Virtual Friendship, Real Life Brotherhood

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bill Hosler, PM

 

From Left to Right: Greg Knott, Bill Hosler, Darin Lahners (Back), Todd E. Creason

 

Every Freemason knows that feeling. That feeling when you are out in public, often with your wife or partner and another Mason will approach you and mumble a couple of words, and the next thing you know both of you are smiling and shaking hands and talking. A few minutes later your significant other will ask you ”Does he belong to your lodge?” and you reply back ”Nope. Never met him before.” It’s a feeling that even though you never met the man before you share something in common that makes you feel like you have known him all your life. It’s not something you can explain and seems weird to others but it is a special thing between brothers.

Not long ago, I had the opportunity to visit Saint Joseph Lodge #970 in Saint Joseph Illinois. The lodge is located in a century old building that meets about a coffee shop in the downtown area of a small town full of shops, restaurants and a winery in main street America. It’s a vital part of this beautiful little town near Champaign. 

As wonderful as the town was the real reason I was visiting this lodge was to finally meet in person several of the Brethren I have been working with for over a half decade.

 

 Greg Knott and Bill Hosler

This little town is where I was to meet Midnight Freemasons and fellow co-hosts of the podcast Meet, Act and Part, Todd Creason, Greg Knott, and Darin Lahners. After all these years we were all physically going to be in the same room and attend the same lodge together. I was excited since this is only the second time I’ve met a Midnight Freemason in real life since I met Steve Harrison when he drove through my little Oklahoma town a few years ago. 

Todd E. Creason and Bill Hosler

 

That afternoon, Greg Knott picked me up at my hotel and after meeting Darin, we had a great dinner outside at Roch's where I was able to try a local Illinois delicacy called a ”The Horseshoe” (Google it). We spent a great meal talking and laughing after the meal was done we walked the half block to the lodge building.

Bill Hosler and WM Darin Lahners

 

Since Darin is the Master of the lodge this year I watched him open the lodge, while Greg and Todd served as Stewards for the evening. As always when you visit a foreign jurisdiction you look for the differences and similarities to the ritual you learned. 

Once the business of the lodge had been completed, Worshipful Brother Lahners asked me to approach the East. Brother Lahners presented me with a lodge lapel on Saint Joe had commissioned during the year Greg Knott was Master of the lodge and Saint Joe had the honor of winning the Mark Twain Award for Excellence in Masonic Awareness. It was a beautiful pin and I will keep it as a souvenir and as a reminder of such a great evening. 

 

WM Lahners presents Bill Hosler with a lapel pin

After the meeting, the group of us stood in the parking lot and talked for a little while. Discussing future plans for the podcast and the possibility of getting us all together in one place for a symposium type meeting. It’s amazing how we all work together, for years now connected by light and fiber optic cables all over from our locations all over the work the transformational real life was seamless. As if we all have been next door neighbors for decades.

One thing we all agreed on the time we all had together was too short and we would all have to get together again very soon.  Much like the line in the Tyler's toast used in English festive boards ”Happy to meet, sorry to part, happy to meet again.” 

 

~BH

WB Bill Hosler was made a Master Mason in 2002 in Three Rivers Lodge #733 in Indiana. He served as Worshipful Master in 2007 and became a member of the internet committee for Indiana's Grand Lodge. Bill is currently a member of Roff Lodge No. 169 in Roff Oklahoma and Lebanon Lodge No. 837 in Frisco, Texas. Bill is also a member of the Valley of Fort Wayne Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite in Indiana. A typical active Freemason, Bill also served as the High Priest of Fort Wayne's Chapter of the York Rite No. 19 and was commander of the Fort Wayne Commandery No. 4 of the Knight Templar. During all this, he also served as the webmaster and magazine editor for the Mizpah Shrine in Fort Wayne Indiana.

A Little Get-Together

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Steven L. Harrison, 33°, FMLR

Left to right; Steve Harrison, Greg Knott, Todd Creason, Darin Lahners

Each year in May when I make my annual pilgrimage to the Indianapolis 500 – a near-religious experience – my journey takes me through the Champagne-Urbana, Illinois region. There, in recent years, I've taken that opportunity to meet with friends from the area. We have lunch, share the experiences of the past year, exchange ideas and maybe even tell a tall tale or two. Freemasons all, the conversation usually has a lot to do with the state of the Craft, whether in our local lodges or with other Masonic issues in general.

Our small group consists of Todd Creason, Greg Knott, yours truly and this year, for the first time, Darrin Lahners joined us. While Freemasonry struggles with membership issues, our exclusive “order” has grown by 33%.

Todd is the founder of the Midnight Freemasons blog. He has written a slew of books on Freemasonry including three novels where some of the characters are Brothers, and has been named a Fellow in the Missouri Lodge of Research. Greg is a Past Master of St. Joseph Lodge 970 in St. Joseph, Illinois and is a director of the prestigious Masonic Society. Darrin just served as Master of St. Joseph Lodge 970 and this coming year will be Master of Homer Lodge 199. Darrin has written about some tough issues he faced as Master this year and the fact he's out to do it again at Homer emphasizes his dedication to the fraternity. That doesn't even serve as a “Reader's Digest” version of what these men have accomplished. Their full biographies can be found at www.midnightfreemasons.org/.

These Brothers are so dynamic, enthusiastic and have had so many successes I'm sometimes surprised to find they run into the same issues I encounter; but they do. We share those issues and try to work out what solutions and suggestions we can in the space of an hour or so.

I really look forward to this little get-together. It's nothing earthshaking. We're not going to solve the problems of the world in the small amount of time we have. Maybe its greatest significance is there are three – make that four guys – different ages, different backgrounds, different geographical regions getting together. If not for the bond of Freemasonry this wouldn't happen. I wouldn't know any of them and, although Darrin, Greg and Todd work at the same place they wouldn't know each other as well or perhaps at all.

I've seen this kind of thing happen a lot. We are a band of Brothers with common experiences and obligations. Knowing we share the tenets of Freemasonry brings us together like magnets. Just seeing that square and compasses pin on a lapel makes us want to know more about the man wearing it. It's not just a conversation piece; it represents the strong bond of Brotherhood.

This year's meeting came and went all too quickly. We finished our meal, posed for our mandatory photo and went our separate ways. Across the parking lot from the others, I barely could hear one of them say, “Meeting adjourned.”

That is until next year, God willing.

~SLH

Bro. Steve Harrison, 33° , is Past Master of Liberty Lodge #31, Liberty, Missouri. He is also a Fellow and Past Master of the Missouri Lodge of Research. Among his other Masonic memberships are the St. Joseph Missouri Valley of the Scottish Rite, Liberty York Rite bodies, and Moila Shrine. He is also a member and Past Dean of the DeMolay Legion of Honor. Brother Harrison is a regular contributor to the Midnight Freemasons blog as well as several other Masonic publications. Brother Steve was Editor of the Missouri Freemason magazine for a decade and is a regular contributor to the Whence Came You podcast. Born in Indiana, he has a Master's Degree from Indiana University and is retired from a 35 year career in information technology. Steve and his wife Carolyn reside in northwest Missouri. He is the author of dozens of magazine articles and three books: Freemasonry Crosses the Mississippi, Freemasons — Tales From the Craft and Freemasons at Oak Island.