to fulfill a requirement rather than prioritizing efficacy.

Don’t just take my word for it – look at all the companies and institutions that were once market leaders but have now vanished after consultants left the building. Sears serves as one such example.

Returning to the dozen core issues I mentioned earlier, the first step in remedying them is to identify the most dramatic issue affecting all aspects of the organization, from the public to the customer base and even the people within it. Without addressing this singular issue as a priority, all other attempts to fix the organization will be futile. They will only mask the problems temporarily before they resurface in a magnified form.

We have all witnessed organizations that appeared to be getting their act together, only to crumble shortly thereafter. These brands, once respected and possessing unshakable customer loyalty, are now disappearing. Craftsman, once a renowned brand, serves as a prime example.

So, what does this argument about the Craft being treated as a hobby actually mean? It means everything.

The culture within the Craft must realign with its original purpose and raison d’être. No amount of strategy sessions or tactical measures will lead to lasting change unless the underlying culture shifts. This is why committee meetings and well-intentioned programs only work temporarily and at the surface level. They eventually succumb to the stagnation and entropy of the past.

Why does culture play such a vital role? Because culture eats strategy and tactics for breakfast. Implementing new ideas or management principles will not fundamentally change an organization. It may create an illusion of progress, but it will not have a lasting impact in the larger context.

The existing culture within the organization will do everything in its power to resist change. Deep down, it prefers to complain rather than embrace change. It clings to what is familiar and resists anything new, regardless of how much it argues otherwise. Even in the face of oblivion, the culture will argue that “things have to change” but will not actively participate in that change unless their own employment is at stake. And if that happens, they will complain, claiming that their insights went unheard.

This phenomenon is far too common.

Within the Craft, the culture today often treats obligations to the craft as a hobby rather than a transformative way of life. It fails to recognize that the Craft is sacred in its institution, instructions, and commitment. Instead, more people treat the Craft as “their thing,” similar to how they approach their hobbies of choice.

Before I delve into specific examples, I’d like to leave you with a thought experiment. Imagine your boss asks you, a week in advance, to pick them up from the airport at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. They explicitly state that you are the only person they trust with this responsibility. You agree to fulfill the task. However, on that Thursday, you suddenly realize you have a prior engagement or appointment. What do you do?

Do you cancel your commitment and make arrangements for your forgotten task, regardless of the consequences, in order to fulfill your obligation to your boss? Or do you fulfill your forgotten task and beg your boss for forgiveness as they are left stranded at the airport, having to find their own way home?

Most of you likely agree that canceling your prior engagement to fulfill your boss’s request is the obvious correct path.

The problem lies in how we apply our resolve to the Craft. In practice, we often choose the latter path, neglecting our obligations and seeking forgiveness later.

In subsequent articles, I will provide specific examples to illustrate this further. Until then.

Mark St.Cyr
Freemason

Opportunity Is Calling. Will You Answer?

by Midnight Freemason Guest Contributor

Bro. T.J. Williams

COVID-19 is the pandemic that stopped the world in 2020. Operations and organizations worldwide were faced with the realization there was no working preparedness plan to keep us at work and business flowing. We've been forced to make plans in reaction to events as they come, but are plans being made for the long-term address of challenges?

A quote came across my Facebook feed that made me think very differently in this time of unknowns.

"Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." -Albert Einstein

As a fraternity, I believe the Grand Architect of the Universe has given us the opportunity to reflect, to plan, to make changes, and to forge a path forward.

I believe we need to redefine our purpose and how we reveal ourselves to the public. Many recent articles have alluded that we have an identity crisis in describing Masonry, and I sincerely agree. The way I describe our fraternity is going to be different than the next person. Each Lodge has its own identity, and while the teachings are the same, the approach to the work of the Lodge may vary from another. Does your Lodge have a unified approach and mission statement to share with the public? What is your Lodge known for? If your Lodge does have such a statement, does the work of your Lodge match it?

Next, I think we should take an inventory of our Lodge. I don't mean the assets of the Lodge; I mean assess what your Lodge is proficient in and what it's lacking. Is there a member mentoring program, officer training program, established means of sharing Masonic education regularly, meaningful community outreach? Is your Lodge known in the community, or is it just a building where men meet regularly? When you look at these different aspects of the Lodge, you can identify what needs work and plan your next steps.

