From the East
Welcome to Spring!
At our March Stated Communication, the lodge voted in favor of changing Phalanx’s Stated Communications to the second Thursday of each month. The Grand Lodge recently approved that change and so starting this month on April 14th, Phalanx’s Stated Communications will be held on the second Thursday of each month. The meetings will continued to be held at the York Rite Masonic Temple, dinner starting at 6:30pm and the lodge meeting at 7:30pm.
We are fortunate to have WB Creighton Lovelace join us at our April Stated Communication for a lecture on Hitler’s suppression of Freemasonry. WB Lovelace is a Past Master of Spindale Lodge No. 673 (dark) and the current Master of Western Star Lodge No. 91 in Rutherfordton, NC. The feedback we have received from the brethren regarding Bro. Jaffer Kovic’s free catered and plated meals has been outstanding. In fact, last month we served roughly 40 people and ran out of food around 7:15pm for the first time in recent memory! So don’t miss out on incredible free food and plated meals, reputable Masonic speakers and, most importantly, great fellowship. If you need transportation assistance, please contact WB Mike Hamrick. Mark your calendars WB Louis Negron will be attending this historic event for Freemasonry in Georgia on April 9th in Sandy Springs, GA. You can register at www.133rdpsalms.com or contact WB Louis for more information.
- Scottish Rite reunion on April 22 and 23rd
- Phalanx will be dark in July
This Month in Freemasonry
On April 4, 1778, Voltaire was initiated into the “Les Neuf Soeurs” Lodge (“Lodge of Nine Sisters”) in Paris. He was conducted through the degree by his good friend, WB Benjamin Franklin. WB Franklin was previously a Mason for decades In America but became a member of the Lodge of Nine Sisters in 1778 while an American envoy to France. His objective was to get France to assist America in the war against Great Britain. Franklin used his contacts in the Lodge to assist him in persuading the French that American independence and a republic was worth France assisting them, which they eventually did. From 1779 to 1781, WB Franklin served as Venerable Master of the Lodge of Nine Sisters, the only non-French Mason to ever do so. Voltaire died one month after being initiated so was unable to proceed through the subsequent degrees and therefore never became a Master Mason.
On April 22, 1785, Wolfgang Mozart was raised to the Sublime degree of Master Mason in Masonic Lodge “Zur Wohltätigkeit” (“Beneficence”) in Vienna. We do not know if Mozart was ever a Worshipful Master, but records show he was active in Masonry and his father, Leopold Mozart, subsequently became a Mason in the same Lodge. Scholars believe that there are many examples of specific musical symbols taken from the Masonic rites that appear throughout Mozart’s compositions. These include the use of suspensions to indicate friendship and brotherhood, the use of three-part harmony to emphasize the special significance of the number three in Freemasonry, and special rhythms and harmonies to signify fortitude and other attributes.
On April 24, 1901, WB Teddy Roosevelt was raised to the Sublime degree of Master Mason in Matinecokc Lodge No. 806 of Oyster Bay, New York. He was the Vice President of the United States at that time and would become President roughly four months later when WB President William McKinley was assassinated in Buffalo, New York. Over the course of his life, he was an active and proud Mason, a Worshipful Master who visited lodges in Africa, Europe and South America. He also assisted in laying the Masonic cornerstone of the Pilgrim Memorial Monument in Provincetown, MA, broke ground for the Spokane, WA Masonic Temple, and laid the Masonic cornerstone at the north gate of Yellowstone National Park.
Fraternally,
Nick Voelker – Master
From the West
Greetings from The West!
The history of Freemasonry encompasses the origins, evolution, and defining events of the fraternal organization known as Freemasonry. It covers three phases. First, the emergence of organized lodges of operative masons during the Middle Ages, then the admission of lay members as “accepted” or “speculative” masons, and finally the evolution of purely speculative lodges, and the emergence of Grand Lodges to govern them.
The official beginning of Freemasonry is believed to be on June 24th, 1717 when four lodges in London joined to create the Premier Grand Lodge of England. They met at the Goose and Gridiron ale house in the churchyard of St. Paul’s and established themselves as a Grand Lodge. Today there is believed to be a Masonic Grand Lodge in every state in the United States.
Please remember that our stated meeting in April is on the 14th, and Easter is the next weekend.
Fraternally,
Paul Parker, Senior Warden
From the Secretary
Brothers,
As spring arrives, we find ourselves very busy with new Brothers learning their Entered Apprentice catechism, more new petitioners expected and preparations being made for a Fellowcraft Degree in the coming weeks. Please consider attending our upcoming gatherings as you are able. It is nice to be active and vibrant.
I do want to note that the dues notices for Temple legacy members were sent either by email or USPS in late January. If for some reason you haven’t received that notice, please contact me as soon as possible.
Finally, note that our current fundraiser is through $20 Autobell carwash gift cards, and proceeds go to our two charities, the Masonic Home for Children and Whitestone. As we enter the season when our vehicles take on that yellow tint, please consider this opportunity. To purchase, you may either send a check to our PO Box, or donate through OLP at https://31-nc.ourlodgepage.com/
Mike Hamrick, PM
Secretary