Master’s Letter | March 2010
Things continue to clip along at lodge. On January 27 we initiated 4 new brothers into Masonry. Though these were the first degrees of the year and we did not have a chance to practice, everything went smoothly. Thanks to all who assisted. January 29 was the Freemasons’ Haiti Relief Party which we put on jointly with the Grotto. It was a memorable night. We enjoyed great fellowship and fun with brothers from around Washtenaw County and beyond. There was also a great cover band. The event raised more than $1,000 which will be forwarded to the Masonic Service Association, N.A., for Haiti Relief.
On February 10, we held our regular monthly meeting. We covered a lot of ground. The lodge is looking to establish a new building fund and reformatting of our investment portfolio. Bro. Chuck Nagy expressed interest and will move forward with establishing a chapter of the Widow’s Sons Masonic motorcycle club at the lodge. Bro. Luis, who will be leaving us in May for a post doctoral position in Mathematics at the Universite du Quebec in Montreal (congratulations Bro. Luis!), had to postpone his talk on the Grand Lodge of Columbia until next month. Instead, we had a discussion regarding the symbol of “Jacob’s Ladder” in antiquity and as it came to be adopted in Masonry.
At the time of this letter, AAF 262 looks forward to its Awards/Past Master Night on Feb. 19 and to initiating another four brothers on February 24. You might think we are catching up on our E.A. backlog. Far from it; we’ve got several more new petitioners in the pipeline. It is going to be a record year for degree work. After this month, we have 14 Fellowcraft degrees we need to confer. These with either begin next month or we may reserve a room in the Detroit Temple for some special Saturday work. Keep an eye on the trestle board and your email for updates.
Our regular meeting night will change to the 1st Wednesday starting March (degree work will typically be performed on the 3rd Wednesday). W.Bro. Seymour Greenstone will also be leading a new, quarterly Masonic study club at Hathaway’s Hideaway on March 24. As Albert Mackey once noted:
“The brother who…supposes that the only requisite of a skillful Mason consists in repeating with fluency the ordinary lectures, or correctly opening and closing the lodge, or in giving with sufficient accuracy the modes of recognition… has scarcely advanced beyond the rudiments of our science. There is a far nobler series of doctrines with which Freemasonry is connected, and which no student ever began to investigate who did not find himself insensibly led on, from step to step in his researches, love and admiration of the order… It is this which constitutes the science of Freemasonry, and it is this alone which will return the scholar who devotes himself to the task a sevenfold reward for his labor.”
Please give due consideration to this important education opportunity and join W.Bro. Seymour in exploring the deeper layers of Masonry.
Below are some other upcoming events. As always brothers, I hope to see you in lodge.
S & F
Robert Blackburn, WM
UPCOMING EVENTS
-
March 13, 2010
Roller Derby Night at the Detroit Masonic Temple
[RSVP and payment due on March 6th!] -
March 24, 2010
Study Club: “Masonry and its Place in the World” and -
April 23, 2010
Ladies Night at the Huron River Hunting & Fishing Club -
May 21, 2010
Official lodge visitation and Master Mason degree presentation, Windsor Lodge No. 403, G.L. of Canada in the Province of Ontario.
Masters Table | February 2010
Metzger’s German Restaurant - Ann Arbor, MI
SOCIAL: Past Master’s Night & Membership Awards
Past Master’s Night & Membership Awards
Friday, February 19, 2010 | 6:30PM
Quarter Bistro & Tavern
300 South Maple Road, Ann Arbor, MI
Brothers, their ladies and guests will share an evening of fellowship, food and recognition of those who have given so much to the success of our Lodge - especially our immediate Past Master Chris Fultz and his wife Jill. It is especially hoped that many of our Past Masters will be in attendance to share their thoughts on the Fraternity and the Lodge.
DINNER MENU CHOICES:
All choices include bread, hummus, an entrée, salad, dessert and non-alcoholic beverage.
-
Chicken San Francisco
Chicken poached in white wine, lemon, shallots, artichokes, mushrooms, cream and sour cream. -
Pan-Seared Tilapia Filet
Lightly crusted with panko bread crumbs, parmigiano-reggiano cheese and herbs, finished with white wine, lemon, capers and artichoke hearts. -
Butternut Squash Ravioli Florentine
Tossed with roasted garlic, leeks, baby spinach, Vidalia onions and herb.