Often, we only see a small percentage of our members coming to the Lodge's regular meetings and events. Why? Is there something missing? I believe we should be looking at and analyzing our membership regularly to learn and adapt operations to better the Craft. This information will help with making future plans for your Lodge and add value to the experience.

I've heard it many times, "we've always done it that way." Unfortunately, we find ourselves in a period where what we've always done isn't exactly working, and some of the smallest changes can create large differences. It's essential we evaluate and adjust. We must always be mindful of who we let pass through the West Gate, but we need to look at what we do after a person passes through. We don't have a membership problem; we have an active membership and retention problem. Without a solid plan, we'll keep getting what we've always gotten.

If these conversations don't start to happen, if we don't start planning for our future, where will we be in the next decade? The decade after? We can't just idly sit and talk about the challenges; we must find answers and take appropriate actions. With the future of Freemasonry at stake, from the local Lodge to Grand Lodges worldwide, opportunity is calling. Will you answer the call?

~TJW

Bro. Thomas “TJ” Williams, is a member of Triangle Lodge #1 in Portland, Maine, and King Hiram Lodge #57 in Mexico, Maine. Currently, he is serving as Wor. Grand Pursuivant to the Grand Lodge of Maine. Among his Blue Lodge membership, he is actively involved with the Valley of the Androscoggin, Scottish Rite NMJ, and started his journey through the York Rite bodies. Though he only joined the Craft in 2018, he is actively working to enrich the experience through his service on the Member Education and Lodge Services Committee. He is well known amongst Maine’s Grand Jurisdiction as a “The Traveling T”, a nickname given by the current Grand Master, as he finds himself in lodges several nights a week.

Freemasonry can found anywhere and in everything

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Michael Arce

Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.

Arthur Morgan was not a real person, yet, his untimely death still saddened me. I was shocked to feel such a loss over a (stupid) video game character. I felt like I lost a close friend. I also felt a little silly wanting to spend more time with Arthur after learning that his death was imminent.

I should probably start explaining.

My teenage son turned me on to the game "Red Dead Redemption 2" (RDR2 as the kids call it) one weekend early this summer. I noticed that he was coming out of his room less for snacks and drink re-fills. I knocked on his door in search of proof of life. Instead of finding him bouncing up and down, engaged with his friends, yelling into his headset while playing Fortnight or NBA 2K20 --- he was quietly sitting at the edge of his bed. His attention was intently focused on what looked like a desert mountain scene from an old John Wayne movie. "Son, " I asked, "what are you doing?" His concentration was solid; he didn't move when I spoke. "I'm trying to find the Legendary Buck, Dad," he replied in a hypnotic trance. That's when I sat down to watch a few minutes of gameplay.

On the screen was a cowboy with a horse in a fictitious world set during the turn of the century Old West. This land was complete with wild animals, ruthless border gangs, Native Americans, saloons, and even infectious diseases, like cholera and tuberculosis. My son has a bit of my history nerd gene; it was easy to see how he was hooked. When he handed me the controller during one of his snack re-fill breaks, I was too. I wanted to play the story of Arthur Morgan, an outlaw with a backstory full of tragedy and missteps that led him to seek a better life. As Arthur says during his interactions with other game characters, he's not a bad man, but he has done some bad things.

I'm not the only man in his early 40s who plays video games. But after dinner, instead of sitting on the couch for another binge session of a Netflix series that I'm never going to get past the first episode of, my wife makes "that" face when I slip away to play this game. It's addictive because it's so immersive, you feel like you are living through this character - not controlling him. You make decisions that will affect his storyline, yet, you don't pay the consequence for bad choices. If you were a fan of the first season of "Westworld" on HBO or the book (and movie) from Michael Crieghton, this game's morality component would capture your attention. Then there are the graphics and sound production. You can actually see the wind blow through the trees. My dog comes in the room when she hears a distant gray wolf howl. Every detail is painstakingly accurate, even down to the historical references and connections.

Get ready for the Masonic connection because it's coming.

