Master’s Letter | July 2010
July is traditionally a “dark” month for our lodge, though like many Masons, I am not keen on that term. Masonry is all about light - 365 days a year! Nor, despite our not having a regular communication, will we be anything like inactive. We will be holding a Master Mason degree on July 7, the first Wednesday of the month. There will also be the regular Master’s Table night out on July 28 at Joe’s Crab Shack, 3020 Lohr Road, Ann Arbor.
Last month we held a joint dinner and speaker night with Golden Rule 159 at the Grotto. It was a fine evening and opportunity for the two lodges to socialize and enjoy some Masonic education. Brothers from Walled Lake No. 528, St. Mary’s No. 4, Prince Hall Masons, and Redeemer Lodge No. 53, Prince Hall Masons were also in attendance. I would like to thank the JWs Clinton Bartholomew and Jim Lakin, PM Rich Wilcox and their assistants for arranging a great meal. I would also like to thank our own PM Justin Krasnoff for his very interesting talk on Freemasons and the Civil War.
I was perusing the Blue Book recently and noticed that the Grand Lodge of Michigan recognizes only three of the so-called “ancient landmarks”: 1) a belief in a Supreme Being; 2) a belief in the immortality of the soul; 3) a volume of Sacred Law is an indispensable part of the furniture of every lodge. The notion of what is or is not “Masonry” is often a matter of heated debate. Both Anderson’s 1723 Constitutions and Dermott’s 1756 Ahiman Rezon state that the obligations, rules, and forms found in medieval stone masons charges constitute “unalterable” landmarks, but neither went so far as to state which ones or how many. It is amusing to reflect that nearly 400 years later, there is still no agreement as to what these documents meant. As many as 40 “time-immemorial” rules have been deemed landmarks over the years. In 1858, Albert Mackay compiled a list of 25 that he considered to be essential; but Mackay’s list held little sway outside of the United States and even here, as in the case of Michigan, it has not been universally acknowledged. Indeed, it seems Michigan had no official opinion on this matter until 1970 when the three above landmarks were officially adopted.
Have I mentioned lately what an amazing lodge we have? I know many of you are not local and its hard to keep up with all we are doing. I’ve been discussing updating our website with SW Brian Cors to include more images and articles about our activities. I’m also hoping that those of you who enjoy Masonic writing may share some of your papers for our site as well to enlighten your fellow brothers and those who visit us online. So do please check out aaf262.org from time to time for updates.
Lastly, please save the date of August 8. We will be helping to host Ann Arbor’s first tri-lodge family picnic with Golden Rule 159 and St. Mary’s Lodge No. 4, Prince Hall Masons. The event will take place in Gallup Park at the “Old Picnic Shelter”. Details will soon follow, but we are hoping to reserve canoes for those that would like to have a paddle before the socializing, food, and fun.
As always, I hope to see you in lodge.
Sincerely & fraternally,
Robert Blackburn, WM
UPCOMING EVENTS from Our Trestleboard
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July 7, 2010
MM Degree
Hathaway’s Hideaway -
July 28, 2010
Masters Table Dinner
Joe’s Crab Shack | 3020 Lohr Road, Ann Arbor, MI
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August 8, 2010
Tri-Lodge Family Picnic
Gallup Park
Festive Board - St. John’s Celebration | June 23, 2010
Ann Arbor Fraternity Lodge #262 and Golden Rule #159 will be hosting a festive board on Wednesday June 23rd, 2010 to celebrate St. John’s Day. This event will be be from 7:00 PM-10:00 PM and will be held at the Zal Gaz Grotto (2070 West Stadium Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI, 48103).
This is not a tiled event. Business casual attire is recommended for this evening of fellowship, celebration and education.
Following dinner, but before desert, Worshipful Brother Justin Krasnoff will be giving a fantastic presentation centered on the Battle of Gettysburg and emphasizing the many Freemasons on both sides who participated in and led the battle. Those that have previously heard Justin present some of this material say that he is an amazingly knowledgeable and enjoyable speaker. We look forward to his presentation.
