In This Issue

Grand Master’s Message

The cover page of this issue of The Voice of ately applied to the honor we bestow

Freemasonry features a scene of George on our Craft’s patron saints. Washington and fellow brethren in procession at the commencement of a service in observance of Saint John’s Day at Philadelphia’s Christ Church in 1778. In choosing the Holy Saints John as patrons of Masonic Lodges, our predecessors chose wisely. While we cannot know with certainty why they made that choice, we can infer many reasons which may well guide us in the conduct of Masonry in the 21st century. Can we learn something else from the Baptist? Picture, if you will, what this Saint John might have looked like as he preached repentance and baptism in water. Dressed in scruffy animal skins, with a matted beard and uncombed hair, dirty feet in sandals, and perhaps a fetid odor of one living in the desert, he drew enormous crowds to listen to his words and receive his ablution on the one hand and on In recalling the words in the other, reject his words the opening of the First as a direct and personal Degree, we are forcefully threat to licentious living. reminded that our journey How often, today, do we as into Masonry began under Masons, when evaluating the the auspices of two well candidacy of a petitioner for known biblical characters – the Masonic Degrees, reject John the Baptist and John him for personal feelings, the Evangelist. From that based on a mindset rather mythical Lodge in Jerusathan on reason. My Brethren, lem, we began our trek to harken well to the wise lesenlightenment with a simple, sons of our Patron Saints. rational admonition to control our passions and to gain knowledge in the practice of our Craft. Let’s focus on the Patron whose Feast Day we recently honored with a Festive Board in June and what lessons we can garner from his life. Saint John the Baptist, son of Most Worshipful Brother Paul D. Gleason I write this message at the half-way point in my tenure as your Grand Master and, to date, my experiences have been, on the whole, very positive and memorable. Working with a committed and dedicated elected line has afforded me the opportunity to better understand the Zachary and Elizabeth, was, as history reveals, born principle of tolerance and the value of free and open six months prior to the birth of Jesus. Known as the collegial discussions within the executive commitprecursor, he lived a solitary desert life preaching tee. It has also been heart-warming to watch newly forgiveness through baptism in water and urging his elected Masters of our constituent lodges effectively followers to live a life of righteousness and repenmanage the business of a lodge and, with innovation tance for past failings. Within Masonry, Saint John and creativity, establish an atmosphere conducive to the Baptist, coupled with Saint John the Evangelist, both Masonic education and lodge-centered activirepresent the dualism of man, namely, passion and ties. Taking part in the dedication of a “new” lodge reason. When placed together and represented by room as part of a Grand Lodge Visitation will be a the two parallel and tangential lines which border long-remembered evening of gustatory and auditory the circle in which we are the central point, they pleasure. Well done Old Federal! symbolize the perfect balance of darkness and light, of life and death, of passion and reason, of will and emotion, of action and constraint. And so the Latin phrase vere dignum et justus est is most appropriThis year’s Grand Lodge Visitation program has, as many of you know, a new format. Established to provide the Grand Master and the elected Grand Line the opportunity to visit each lodge individucontinued on next page