Not to spoil your interest in the game, but what turned me from a casual player to die-hard fanatic --- the kind of guy who watches RDR2 YouTube videos now on his lunch break --- was the plot twist in Act 2. This occurs in the fictional town of Saint Denis, representing New Orleans, where Arthur passes out in the street. It's a pretty scary experience because you "control" him during the coughing fit, leading up to him dropping unconscious in the street. Cut to a scene in a doctor's office where you are diagnosed with tuberculosis ("consumption") and are told to move somewhere dry and warm. Tuberculosis (TB) was the leading cause of death in the 1800s as no medicine existed for treatment. Penicillin wasn't discovered until 1928, leaving patients around the turn of the century with a disease that caused massive weight loss, a nasty cough that led to hacking up fluids, and eventual death.

This news is saddening on many levels! First, the diagnosis scene is nothing like you will find in any other video game. The emotions are a real break in the storyline; something would experience in a movie or book - not a (stupid) video game. Second, watching Arthur stagger out of the doctor's office left with memories of close friends and loved ones have said to him over the years as he contemplates his life is moving. Finally, this event takes place after you have invested a good 60 hours of gameplay; it totally knocks the air out of your sails. "Are you kidding me? He's going to DIE!" I wanted to yell out loud.

I was sitting at dinner with my wife, who coyly asked, "are you going to play your (stupid) game again tonight?" It was embarrassing to say this, but I looked at her and calmly replied, "I just want to spend some time with Arthur tonight." I then gave her the Reader's Digest Version of what I have just shared with you. She wasn't impressed. As my gaze fell to my empty dinner plate, a second thought came to mind. "Ryan was right," I said out of nowhere. My wife's look is probably similar to yours right now, dear reader. If you feel like you missed something, you didn't.

Brother Ryan Cerone, the Secretary of my Lodge, invited me over to his house for a social-distanced Memorial Day gathering. Nothing says "Summer 2020" like celebrating with hamburgers, hot dogs, and beers in lawn chairs six-feet apart. During our conversation on our feelings on Freemasonry, Ryan shared his belief that "Freemasonry can found anywhere, and in everything, you can find Freemasonry." Okay, I gave him more line instead of reeling him in. I asked, "like esoterically?" "It can be, but my point is much simpler than that," he continued. "Say you are into video games, sports, or whatever there has to be something in that, that can relate to Masonry." His point summarized the lesson in the EA degree on dividing one's time. Ryan honed in on the amount of time we invest in our hobbies and interests. "If it brings joy in your life, you can relate that to Freemasonry."

And that's where he got me.

Ask anyone who has played RDR if they played the game differently KNOWING that there was a real chance Arthur wouldn't make it until the end of the game... and I will point to a group of men pursuing the virtues of a legendary Master Mason during the building of King Solomon's Temple. Sometimes the hero doesn't make it to the end of the story, and it falls to his Brother to continue his work.

~MA

Brother Michael Arce is a member of Mt. Vernon Lodge #3 in Albany, New York. When not in Lodge, Bro. Arce is the Marketing Manager for Capital Cardiology Associates in Albany, New York. He enjoys meeting new Brothers and hearing how the Craft has enriched their lives. He can be reached at michael.arce@me.com

Esotericon - The First of Many Masonic Moonshots

by Midnight Freemason Guest Contributor

Bro. Kevin Homan

Many of you have probably heard either through here, or any number of the other Masonic dedicated sites and social media of the recent success of the first inaugural Mid-Atlantic Esotericon held in Manassas Virginia. Many thanks to RWB Johnson for writing about the success of our Conference, and even bigger thanks for your direct involvement in making it a success. As RWB Johnson adequately covers all the details of the event, we won’t rehash them here, what we did find both eye-opening and concerning from his piece however was this line;

“Conversely, The Mid-West Conference of Grand Lodge Education had a whole 20 dudes present.”

This line is eye-opening and disappointing for the sole reason of we were four Brethren who ran a Conference that outgrew its venue in our first year. We had 147 Brethren attend our event, Brethren from as far west as Seattle Washington, and even an international Brother who came down from Canada. We…were four…Brothers. Contrast that with the Mid-West Conference of Grand Lodge Education where you have multiple Grand Lodges coordinating an event, with far more resources at their disposal than we had, and the disparity becomes really clear. Now, we don’t know exactly why this event only was able to pull in twenty Brethren, and while we have some guesses, we will not speculate without knowing concrete facts. 

