Stonington Press

Stonington Newsletters

L.E.O. — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:28:14 +0000

I will be posting a link to the newsletters as they come out so those of you that would like to download it and read it can. If you have email we would appreciate it if you could let us know so we can save money by emailing you the newsletter instead of using the postal mail. Please send your email address to Stoningtonlodge@gmail.com.

Brothers Coming Together

L.E.O. — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:23:15 +0000

Oberlin Lodge is interested in getting together with us to work on Degrees and anything else that people are interested in working on. This is a great opportunity for anyone needing help or that just have questions. If your interested please contact Robert Hennes at crhennes@windstream.net.

Need Volunteers

L.E.O. — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:17:48 +0000

We need volunteers to host a fellowship dinner each month. If you can host one please let Robert Hennes know at crhennes@windstream.net

Why Be Active in Lodge? Here Are 5 Good Reasons!

L.E.O. — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 20:39:27 +0000

Undoubtably, there are plenty of things in life that pull us away from being an active Mason. Certainly, our families, health and career should come before our Brothers at Lodge. But if you have no good reason not to come out and enjoy fellowship and Brotherly Love, what is stopping you?

Remember Brother, something drew you to our Great Fraternity at one time. Something brought you one day to the Temple to meet your Brothers, learn about Freemasonry and make you decide, “yes, I would like to be known as a Mason.” And that unique set of beliefs, desires and passions is the same something we all still share.

So, if you’re not an active Mason and maybe wondering why you should come back to Lodge, here are five good reasons:

1. Satisfy that inner desire to connect. By being active in Lodge, you share your ideas, gain support and acceptance from like-minded Brothers, and bond with others who have similar interests.

2. Build true and deep relationships. Your Brothers sincerely long to interact with you. By getting to know them, you build trust, which leads to deeper, truer relationships and friendships.

3. Gain respect and admiration. Brothers who take an active role — whether as an Officer, member of a committee, as a part in the degrees, or as a mentor, lecturer or advisor — are seen as positive role models.

4. Make Masonry “yours.” Rather than being a part of the silent and passive majority, be one the noted minorities that has a voice and opinion. Do something to make the changes you want to see. Own a piece of the pie.

5. Become a leader. You may not think you have what it takes to be an example to others, but Freemasonry is unique in that it presents numerous opportunities to follow a path to leadership and honor.

10 Things to Remember as a Freemason

L.E.O. — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 20:13:29 +0000

1. I am the representative of my Lodge and of all Free and Accepted Masons. Whatever I do or say reflects directly upon myself and my fellow Freemasons everywhere and our good works.

2. I am responsible for what my Lodge and Freemasonry represent. They can be no more than what my fellow Freemasons and I make them.

3. I should not criticize what my fellow Freemasons do for Freemasonry unless I have a better suggestion and I am prepared to do it myself.

4. I must remember that the fact that I bear the name, Master Mason or Freemason, is not enough. I must continue to be worthy.

5. My fellow members and I are our Lodges and Freemasonry. Without our active support they cease to exist.

6. My Lodge does me a favor by calling upon me. I am not doing the Lodge a favor by serving. It is both an obligation and a privilege to help the Lodge and Freemasonry.

7. I should treat my fellow Freemasons with the same respect, honor, and understanding that I would like to receive from them.

8. It is not a right to be a Freemason, it is an honor. I should respect that honor by abiding by all of the precepts of my Lodge, my Grand Lodge, and Freemasonry as a whole.

9. Whatever differences my fellow Freemasons and I may have, we are all bound together by the bonds of our loyalty to our families, the Lodge, and Freemasonry.

10. The willing Master Mason and his understanding family are the lifeblood of the Lodge and Freemasonry.

Be An Active Member

L.E.O. — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 20:10:11 +0000

Be an active member,
The kind that would be missed.
Don’t be just contented
That your name is on the list.

Do attend the meetings
and mingle with the crowd.
Don’t stay at home
And crab both long and loud.

Don’t leave the work for just a few
And grip about the clique.
And take the time to visit
A member who is sick.

There is quite a program scheduled
That means success if done,
And it can be accomplished
With help from everyone.

So attend the meetings regularly
and help with hand and heart,
Be an active member
And take an active part.

Think this over, member
Are we right or are we wrong?
Be an active member
Please don’t just belong.

Masonic Ceremony In Canada

L.E.O. — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 20:05:07 +0000

This is a news broadcast regarding a Mason being honored for fifty years of service to the fraternity. It’s interesting because it speaks to the universality of Freemasonry as well as its teachings.

Lee Sherman Dreyfus 33rd Degree

L.E.O. — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 20:01:55 +0000

Former University Professor, Governor of Wisconsin and 33rd Degree Scottish Rite Mason gives a lecture on the history, meaning and importance of the Craft. Very educational and insprational. Highly recommended for anyone interested in Craft Masonry. (This lecture is broken into two parts. Each about eight and a half minutes long.)

Lee Sherman Dreyfus 33rd Degree, (continued)

The Masonic Ring by Howie Damron

L.E.O. — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 19:57:21 +0000

This video of Howie Damron singing his wonderful song about the Masonic ring is a must see for every Freemason.

Masonic Humor

L.E.O. — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 19:44:55 +0000

Bob and Bill were brother masons and great friends for most of their lives.

Each had agreed that when one of them passed on to that Grand Lodge above, he would attempt to make contact with the other and tell him all about what heaven was like.

As so happened, Bill went to heaven, first.

One night Bob was just drifting off to sleep when he heard Bill’s voice calling to him.

“Is that you, Bill?

“Yes, Bob. I am honoring our agreement.”

“Oh, MY,…. what’s it like?” Bob asked with some anticipation.

“It’s like nothing you could ever imagine. The lodge here is fantastic,… better than any lodge we ever saw on Earth.

The meetings are always well attended, the ritual is letter perfect, the friendship nights always have tons of new people just itching to join, and the spirit of fellowship blankets the entire place.”

Bob’s eyes teared up.

“Oh, my, it’s just like we’d hoped. I’m so happy for you. But I have to ask,… that sounds really great, but you didn’t really seem all that excited. What’s wrong?”

“Well, I have some good news and some bad. The good news is that we’re raising a fellow to the third degree next Wednesday.”

“That’s fantastic. What’s the bad news?”

“Your name is on the list to be the Senior Deacon.”

One night (a long time ago in a jurisdiction far, far, away) a brother was heading home after indulging a bit too much at the festive board after his lodge meeting.

He was weaving a little across the path, steadying himself against the lamp-posts.

A concerned policeman saw him, and walked over.

“Well sir, where are we going at this time of night, eh?” he asked.

The brother replied “I, officer, am going to a lecture on Masonry!”

Bemused, the policeman asked, “And just where are you going to hear a lecture on Masonry at this time of night?”

The brother replied, “From my wife!!!”

A man is walking through the recreation ground of his local park when he notices a huge fight going on in full fury on the football field he is passing.

“What’s going on?”, he asks a spectator, watching from the side-lines.

The other replies “It’s a match between the Masons and the Knights of Columbus.”

“What’s the score?” asks the first man.

“I don’t know. It’s a secret.”

Freemasonry isn’t all symbolism and ritual. Masonic humor and Masonic jokes abound. Share your Freemason jokes.