Grand Master’s Message

Message from The Grand Master

My Brethren; this is my last official message to you. • Promote significant joint projects with participation You honored me by electing me as your Grand Master of the Grand Lodge, constituent lodges and appenand I was installed in the Grand Oriental Chair in a dant bodies as a Masonic family to enhance the very solemn and dignified ceremony on that Saturday cultural richness of our Fraternity in Washington DC afternoon during the Third Communication on and strengthen our brotherly bond. December 16, 2006. Now, nearly a year later, coming to the end of my unique journey with you, I am deeply thankful for the great opportunity afforded me to carry out my programs and fulfill my promises. This has also provided me with some of the richest moments of my Masonic experience. • Organize and promote Community outreach and public events to promote the image of Freemasonry and our Grand Lodge and the pride in the Craft. To this end, we have strived to identify effective and meaningful charity and Philanthropy projects, in partnership with lodges, appenI have been proud to be your dant bodies and Masonic Charity Brother and a member of this Jurisorganizations such as Masonic diction and having the opportunity Foundation and MESH, in order to to share with you my vision, and raise our visibility and expose the ideas and the programs necessary benevolent nature of our Fraterfor the future of our Grand Lodge nity. and to work with you as a team to implement those plans, programs and projects. • And strive to create a meaningful and thoughtful budget and prudent financial management of During the past two years our Grand Lodge resources. Grand Lodge elected line, and I worked in unison to set a vision, The main theme of the year was define a clear mission and devise “investing in the Craft”. specific long term plans to achieve This meant empowering and supour goals. Our vision has been to become a true Masonic Institution Most Worshipful Brother Robert B. Heyat porting the lodges in their efforts and programs to introduce a new and a premier Grand Lodge, recogsynergy and encourage dynamic nized as such in our country and around the world. activities in the lodge. These included encouraging To reach the above goal, we developed the followthrough the commendable efforts of our Grand Lecing plan of action as our mission. turer, his assistants and with the participation of • First and foremost reaffirm our basic Masonic valGrand Lodge Work and Lectures Committee memues, principles and traditions, and adopt such bers. Our other major programs were: Masonic practices to meet the needs of our Fraternity and the education, mentoring of candidates, training of offievolving world conditions. In this respect the Grand cers through workshops, improving the management lodge will be an umbrella organization, representing and finances of the lodge and becoming an integral its constituent lodges and the Fraternity as a whole, part of community by having effective and meaningwith clearly defined relationship between the Grand ful charities, community projects and public events. Lodge and the lodges. Detailed report of all our activities and programs will • Help develop healthy and strong lodges, with qualbe reflected in the proceedings of the Grand Lodge ity membership, effective leadership, sound for 2007, to be read by one and all. However, I have organization and financial management, while using the following recommendations to complement our the resources of the Grand Lodge to support the programs and plans, which I deem necessary to lodges in their training, ritual work, Masonic educaensure further success in future. tion and other programs. proficiency and excellence in Ritual and degree work,

1. Grand Lodge Finances: Our Grand Lodge must Communication on 2nd Saturday in December. At be financially strong and prepared to take on effective present the Third Communication agenda is limited projects for strengthening our lodges, engaging in only to a few ceremonial functions. In this new situameaningful community outreach and important philtion, we should be able to expand the agenda for the anthropic and charity projects. Although our assets Third Communication and provide the Grand Lodge are strong and increasing, their income is not suffiwith the opportunity to discuss and act on other poscient to compensate the yearly inflation and at the sible issues and actions, which may come up between same time provide for our expenses. Our dues are the two communications. completely out of step with today’s cost as is the case in many of our lodges. In our Semi-annual Communication, the Trustees proposed and the Grand Lodge approved to study this issue, and my recommendation is to take up this issue in earnest and prepare a proposal for the consideration of the Grand Lodge, next year. My Brethren, as I near the end of my term as your Grand Master, at times I feel that I did not have enough time to fulfill all my promises and execute all my programs as I had envisaged. However, I am very proud and thankful that you gave me this opportunity even for a short time to per2. Philanthropy and ChariInterest in Freemasonry form my duty to the best of ties: We ought to study and select a number of major charis greatly increasing and my ability. During this year, I have had the good fortune to ities for the Grand Lodge, in partnership with the Masonic well qualified young meet and associate with so many dedicated and great Foundation, MESH and our Lodges to support them. In men are knocking at our Masons, more specially, our Past Grand Masters and leadthis regard, our focus should be more on education, childoor. It is our duty and ership of our lodges, and I have had the special privilege dren, schools, and veterans. our mission to act as a of working closely with some 3. Grand Lodge Building: With all that is happening in our Grand Lodge and our place in Washington DC, as a premier Grand Lodge and as a highly qualified institution representing the Fraternity in our nations capital, we need to have significant presence in this city. Furthermore, our lodges have been increasing in number and they are pressed for lodge room to do their work and hold other Masonic and social events. To accomplish these goals, we ought to have a Masonic Center in a prominent location in the city with all the facilities and of the finest Masons, as elected and appointed Grand Lodge officers, and Trustees, in a team spirit and in an atmosphere of brotherly love and harmony, and I thank them for their support all throughout the year. However, I want to take this opportunity to specially recognize RWB Akram R. Elias, Deputy Grand Master, RW Kwame Acquaah, Senior Grand Warden for their unceasing support, and MWB Mansour Hatefi our Grand Secretary, for his valuable advice. beacon of light to our community and the human society at large. amenities needed for our manifold activities and easFurthermore, I owe a debt of gratitude to the heads ily accessible to our lodges and membership in of our appendant bodies in general, and Illustrious general. My recommendation is that this project to be Leonard Proden, SGIG for the Valley of Washington, pursued in earnest by the incoming Grand Master in in particular, for their cooperation and support of the consultation with the trustees, as already authorized Grand Lodge activities. by the Grand Lodge, and upon identifying a concrete and financially viable project bring it to the floor of the Grand Lodge for approval and execution . Last, but certainly not least, my deep appreciation and thanks goes to the staff of Grand secretary’s office, WB Todd C. Duehring and WB Walter R. 4. Changes in Grand Lodge Code: There are a Hoenes, who have served me and this Grand Lodge number of instances in our code that are not compatwith sincerity and dedication beyond the call of duty. ible with our present circumstances. For instance, having changed the date of our Annual Communication from 2nd Saturday in December to 4th Saturday in October, we have about six weeks before the Third In conclusion, my Brethren, our Grand Lodge has gone through a great positive change in the last few years and you have witnessed our new vision, goals,