What we can talk about without speculation is that the hunger for Masonic education is most definitely there, and it’s there for more than just Esoterics, although we certainly know that hunger is there for that as well. No, the appetite for Masonic education is there for ALL topics, as shown by the success of the Masonicon held annually by the Brethren of Ezekiel Bates Lodge in Attleboro MA. The Grand Lodge of Ohio each year hosts Camp Masonry, a multi-day Masonic event combining education, ritual and Degree exemplification all in one weekend, making both ritualists AND education seeking Masons happy at the same time. Of course, and again, our Esotericon was a rousing success with an educational focus of esoterical and mystical topics. What is our point you might be asking? Our point is that the interest in these Masonic topics is absolutely there, so getting more than twenty Brethren to show up to an event shouldn’t be happening, these are the types of things that sell every single ticket or seat available to them and STILL have interest for attendance.

You all may be wondering what our special sauce was that made our first-time event a success. While we’d love to claim it was hard, and a lot of blood sweat and tears went into the making of the Esotericon, the reality is ANY Mason or group of Masons can put together a successful event like this with limited resources. Now, that’s not to say it was an entirely pain-free event, it was not. We certainly have some things to improve upon for next year’s Con, but we also got lucky in that we did not have anything seriously terrible go wrong. So, how did four Brethren run a successful first-time event you may be asking yourself? Here’s how;

• We started our planning early, especially the social media campaign. After our initial discussions, and our consensus that we would go forward with our event we created our Facebook page, Twitter and Google accounts and put teasers out there as we came up with our speaker list.

• We put together a truly kick ass group of speakers, and got all but one of our initial list of eight speakers. 

• With our speakers set, we opened our sale on event tickets…without announcing our speaker lineup. For the first several months of ticket sales we sold tickets for a ten-dollar discount, and also offered a limited run of pre-event tickets to a brewery the night before. We created an incentive for people to buy tickets early.

• After a week we started our announcement of speakers, releasing a new speaker each week after that. Each speaker announcement coincided with a bump in ticket sales. It was a way to keep the event fresh in the minds of those following us and interested in attending.

• We would be remiss to point out that two Brethren of our Organizers are Masonic podcast hosts…we got some really good advertising on the Masonic Roundtable and Whence Came You Podcasts. Don’t fret if you don’t know any of the hosts on these shows, they’re really nice guys and I’m sure they’d be happy to help out if they can.

• Good planning. We planned everything out, put it on a scheduled and held occasional meetings when we felt they were necessary. We enlisted our local Rainbow and Demolay for help and encouraged donations to their organizations from the attendees.

• Last but not least, frequent communication with our attendees. We tried to let our attendees know what was going on when there was something important to relate to them. Whether it be asking for shirt sizes, meal preference, etc. we made sure we stayed in touch from time to time.

All this is to say, anybody, any Mason can run one of these. All it takes is an idea, a plan, a bit of dedication and with the interest out there in Masonic education the Brethren will come. Whether you’re a Grand Lodge, a group of Grand Lodges or just a group of four Brethren like ourselves, if you’re interested in putting on an educational program similar to what we did, please, reach out to us. We want to see these events pop up all across the Masonic World, and we want them to be a success. Masonic education never truly went away, but it has been neglected for far too long. If we’re going to stem the flow of Brethren out of our Lodges, if we’re going to hold the interest of the Millenial and future generations, and give them a reason to join, its going to take more than just four Brethren to effect that change. Join us, let’s do something great together!


~Joe, Jason, Jon and Kevin - Hosts and organizers of the 2019 Mid-Atlantic Esotericon

Bro Kevin Homan was Raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason in August of 2007 at Olive Branch Lodge No. 114 in Leesburg, VA., and since then, has like many Masons, involved himself in more and more bodies. In addition to being a Past Master of Olive Branch Lodge, Kevin is a member of Potomac Chapter No. 88, RAM, currently serves as the Eminent Commander of Piedmont Commandery No. 26 and the Alexandria Scottish Rite Bodies. Additionally Bro Kevin is a member of several of the York RIte invitational Bodies.

