Calling all SE Area Lodge Leaders

Brothers,

I have been asked by RWB Tom Hendrickson, Jr Grand Warden, to invite all Masters, Wardens and other Lodge leaders to attend Lodge in Owatonna on Monday, February 9th. After the stated communication RWB Tom would like to have a discussion with the SE Area Lodge leaders about Masonry in SE Minnesota. This is a nice opportunity prior to Grand Lodge, at the end of March, to talk to one of our Grand Lodge leaders.

Please let me know if you plan on attending.

A Cold Winter Night

Last night several Lodges from the Southeast Area came together for a School of Instruction on the Degree Lectures. The weather outside was cold and windy yet inside was warm with brotherhood. We had around 30 brothers present from 10 different Lodges and several of the lectures were put on by Brothers that are spending time learing the work for the first time. All of the work was done with great care and every brother left having learned some new piece of the ritual whether it was a pronunciation, the meaning of a word, or part of why we use a certain word here in Minnesota. A great thanks goes out to the brothers of Evergreen Lodge for hosting the school and making sure the heat was turned on, and to WB Brian Beerman and WB Don Olson for taking time to drive down from the metro to instruct the school. Our next school will be held in March in Rochester.

A Scary and Sad Feeling

Last night I was in a Lodge that was doing the first degree for six candidates. The Lodge room was filled with 30+ brothers present. The degree work was great and the hard work of the brothers really showed. The first section of the lecture was presented by two brothers that had just been raised in December and they knocked it out of the park. It was great to see two new brothers step up and do such a great job.

The second section was presented by me. I have presented this lecture at least twice a year since I was first raised in 2001 so I am pretty comfortable with it. I got to "neiter naked or clad" and drew my first blank, with a prompt I was back on track until I got to the "altar" at which point it was totatlly gone. While I only needed a word here or there it was a very scary feeling standing in front of that many brothers and start drawing complete blanks. I felt that I had let my brothers and our new candidates down. I know many brothers who are very self-critical of the work they do (I am one of them), just remember we do the work for our new brothers and I have yet to meet one that doesn't appreciate the time and effort.

Thankfully, on Thursday 1/29 we will be having an Southeast Area School of Instruction for the lectures in Clyde. I know that I will be there listening and asking questions trying to learning new parts of the lectures. If you are working on learing a lecture for your Lodge's spring degree work this will be a great chance to get some help.

A Gentle and Friendly Reminder

Yesterday I received an email from a brother that I greatly respect. This email was whispering good council into the ear of a brother. He was looking at this blog and noticed that it has not been kept current. His reminder was that if you are going to do something DO IT and do it to the best of your ability. To the Old Past Master thank you for the reminder and with that I will put more effort into keeping this blog up to date.

School of instruction 10/30

Brother James asked me to post a note about the 4th school of instruction held in Rushford on Oct.30. It was another good turn out. There were 33 brothers . Most were from dist29 but there were brothers from Rochester and Albert Lea. WB Greg Lane was the custodian and did a great job(as DR I really want to thank Greg for making the trip.
The next scheduled schools are:
Jan 29,2009 at Clyde , lectures.
Mar 30 Monday, Rochester, 1st school
Fraternally, Paul Himmler

What a Masonic Weekend...

This weekend was completly filled with Masonic events. Some of them were enjoyable and some were absolutely gut wrenching.

Friday night was spent at the Executive Council meeting of the Grand Guardian Council of Minnesota Job's Daughters. On Friday there were several decisions made that will help move this body into the future. Saturday was a hectic day starting in Minneapolis at JD You. JD You is a day spent with the Daughters of Minnesota providing leadership training for girls from all across the state. It truly is with honor that I serve the Daughters of Minnesota as their Associate Grand Guardian.

After leaving the Daughters it was down I-35 to Faribault for their annual awards. It was great to spend a little time listening and talking to the Brothers and Sisters of Faribault. I can see it on their faces and hear it in their voices... They are not going to let their Lodge die without a fight. I look forward to helping them rebuild.

From Faribault it was even further down I-35 to Albert Lea where the Brothers were celebrating 150 years of Masonic Light. Western Star Lodge #26 is the oldest organization in Freeborn county. During the night there were awards given and speechs presented including the keynote from MW Grand Master Thomas C. Jackson.

Sunday morning found me in Bloomington for the Pancake Throw Down, which was won by Lake Harriet Lodge #277. This afternoon was spent with about 100 other Masons paying WB Dan Croswell his final Masonic Wages. WB Dan was a Past Master of Anoka Lodge #30 and it was evident by the turnout that he had touch many lives in his 10 years as a Mason. It was a great sight to see that many Masons gather together we just wish it could have been under better circumstances. It was with these words that WB Dan finished his last article as Master in the Anoka Lodge "Star and Compass".

“What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to
make a beginning. The end is where we start from...”

Upon the Level of Time

Because of this job I have the pleasure of traveling across the state meeting many Brothers along the way. This afternoon I received several phone calls from Brothers up in Anoka to share very sad news with me... Last night WB Dan Croswell was involved in a single car crash and while being transported to the hospital he passed to the Celestial Lodge above.

While Anoka Lodge #30 is not in the Southeast Area, I had the chance to get to know WB Dan over the last few years. On several occasions he came down to Owatonna to attend Lodge and this year he had been serving the Daughters of Bethel #48 as their Director of Music.

Tonight I will give thanks to the Supreme Architect for allowing me to serve the Brothers and Daughters of Minnesota and for bringing so many great people into my life. My prayers go out to WB Dan's family, friends and Masonic family.

The following I feel is very appropriate for the occasion...

"It has pleased the everlasting Master Builder to bear our beloved Brother from the chain of our Brotherhood. Who did not know him? Who did not value him? Only a few weeks ago he stood in our midst, and with him magic tones added much beauty to the dedication of our Masonic Temple. He was the most enthusiastic follower of our Order. Love for his Brethren, sociability, enthusiasm for the good cause, charity, and true and deep feeling of pleasure when he was able by means of his talents to help one of his Brethren ~ these were the chief features of his character..." Eulogy given for Brother Amadeus Mozart by his Lodge