Here is the menu as it currently stands. We will start out the night with an appetizer of humus and pita bread and veggies and dip. The first course will be either soup or salad. The salad will a lettuce wedge with tomatoes with blue cheese crumbles and your choice of dressing. The soup will Passato di Ceci which is made of pureed chickpea and rosemary. There will be three choices for the main entree. The first choice will be a strip steak served with baked potato and vegetable. The second choice is chicken parmesan and cannelloni with marinara sauce served with vegetables. For our vegetarian brothers we will additionally serve a large portion cannelloni with vegetables. For desert we will be serving strawberry rhubarb pie and strawberry pie and ice cream. To accompany our meal we will be serving wine and a non-alcoholic beverage.
This is open to all Freemasons - so please make sure all EAs and FCs are invited to this event.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Because of the need to coordinate food and service, we will require all brothers who wish to attend to RSVP. The cutoff for RSVP will be June 14th. This can be done by contacting either Clinton Bartholomew or Jim Larkin by phone or email. The total cost for the event will be $20 per person.
The food, festivities and brotherhood should make this a memorable night and a truly enjoyable way to celebrate St. John’s Day. We look forward to seeing you all there.
Sincerely and Fraternally,
Clinton Bartholomew
juniorwarden@aaf262.org
(734) 389-5317
Jim Lakin
jim.lakin@stork.com
(248) 520-2666
Master’s Letter | June 2010
Well, it’s hard to believe with June my “Sun” as Worshipful Master is at its meridian height. We are half way through the year! It’s amazing what we’ve accomplished so far; we keep moving from success to success. I’m also hearing that the Widow’s Sons motorcycle club is ready to ride with 9 charter members. Great work Bros. Chuck Nagy and Lowell Easton for bringing a new and fun perspective to light in Ann Arbor Masonry.
The month of May saw one of the best attended regular meetings I have seen anywhere. We had 29 brothers present, all from our lodge. It was a busy night that included 8 Fellowcraft examinations. We also enjoyed a presentation by W.Bro. Art Davidge regarding Masonic allusions in two science fiction novels, “The Revolt in 2010” by Robert Heinlein and “The Artifact” by W. Michael Gear. I think this new education component to our regular meetings is a marvelous addition; I hope you all are enjoying it as much as I am.
On May 19, PM Justin Krasnoff conducted our first three Master Mason degrees of the year. “Thank you” to all who assisted while I was at Grand Lodge on May 18 & 19. On May 21, 10 members of our lodge travelled to Windsor No. 403 in Windsor, Canada, to attend a Master Mason degree and enjoy some fellowship with our nearby Canadian brothers. It was particularly enjoyable to witness a ritual so different from our own – and so well executed too. As a token of inter-lodge friendship, our delegation presented Windsor 403 with a beautiful Masonic trowel engraved for the occasion. We were given a tour of their beautiful building, constructed in 1923, and treated to a veritable feast of Vietnamese food by their acting WM Bonn Sotto, PM. We look forward to representatives from Windsor No. 403 visiting us later this year.
Our regular meeting is June 2 and we will be conducting three Master Mason degrees on June 16. Masters’ Table this month will be on June 30th at Sidetrack Bar & Grill in Ypsilanti. June 24 is the Feast of St. John the Baptist. As many of you know, Masons have held this date – which coincides with the Summer Solstice – as a day of particular observance from time immemorial. To acknowledge it, Ann Arbor - Fraternity 262 and Golden Rule 159 are holding a special joint dinner at the Grotto on June 23. The cost for the evening, which includes appetizer, soup, salad, entrée (strip steak, chicken parmesan, or veg. pasta), desert, and toasting beverage, is $20. W. Bro. Justin Krasnoff, our guest speaker, will be presenting a paper on Freemasons and the Battle of Gettysburg. The event is open to all Masons, so feel free to tell brothers at other area lodges. The deadline for RSVPs (we have to pre-order the food) is June 13. For more information, or to make a reservation, please consult our trestle board.