Bro Homan has been married to his wife Hillary for the past ten years and they have three wonderful (mostly) children. When he’s not doing something with his family or the Lodge Kevin enjoys a good glass of Scotch, the occasional cigar and reading a good book in his office, which “smells of leather-bound books and rich mahogany”.

A Witness to History

How big ideas come from small conversations

by Midnight Freemason Guest Contributor

Bro. Michael Arce

Sometimes it’s the things we say to each other outside of lodge that have the greatest impact within the craft.

History by its very nature is abundant in Freemasonry. Photographs of our distinguished Brothers hang in our lodges. Pictures of our esoteric ideas and symbolism decorate our halls. The legacy of George Washington is so strong, I would bet that there is not one member today who would fail to identify the “Washington as a Freemason” portrait with him wearing his Worshipful Master apron while standing at his station. Close your eyes, you can see it too.

History’s mark is evident on every event in Freemasonry. In our first degree we as the candidate, who after months or years of preparation, have finally come to the moment we have longed for; to become a Brother and learn the secrets of the craft. Think back to your EA degree. Do you remember the feeling you had when something was demanded of you? That brief moment creates an impressive lesson in our masonic career that spurs our desire to be a part of something great.

Some of us continue on the path of contributing a worthy accomplishment for the benefit of the craft. 

This summer I was fortunate to witness history in New York Masonry. “We haven’t had a Lodge dedication in Monroe County since 1927,” proclaimed Deputy Grand Master of New York Masons, RW Richard J. (RJ) Kessler. “That was around the same time as ‘The Great Gatsby,’ must have been some year!” On Saturday, June 9, 2018 Ecclesia Lodge No. 1189 was officially presented its charter by the Grand Master of New York Masons, MW William M. Sardone and Past Grand Master, MW Jeffrey M. Williamson, along with members of the New York State Grand Line. Our Grand Master, in his address, spoke to the significance of the day’s event. How too often we hear of lodges consolidating or worse, surrendering their charter and closing their door forever.

What made this lodge dedication special was more than the fact that it was the first new lodge chartered in Rochester in 91 years -- it was that the beginning of this lodge started as a conversation in the backseat of the car ride to a masonic event in Buffalo between three Brothers. As Bro. Sam Friedman, the newly installed Junior Warden of Ecclesia Lodge and author of “Millennial Apprentices: The Next Revolution in Freemasonry”, described that moment as, “we were just talking about what we wanted from a lodge.” The ‘we’ here is Bro. Ryan Ramplin, now Secretary of Ecclesia Lodge. “I wanted created a lodge that I was excited to attend,” exclaimed Friedman.

The dedication of a lodge is a grand ceremony, if you have the chance to attend one, I highly recommend it. The experience will leave you with energy from the excitement of joy and pride on the faces of the new lodge members who accomplished years of planning and preparation that led to the day. “We began researching the process of chartering a new lodge,” said Friedman. “The steps are outlined in our constitution but as you know, it has been sometime since the last lodge was dedicated.” For example a lodge under dispensation in New York State must show proficiency in the Standard Work and Lectures. “We had to prove ritual proficiency. Did that mean we needed to display opening and closing of a lodge? Did we have to provide proof of degree work? We were unsure. There were many times we contacted Grand Lodge for answers and direction.”

What made this challenge unique to Ecclesia was that their idea for this new lodge was not typical by any means.

As Sam shared with me, “Our goal was to create a lodge that hearkened back to the experiences that the Brethren in the 18th century experienced, a Lodge that not only fulfilled the spiritual needs of its members, but also actively assisted them as they sought wisdom and enlightenment.”

By design business meetings were replaced with discussions as the Lodge meets quarterly on a Saturday afternoon with a fifth meeting exclusively, “For elections, reading petitions to affiliate, balloting, and paying bills,” Friedman commented. Ecclesia offers a “Builders Library” as part of its membership. Included in their dues are the books and reading materials, the subjects of lodge discussions (so far they have provided 6 books to members) as well as the cost of meals.

