Message from the Grand Master

Message from

The Grand Master

My Fellow Masons of Washington, D.C.: “legislative body” of our Fraternity by becoming more I trust that 2008 has started well for you and your families. We have a lot to accomplish over the coming months and I look forward to your full participation in actively involved and constructively engaged in the affairs of our Grand Lodge through serious discussions and debates. and support of the several initiatives that we have set • Institutional Awakening: Focused discussions will together for our beloved Grand Lodge. be held with the leadership and members of organiUnder the operating theme for our Grand Lodge this year, “Energize – Enlighten – Engage”, we will endeavor together to continue moving our Fraternity forward towards a more glorious future. zations such as the Past Masters Association and St. John’s Mite for the purpose of renewing their respective sense of mission and charting meaningful courses of action. Energize Enlighten Our aim is to “energize” our Fraternity in Washington, D.C. by harnessing the exciting energies of our newer and younger Brothers, revitalizing any dormant energies of our more experienced Brothers, and harvesting the maturity and institutional memory Our aim is to encourage members of our Fraternity to seek as much enlightenment as possible through the discovery and appreciation of the “Sacred Art.” This journey is what defines Freemasonry as a “Society” and distinguishes it from all other organizations. of our older Brothers. To this • Masonic Education: To this end, effect, efforts in the first 120 days the Grand Lodge will organize five of this administration have Grand Lodges of Instruction focused on the following: (GLI) in the course of the year; • Officers Workshops: Two worktwo of which will have been held shops were organized on during the first 120 days of this December 18, 2007, and January administration on January 29th 19, 2008, for Lodge officers to and March 31st respectively. assist them in developing the necessary skills and knowledge needed for the performance of Most Worshipful Brothe A kram R. Elias r These GLI sessions will provide Lodge Ritual Instructors and Masonic Education Facilitators their respective duties and better governance of with the knowledge, tools, and references they need their respective Lodge affairs. to convey Masonic Education in their Lodges more • Masters and Wardens: A special meetin g with the Masters and Wardens Association to discuss ways to • Grand Lodge Communications: Each Grand Lodge enhance communication and cooperation between communication will have an interesting and thought the Grand Lodge and our constituent Lodges. provoking “piece of architecture” which will be pre• Legislative Duties: A Special Communication of the will encourage Lodges to offer programs that Grand Lodge has been called for Saturday, March 29, enlighten their members, generate stimulating dis2008, at 10:00 am for the purpose of making legislacussions and explore ways for making our ritual a tion. The objective of this effort is twofold: living experience in today’s world.

▪ We will vote on several proposals for legislation and discuss a number of subjects that are of great importance to the future of our Fraternity.

▪ We hope that this effort will encourage the members of the Grand Lodge to see themselves as the effectively and efficiently. sented by the Grand Lodge Orator. We hope that this • Our Communities: It is incumbent upon us to educate the various communities within which we interact about who we are and what our Fraternity represents. We should not leave it to others to define us in their own terms and through their own prejudices. To the contrary, we should take a proactive

approach and “enlighten” non-Masons about our Society. To this end, we are developing a communication strategy to assist us in achieving two goals: a) identify local and national institutions with which we could establish positive synergies; b) engage more e fectively our local and national media. f

▪ Education: Our Adopt-A-School committee has already identified two cluster school systems on Capitol Hill and Tenleytown and is developing an assistance strategy to supplement and magnify the current assistance provided by some of our Lodges in those neighborhoods. Engage ▪ Young Artists: Supporting Washington D.C.- Our aim is to expand the world of possibilities and based young artists and organizations that are in develop new horizons that can enable our Lodges to need of support to enable them to further their forge new connections and deepen existing onesfor artistic development through education and perwith our various communiformance experience. ties, locally, nationally, and John F. Kennedy once said, internationally. To this end, we have been focusing on the following: • Our City: We will accelerate Our aim is to encoura members of our ge “There is a connection, hard to explain logically but easy to feel, between achievement in public life and progress in the process of engaging the Fraternity to seek as the arts. The age of Pericles Mayor’s office and city officials was also the age of Phidias. in developing opportunities much enlightenment as The age of Lorenzo de Medici for our members to support the city’s educational reforms. possible through the was also the age of da Vinci, the age of Leonardo Elizabeth We have also developed a partnership with the Bill of discovery and was also the age of Shakespeare, and the new frontier Rights Institute in order to offer a couple of training semappreciation of the for whi public li ch I campaign in fe, can also be a new inars for D.C. public school educators on the Constitution and Citizenship. “Sacred Art.” This journey is what defines frontier for American art.” There is one final thing that would like to address in th I is • US Congress: We are continuing our outreach to Freemasonry as a message i.e., the World erence of Masonic ConfGrand members of Congress who are Masons in an effort to “Society” and Lodges and Brotherhood the Universal Celebration (May strengthen our fraternal reladistinguishes it from all 7-10, 2008). For the first time tions and we held another ever, Washington D.C. will be breakfast get-together in other organizations. host to leaders of Freemasonry

March of this year. from around the world. We • Charity: Freemasonry is not a charitable institution but an Initiatory Fraternal Society that encourages charity in all its forms. Our focus this year is on three areas: have designed an extraordinary program and are now preparing the final plans. I encourage you to visit the conference’s website at www.glworldconference.org and see what we have organized for our visiting Masonic dignitaries. ▪ Veterans: We have identified an organizatio called “Soldiers Angels”, which will bring to our attention the cases of individual veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who are in dire need of assistance. We will then be able to directly assist those soldiers who n My Fellow Brethren, we have an exciting road ahead filled with wonderful opportunities. Always aim to the heavens for the gods smile only to those who dare them! Together we can dream it, and together we can do it. h p ave put their lives in harms way to reserve our liberty and freedoms. “Lux e Tenebris” ■