The Table Lodge: In Praise of Diplomacy

Joseph S. Crociata, JGD

“Dip-lo`-ma-cy – n. –the patriotic art of lying for one’s country.”

Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary, 1911

Especially in the context of the American culture, diplomacy in general and diplomats in particular have never been held in particularly high esteem. Even before the birth of our nation, no less a civic and Masonic personage than Bro. Benjamin Franklin spoke of the diplomat’s trade with derision, and after all, why not? The very root of the word (from the Greek) means “two faced:” an implicit acknowledgement of the diplomat’s duty to represent his government with a face that is only true to its positions and interests while reporting to his government without a similar façade of “comforting illusion and cozy half-truth.”

Freemasons are no less prone to an equally harsh judgment upon its diplomats within the Craft. How often we hear some critical note being made of the

portion of the Grand Lodge budget that is devoted to officers’ travel and attendance at Grand functions in other Grand Jurisdictions here and abroad. Can such expenditures serve any real purpose in the advance of Freemasonry within the District of Columbia? Do they have any real effect upon the advance of “Freemasonry Universal:” that concept which is at the very heart of our annual celebration of Universal Brotherhood?

This year, I was honored to serve as Toastmaster for a second year at the Table Lodge held during the Universal Brotherhood Weekend on June 8th. For over two decades, I have been attending and conducting Table Lodges in several Grand Jurisdictions, and have come to an appreciation of the proceeding as one of the highest expressions of Masonic good will and fellowship. Last year, I reported to you on the origins and traditions of the Table Lodge as a Masonic art form. (For those who have yet to learn of or appreciate the exquisitely Masonic form of the Table Proceeding, I refer you to The Voice of Freemasonry, Vol. 22, No. 2.) More than any other, this year’s Table Lodge at the Universal Brotherhood Celebration struck me as a demonstration of the unique nature of the ceremony as it is performed in this “first city of the world,” and its correspondence to the diplomatic dinners that are celebrated in its embassies and halls of government with such regularity.

The proceeding was opened with MW Bro. Robert B. Heyat in the East, and RW Kwame Acquaah, SGW, and RW Paul D. Gleason, JGW served their Grand Master as the Wardens on the sprigs of the West and South. The conduct of the proceeding was changed to accommodate the Universal message of the celebration, with the customary toast to the Lodge being changed to laud the “Universal Brotherhood Lodge” (which opened and closed in the various languages of those present that evening), and the toast to the Worshipful Master being changed to commemorate the twinning of our