In December of 2017 I was invited to attend an Ecclesia meeting by a formal invitation sent from Worshipful Master Bill Edwards. I quickly extended the invite to two of my Brothers from the Old 17th District to make the three hour road trip to Rochester. Included in the invite was a letter outlining the assigned reading material as well as “The Rules of Engagement.” Each Brother was expected to contribute to the discussion. When you wanted to request the opportunity to speak, we were instructed to turn on the light of our small candle placed in front of our name card on the table. The subject for discussion was “What Is the Interplay between Punishment and Redemption,” which comes from the lessons in the numerous references in our ritual for breaking masonic obligations. The assigned book title along with a summary of the reading became the main talking point during our car ride to Western New York!

Ecclesia has a unique manner in how their meetings are conducted. Before lodge you enter the Chamber of Reflection to collect your thoughts, meditate, and focus. You can smell the scents from the oils fueling the lights, combined with the aroma from incense and candles burning in the lodge room. The mood is calm and sober. When you enter the lodge room you see three tables set up like a table lodge or festive board, in a U formation. These tables and seats are positioned just south of the altar. The officers sit in their respective stations to start each meeting. After the Opening of Lodge, the Worshipful Master instructs the Brothers attending to take their place at one of the three tables assembled in the center of the room. Once seated the primary officers began the discussion by sharing their thoughts; it wasn’t long until every candle was lit.

When the discussion was ended by the Master, the officers and Brethren returned to their stations and places for Closing of Lodge. Afterwards I looked down at my watch with surprise to see that it had been THREE hours since the meeting began. It felt like 30 minutes! I can’t tell you how many times it has felt the other way around after a typical “business meeting.” Ecclesia then hosts a post-meeting dinner at a restaurant where the conversation continues during the reception along with the usual fellowship we all enjoy at masonic meals. As visitors we felt just as welcome and included as the regular attendees. Our three hour drive back to the Capital Region was filled with highlights from the meeting and a desire to bring this discussion format to our lodges back home.

I realize, this concept, an open dialogue in lodge, is hard to fathom. The idea that every Brother contributes to a discussion may seem impossible. But Ecclesia Lodge has found a way to encourage the conversation flow. After attending their meeting in December, seeing every candle glowing and hearing every Brothers’ voice, an invitation was sent to Sam Friedman to present this format to my mother lodge, St. George’s #6, in Schenectady, New York. His talk was one of the highlights of our year with many members asking follow up questions, wanting to know how we could create a similar experience in a future meeting. He also spoke at our Masters and Officers (District) meeting that winter, again with the same response. Six months later while sitting in Grand Lodge, I smiled proudly when the Grand Master read that Ecclesia’s charter had been approved. At the Grand Master’s dinner that evening I congratulated Ecclesia’s Master, Bill Edwards, on the Lodge’s accomplishment. I was surprised to learn that two and half years had past since Sam and Ryan’s idea was put into action, they were now official!

Instead of accepting the norm, dare to change it.
The work for the members of Ecclesia Lodge #1189 is really just beginning. Now they must band together to sustain this idea, constantly working in harmony to ensure their lodge is relevant to future members and the craft. There is no denying that Masons today are all seeking the education and enlightenment promised to us when we are raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason. Books and recorded history are resources that will continue to be at our disposal in seeking the additional light we are promised. Finding the light is rarely the problem. Finding a place to light our candle, share our knowledge with like-minded Brethren, and improving ourselves --- that is constant challenge that has persisted to exist throughout the detailed history of modern American Freemasonry.

The lesson that we can learn from the Brothers of Ecclesia Lodge #1189 is that history is present to those who dare to make it. If you want to improve your lodge discussions; do it. Become a part of the solution: get involved! Share your ideas with the Brothers of your lodge or district. Tell your Master that you would like to present a program in an upcoming meeting. Be that single source of light that begins small and grows into a chorus of burning passion. As John F. Kennedy once said, “One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.”

To contact Bro. Sam Friedman to learn more about engaging lodge discussions, visit his website at http://millennialapprentices.com

~MA

Michael Arce is JW of St. George’s #6, Schenectady and a member of Mt. Zion #311, Troy New York. When not in Lodge, Bro. Arce is the Marketing Manager for Capital Cardiology Associates in Albany, New York. He enjoys meeting new Brothers and hearing how the Craft has enriched their lives. He can be reached at michael.arce@me.com