PRICE AND RESERVATIONS:
BEFORE FEBRUARY 12, 2010
$20/person, payable to Ann Arbor Fraternity No. 262 if placed by 02/12/2010.
Send orders to:
Clinton Bartholomew
816 Patricia Ave.
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
clinton.r.bartholomew@gmail.com
734.389.5317
DATE OF THE EVENT
$25/person at the door.
EVENT LOCATION:
Quarter Bistro & Tavern
300 South Maple Road Ann Arbor, MI
48103-3833
734.929.9200
http://www.thequarterbistro.com
SOCIAL: Master’s Table Dinner | Metzger’s German Restaurant
If you are free and interested in learning more about Ann Arbor Fraternity No. 262, be sure to stop by Wednesday at 6:30PM for dinner and fellowship at our monthly Masters Table dinner.
Metzger’s has been a long-standing German restaurant in the Ann Arbor area. The winter months are perfect for a hearty, robust meal and fellowship!
Our Master’s Table Dinners are monthly social events and are open to ALL Masons, candidates, their male friends and those interested in Freemasonry.
Metzger’s German Restaurant
305 North Zeeb Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48103-1552
(734) 668-8987
http://www.metzgers.net
MORE INFO: http://bit.ly/2010-02-masters-table
Master’s Letter | February 2010
Brothers, we are off to a great start!
On December 23, several of us gathered with wives and guests at Knight’s Steakhouse to commemorate the Feast of St. John the Evangelist (Dec. 27) in accordance with early Masonic tradition. Of course Masons and Christians were not the first to recognize this date which roughly coincides with the winter solstice. Humans have acknowledged the solstices for at least 5,000 years and the Romans, by 300 B.C.E., had incorporated Dec. 27 into a larger week-long festival called Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (Birthday of the Unconquered Sun) that ran from Dec. 21, had its main feast on Dec. 25, and ended on Dec. 27. As always on our forays to Knight’s, we enjoyed some great food and even finer fellowship.
Following an outstanding home-cooked chili dinner provided by our JW Clinton, we had a very busy regular on Jan. 13. We approved another new petition, a reinstatement, and conducted both E.A. and M.M. proficiency examinations (Congrats Bro. Matt Beste on earning your MM Card). Moreover, the lodge voted to move our meeting nights back to the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month beginning this February (Pending Grand Lodge approval; please watch your email for an update and the trestle board!) Bro. Clinton presented a very interesting and informative “Who am I?” (Did you know he speaks Japanese?), while W.Bro. Art Davidge not only showed the lodge Ann Arbor No. 85’s (one of our predecessor lodges) 1869 minute book and 262’s Centennial Celebration Leger, he also demonstrated how the old E.A. proficiency examinations were conducted - amazing us all with the beautiful job he did.
At the time of writing, we look forward to initiating four new brothers into Freemasonry on January 27. We have a lot of degree work ahead of us and I would like everyone who wants a part in the ritual to have a chance to hone his skills. So please speak up - even if it’s something small to start like the coin basket or working tools. I would also like to encourage our Past Masters to drop in and maybe try their hand at a lecture or degree conferral. We also need good mentors for our many new initiates. Please give it some thought.
Lastly, we are accepting scholarship applications at this time for the 2010-2011 academic year. The deadline to file is Friday, March 12. They should be submitted to our lodge Secretary, W.Bro. Seymour Greenstone. If you would like an application, copies will be available at lodge or you can contact me directly to pick one up.
Upcoming dates to consider:
-
Jan. 29 - Freemasons Haiti Relief Party
7:30PM at Zal Gaz Grotto
Benefit party to raise funds for Haiti! -
Feb. 3 - Master’s Table Dinner
Metzger’s German Restaurant
(Date subject to change, watch the Trestleboard) -
Feb. 10 - Regular
(Including a short presentation on Freemasonry in Columbia by Bro. Luis Serrano) -
Feb. 19 - Awards Night/ Past Master Night
(TBA) - Feb. 24 - EA Degree
-
Mar. 13 - Roller Derby Night
Detroit Masonic Temple
($12/ person limited to 20 people) - Apr. 23 - Ladies Night at the Hunt Club
As always Brothers, I hope to see you at lodge.
Sincerely and fraternally,
Robert C. Blackburn, WM.