own LaFrance Lodge No. 93 with Tolerance Lodge brought to the Grand East. MW Brother Mendoza No. 2 of Gabon, and their Masters. The respective spoke ably and with the assistance of W Brother Worshipful Masters of the twinned lodges, W. Pierre Richard J. Bautista serving as interpreter. Grand Verroye and W. Martin Moussavou, were called upon Master Mendoza traveled to us from a country whose to give responses to the toast, and both responded Freemasonry finds a strong foundation within Scotwith messages of gratitude for the warm relations tish Rite traditions, and he selected a message that they share across the Atlantic, as well as with resounded in the personal warmth and brotherhood pledges of the continuation of between himself and our their relationship into the future. “...all faithful Masons of good own Grand Master. MW Brother Mendoza capped The remaining toasts were given off his remarks with the presas tradition dictates, but the roster of proposers and responders will (should) take up the cause entation of an award and medallion from his Grand showed the uniquely “official” nature of the proceeding, with of Universal Brotherhood, by a Lodge to MW Brother Heyat, which was warmly received. toasts given by or on behalf of RW Jesse Villarreal, SGD, RW rigorous application of those Again, the response of our Grand Master echoed the Paul D. Gleason, JGW, and RW Kwame Acquaah, SGW. principles so fervently inculremarks of his guest from South America, and called Responses were heard from MW George R. Adams, PGM 1993, cated through our ritual and for recognition of the significance of the personal ties whose message lauding the Craft that bind Masons throughand the Memory of its Founders practice.” out the world, as a hallmark cited their long-standing dedication to brotherhood that reached beyond creeds and borders. RW - MWB Gustavo Raffi, Grand Master Grand Orient of Italy of the universal brotherhood that we were celebrating that evening. Akram R. Elias, DGM presented a response to the toast to the Universal Lodge which MW Steven R. Johnson spoke as the Past Grand sounded a challenge to us and those who follow, to Master of the five-member delegation of the Grand be a force for understanding and peace throughout Lodge of Minnesota. That delegation included the world. Grand Lodge Medal of Freedom honoree Bro. John But it was through the responses to the traditional the nation in Iraq, that he was made a Mason at Sight toast to our Masonic Visitors that the true power of while a patient at Walter Reed Army Medical Center Masonic diplomacy was felt. RW Jerome Ngoua by our own Grand Master, on behalf of the Grand Bekale, Assistant Grand Master and Grand Treasurer Lodge of Minnesota. MW Brother Johnson’s remarks of the Grand Lodge of Gabon, spoke to everyone struck a solemn note, acknowledging the struggle in present with an able interpretation by RW Teko Foly, which Bro. Kriesel received his grievous wounds, but SGS. His words of thanks to our own Grand Master calling upon all Masons to work toward the resolution were heartfelt and profound, as were the sentiments of conflict through our unique ability to generate a that he expressed for the continuation of the bonds foundation for understanding across the globe. between his Grand Lodge and our own, begun that Kriesel, who so distinguished himself in his service to evening in the twinning of two of our Lodges. The The final Grand Visitors’ remarks made a fitting finale response of our own Grand Master to RW Brother to those who had gone before. MW Bro. Gustavo Ngoua Bekale took up the theme, and called for Raffi, Grand Master of the Grand Orient of Italy gave expansion of the bonds of fraternity between all the the “keynote” speech on behalf of the visiting Grand Lodges of North America with those of Africa. brethren, and was assisted (in interpretation) by W Brother Clark Misul, Master of Italia Lodge No. 2001. MW Ruben Dario Ceballos Mendoza, Grand Master The esteemed MW Brother Raffi bears a heavy of Masons of the Grand Lodge of Columbia, was responsibility in support of the cause of Freemasonry

in his native land. Not only does he contend with a be forgotten. He rededicated our Grand Lodge to its civil system that is often openly hostile to the princiunique role in the world, and called upon us to fulfill ples of the Fraternity, but also with Masons from other its promise, by making Washington, D.C. a true parts of the world who would seek to undercut his Masonic crossroads, where all Masons can come authority to defend those principles, wherever under together to pledge their support for the principles of attack. (Men of principle are often an inconvenience the Craft. to those whose principles are subject to compromise.) MW Brother Raffi’s comments addressed the “Diplomacy?” Perhaps. But as Grand Tyler W Bro. difficulties faced by a civilization under siege, and Gerhard Meinzer proposed the final “Tyler’s Toast” called upon all faithful Masons and the brothers joined hands of good will to take up the cause of Universal Brother“ MWBro. Heyat rededicated to sing “Auld Lang Syne,” our Grand Lodge’s role in building hood, by a rigorous application of those principles so fervently our Grand Lodge to its unique international bridges to understanding and fraternity was inculcated through our ritual and practice. role in the world, and called clear. Our own Grand Master’s unique abilities to serve that The Grand Master’s response upon us to fulfill its promise, evident. And the Craft proved was given as much to the visito be well served by the tors as to the ritual toast to his health and prosperity, which by making Washington, D.C. a evening’s Masonic “diplomats.” was proposed by W. Bro. John Vergalla, Secretary of our hosts true Masonic crossroads, where And, one final note: For all his for the evening, the Scottish Rite Valley of the District of all Masons can come together derision of the trade of diplomacy, Bro. Benjamin Franklin Columbia. MW Brother Heyat was its practitioner par excelacknowledged the personal kindness of each of his visitors, to pledge their support for the lance. It was by his brilliant exercise of the diplomatic arts not only on his own behalf, but as our Masonic “head of state.” principles of the Craft.” that he became, more than any other, the architect of the His remarks (some of which are Treaty of Paris, that keystone reported above) sounded assurances to all of our visto the effort that created a Nation that still stands for itors and to our own Brothers present that the the freedoms that guarantee civil rights to all, and framessages of universal fraternity and a brotherhood ternal rights to the Craft. that would ever cross national boundaries would not noble purpose were equally

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