Lastly, I would like to congratulate our scholarship recipients for 2010 – 2011. They are George Lucero, Jr. and Bro. Jonathon Easton. George Lucero, the son of our Junior Deacon, will be starting as a freshman in an engineering program this fall (hopefully here at the University of Michigan!). Bro. Jonathon, as you may recall, will be completing his last year at Indiana University in Journalism and History. Each will receive a check from the lodge and Grand Lodge matching funds totaling $1,500.
As always, hope to see you in lodge brothers.
Sincerely & fraternally,
Robert C. Blackburn, WM
UPCOMING EVENTS
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June 2, 2010
Regular Communication
Hathaway’s Hideaway -
June 13, 2010
RSVP DUE! | Festive Board with Golden Rule No. 159
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June 16, 2010
MM Degree
Hathaway’s Hideaway -
June 23, 2010
Festive Board with Golden Rule No. 159
W. Bro. Justin Krasnoff | “Freemasons and the Battle of Gettysburg”
Zal Gaz Grotto
-
June 30, 2010
Masters Table Dinner
Sidetrack Bar & Grill | Ypsilanti, MI
Master’s Letter | May 2010
Spring has arrived and I, for one, couldn’t be more thankful. The trees have leaves and the flowers are blooming. We’ve even had some marvelously warm days. With all the snow gone now, we may even see a few more faces at lodge that we’ve been missing.
April 17, our FC degree day in Dearborn, will go down as one of the most memorable Masonic days of my life. I could not have been more proud of our lodge and the degree team. We passed 15 (!) candidates in the Scottish Rite Cathedral lodge room. Fourteen of these brothers were from AAF 262; one was a guest from Walled Lake No. 528. We had Masonic guests from many area lodges, including Prince Hall, and two young Masons from the Bowling Green, Ohio area. Sharing the East with me was Grand Lecturer R.W. Bro. David Hutton. Far from an anonymous, mass affair, each candidate was individually conducted through the degree. The spirit of Masonry was palpable in the room and watching it unfold from the East was a rare gift - “Thank you” Brothers.
While I’m doling out “thanks,” such are also due to W. Bro. Seymour for again arranging this year’s Ladies Night out at the Hunt Club in Plymouth. This is always a fine dining experience and this year was no exception. “Thank you.”
The annual Grand Lodge Communication is taking place in Mount Pleasant on May 18 and 19. I will be discussing all legislation under consideration at Grand Lodge at our regular meeting on May 5. Brothers, I value your input and look forward to your thoughts. May 19 is also a degree night for our lodge. Because I, and perhaps one or both of our Wardens, will be absent, immediate Past Master Chris Fultz will be presiding. I hope to assist him by scheduling all the necessary degree parts, but I would like everyone’s help in providing a good sideline turnout for him and our candidates.
On Friday, May 21, we have been invited by Windsor Lodge No. 403 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada to attend a Master Mason degree. In order to arrange this event, both our lodge and Windsor Lodge had to obtain dispensations from our respective Grand Lodges. Though Ontario and Michigan were once contained, albeit briefly, within the same grand lodge jurisdiction (the First Provincial Grand Lodge of Upper Canada (Ancients)), this relationship necessarily ended with the conclusion of the American Revolution and the withdrawal of British forces from Detroit. Windsor’s Masonic work continued and developed along lines similar to those current in England today; the work here in Michigan, though divided only by the Detroit River, evolved along lines consistent with other American jurisdictions and its own needs. Those able to attend this special Master Mason event, therefore, will see a form of Masonry quite different than that practiced by AAF262. W.Bro. Lowell Easton is renting a van to drive 9 brothers over for the evening. Anyone else attending will need to make their own arrangements. The cost for the van ride will be approximately $18 per person and everyone who wishes to go will need a passport for the border crossing. Space is almost full for the van, though brothers can also car pool; please consult the trestle board for more details.
Brothers, we are doing great things. I hope that you all are having as much fun as I am. See you in lodge.
