June 2020 Trestle Board
For the first time in a while, I have good news. The Grand Master has approved the reopening of Lodges starting the beginning of July.
We will have a Stated Communication on July 13th at 7:30 PM!
Here are some of the basic rules we must follow:
- No Degrees can be conferred yet.
- No dinners or refreshments in the Lodge before or after meetings.
- Brethren must sit 6ft apart on the sidelines, so we’ll need to mark the appropriate seats.
- There is to be no touching or standing in close proximity. The officers will explain how that works for opening and closing the Lodge at the meeting.
- We must thoroughly clean the Lodge before our first stated and then disinfect everything before and after every use of the building.
- And if you have any symptoms – even if you think it’s allergies – please do not attend the meeting.
I know some of you reading this email haven’t set foot in the Lodge in years, and I’m sure your ritual is terrible. Well, I’ve got great news for you: There’s no better time to come back to the Lodge, because all of our ritual work is going to be in need of a refresher. So please come to the meeting and even come to some practices if you’d like to get a head start.
Speaking of practices, the Grand Master has approved practices at the Lodge for June. So we will have our first practice this Monday, June 15th at 7:00 PM. We’ll be stumbling through a Master Mason’s Lodge. If you’re not an officer, you’re still invited to come and review.
We’ll also have practice on June 22nd and June 29th as well. One of both of those may turn into an officer work session to work out some sort of strategy for the remainder of the year. I’ll let you know which date here soon. Any member is welcome to be a part of that as well.
So with degrees still on hold, Bro. Jim Taromina remains in limbo. However, we can examine him on his catechism. Hopefully, he and Wor. Bro. Mike can shake off the cobwebs for an examination at the July 13th stated. As soon as I get word from Grand Lodge on degrees, I’ll send it on to you all.
On HVAC news, we’ve received over $8,000 in donations. Supposedly, the 2nd floor air conditioning still works for now. So I am not in a hurry to make decision. We’ll have the committee work up a recommendation and discuss it at our July 13th meeting. That doesn’t mean we’ll make any final decisions at this meeting, but we will at least move the ball toward the goal.
Finally, brethren, 2020 has been a strange year so far. But if the events of these last couple weeks have taught me anything, it’s that our communities need more leaders who are good men with pure hearts. You are part of a centuries-old fraternity that prides itself on morality, equality, charity, and brotherly love. Whether it’s in public in front of hundreds of onlookers or quietly with your family or friends, be a leader and force for good in your community.