S & F
Robert C. Blackburn, WM
UPCOMING EVENTS
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April 28, 2010
Masters Table Dinner
Corner Brewery, Ypsilanti, MI | Trestleboard -
May 2, 2010
Regular Communication
Hathaway’s Hideaway -
May 19, 2010
MM Degree | Conducted by Chris Fultz, PM
Hathaway’s Hideaway -
May 18 & 19, 2010
Annual Grand Lodge Communication
Soaring Eagle Casino | Mount Pleasant, MI -
May 21, 2010
Official Lodge Visitation & Master Mason Degree Presentation
Windsor Lodge No. 403, G.L. of Canada in the Province of Ontario -
June 23, 2010
Festive Board with Golden Rule No. 159
Zal Gaz Grotto | Speaker to be announced
Master’s Letter | April 2010
March was a busy month and saw the conclusion - for the time being - of our E.A. degree work. While we continue to receive new petitions, our focus will now shift to advancing our 16 or so Entered Apprentices. If you are not already aware, our regular meeting nights have shifted to the 1st Wednesday of the month. Degree work will be performed on the 3rd Wednesday.
However, this month we are doing something special. There will be NO degree night on Wednesday, April 21 in Ann Arbor. Instead, we will be convening a lodge of Fellowcrafts on Saturday, April 17, at 10:30 a.m. at the Detroit Masonic Temple (Edit: Venue Change!) to confer this degree on as many candidates as we can arrange to attend. I am told by our Secretary that we will be meeting in the “Egyptian Room” and certain Detroit brothers will be honoring us with a special presentation. It will be a memorable event, with lunch following at a nearby restaurant, and I trust that we have a good sideline turn out.
The Fellowcraft degree is rich with symbolism and, in my opinion, contains some of our most important Masonic lessons and admonitions. It is definitely not a pass through degree as some have deemed it.
The earliest Masonic catechisms make clear that originally there were only two degrees in Freemasonry - Entered Apprentice and Fellowcraft. In fact, there is no record of the Master Mason degree being conferred before 1711. The Fellowcraft degree establishes us as fully instructed craftsmen, armed with the requisite moral and symbolic tools to build an honorable and meaningful life or - to quote Allen Roberts:
“You have become a Perfect Ashlar ready for the builder’s use. The Builder is the Great Architect of the Universe; the building is your Spiritual Temple.”
Notwithstanding, the Masonic knowledge communicated in this degree is not an end in itself; it is a jumping off point from which every Mason should embark on his own intellectual investigations. The cultivation and application of this knowledge is the Fellowcraft’s true work and, though he ultimately advances to the sublime degree of Master Mason, remains the duty and challenge of a lifetime.
One of the nice things about our lodge is the many fellowship opportunities we share. Without exaggerating, there is always something for everybody. Last month we caravanned down to the Detroit Masonic Temple to watch the Pistolwhippers and the Devil’s Night Dames duke it out in a roller derby match (Thanks Bro. Bob for setting us up with another great Detroit Derby Girls outing!). This month, on April 23, will be holding our annual Ladies Night at the Hunt Club in Plymouth. The Hunt Club is a private dining club with an outstanding menu and drinks. Should you wish to attend, you must RSVP with W.Bro. Seymour no later than Friday, April 16, so that he can make the necessary arrangements. His contact information is listed at the bottom of this website.
It is hard to believe that after April a third of my year in the East will have passed. We are doing great things. Below are some of our upcoming events. As always brothers, I hope to see you in lodge.
S & F
Robert Blackburn, WM
UPCOMING EVENTS
-
April 7, 2010
Regular Communication
Hathaways Hideaway -
April 16, 2010
RSVPs due for Ladies Night Dinner
Contact W. Bro Seymour Greenstone
734.455.6121 | secretary@aaf262.org -
April 17, 2010
Special FC Degree
Valley of Detroit | Scottish Rite Center -
April 23, 2010
Ladies Night Dinner
Huron River Hunting & Fishing Club -
April 28, 2010
Masters Table Dinner
Location to be determined | Trestleboard -
May 18, 2010
MM Degree | Conducted by Chris Fultz, PM
Hathaway’s Hideaway -
May 18 & 19, 2010
Annual Grand Lodge Communication
Soaring Eagle Casino | Mount Pleasant, MI -
May 21, 2010
Official Lodge Visitation & Master Mason Degree Presentation
Windsor Lodge No. 403, G.L. of Canada in the Province of Ontario
