Doylestown Lodge

Doylestown Lodge

Since 1850

Hawaii Wild Fire Disaster Relief Appeal

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (via The Masonic Service Association of North America)

August 11, 2023

Hawaii Wild Fire Disaster Relief Appeal

Last night, our beloved island of Maui was touched by the destructive forces of fires that swept through the community, leaving devastation in their wake. As Brothers of the Craft, let us remember that adversity only strengthens our bonds. Let us also use this moment to reflect on the fragility of life and the importance of being prepared, not just physically, but also in terms of the support systems we offer to one another.

Grand Master Dustin T. Verity of Masons in Hawaii has requested the Masonic Service Association of North America (MSA) to issue this Disaster Relief Appeal.

Please forward any donations you feel appropriate to help our devastated Brothers and their families in this stricken jurisdiction to MSA.

Please make checks payable to MSA Disaster Relief Appeal and send to:

Masonic Service Association
813 1st Avenue SE, Suite 357
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402

When remitting by check, please clearly mark that you wish the funds to go to the (Maui Wild Fires, Hawaii Disaster Relief Appeal.)

DONATE ONLINE

Sincerely and Fraternally,
Craig L. Davis, P.G.M.
Administrator
MSANA
[email protected]

813 1st AVENUE SE STE 357 ▪ CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA 52402-5001
Administrative Office Phone: (319) 206-5411 ▪ Hospital Visitation Program Phone: (319) 206-5411

2023 Cigar-B-Que

All brethren are invited to the 8th Annual Masonic District 8 Cigar-B-Que scheduled for Sunday, September 10, 2023, 4 pm- 8pm. The location will again be the Lower Bucks Masonic Hall (Newtown Lodge), Woodside, PA. To date, donations to Masonic Charities from the net proceeds of this annual event have totaled over $6,000.

Tickets are $75.00/pp for four cigars from our friends at Hiram & Solomon Cigars, barbecue supplied by Billy-Bar-B-Que, tastings, beer and soda.

Cigar-B-Que Flyer 2023 Rev.1.docx

Cigar-B-Que Ticket Order Form 2023

Ticket forms are available on the District website or from your Lodge Secretary. This event is a great fellowship opportunity and is open to all Masons, non-Masons, family and friends.

Attendees MUST be over 21 years of age.

Deadline for tickets is September 3, 2023. For tickets or information, contact DDGM Bro. Rich Bradbury at DDGM08@pagrandlodge[dot]org

Grand Accolades

Some well deserved congratulations from the Grand Lodge on another 50 year conferral

Memorial Day Gallery

Another annual event in the books, with photos courtesy of Bro “Flapjacks” Gimbel.

Masonic Minute – Aethelstan

Masonic Minute, April 14 2023

After the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 AD, a mixed group of Germans and Danes – called Anglo Saxons – swept into what is now England and took control. Things moved along for about 300 years until Scandinavian Vikings invaded the country in 865 and set up fortifications in various regions. A series of Anglo Saxon rulers, most notably Alfred the Great, fought off the raiders over the next 100 years until his grandson Aethelstan mounted a successful attack on the last remaining Viking stronghold in England: the city of York.

King Aethelstan
King Aethelstan

Having driven out the Vikings and all other regional rulers, Aethelstan became the first King of England. After the battle of York, he immediately moved to unify the country by setting up a centralized government – which he did by rapidly ramping up the use of charters.

The word charter in olde English is synonymous with the word warrant as we know it today.

So in 926, at York, now King Aethelstan commissioned a charter which provided the fundamental right of stone masons to assemble, work, take apprentices, make their own laws, have their own organization.

That charter is where the Old Charges & Regis Poems originated from, and why, despite the Grand Lodge of England forming in London in 1717, we still call it the “York Rite Masonry” – pointing back to this event as the origin of the craft in the eyes of its founders.

The York Minster, still standing today, is a rival to Notre Dame is size and scale, while the fortified walls surrounding the town harken back to its Viking roots.

York Minster
York Minster

Three Legged Lewis

Some history behind the Lewis tool represented in the Lewis Jewel, courtesy of the Grand Lodge of New Zealand:

Memorial Day Events 2023

Per tradition, the Lodge will be hosting a pancake breakfast event and marching in the Doylestown Memorial Day Parade as town celebrates our 155th Memorial Day event. Doors open to the public at 7am and all are welcome. We will be serving pancakes and sausage, as well as coffee, juice, etc.. More information in included on the flyer below.

We will also be collecting donations for the Help For the Heroes Program.

SUPPORTING OUR TROOPS AND THEIR FAMILIES
Since January 2008, when R.W. Past Grand Master Stephen Gardner, a Navy veteran, initiated a program whereby Pennsylvania Freemasons and others could show their support for the U.S. military, over $1 million in donations have helped service men and women and veterans, primarily from Pennsylvania. Over the next two years, the program will provide more support for our veterans, especially those who are suffering, oftentimes silently, with homelessness, post-traumatic stress disorder and other financial and health issues.

If you are looking to help participate at the breakfast or the parade, just reach out to [email protected]

Featured

175th Anniversary Countdown

On Thursday on August 27th, 1850, Doylestown Lodge No. 245 was created and the first meeting was held by its ten Charter Members on Monday, September 16, 1850 (the Monday preceding the full moon) at Temperance Hall.

To commemorate the 175th Anniversary of Doylestown Lodge, a collection of “Master Medals” are being commissioned from 2016 – 2025 to celebrate the 10 year countdown:
Read more“175th Anniversary Countdown”

MASONIC MINUTE – January 2023

In 1762, Freemason Joseph Wait was travelling from Springfield to Boston when he was caught in a blinding snowstorm that left him wandering in the woods for hours and nearly dying. To spare others from the same ordeal, he ordered the construction of a monument to mark the path of Boston Road.

The Wait Monument displays several Masonic symbols, including a sun, moon, stars, twin pillars, and seven steps.

In 1787, a group of farmers, made up mainly of ex-Revolutionary War soldiers, rebelled against their state’s unfavorable economic policies. Shays’ Rebellion, as it now called, began with them attacking The Springfield Arsenal. Grapeshot fired during their assault struck the Wait Monument and left one-inch craters that are still visible.

With its enduring Masonic symbols and evidence of bullet fire, the Wait Monument is the only existing artifact from the attack on Springfield Arsenal.

(A replica of the Wait Monument can be found at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, PA.)

Bro. Bernard Schaffer

2023 Master’s Medal

173 Years of Doylestown Lodge

Embossed on the medal is the sun, representing enlightenment, direction, and is essential to all things on Earth. The bronze marks the development of human civilization and the creation of music and art. The French phrase “Liberté, égalité, fraternité” coined by Maximillien Robespierre translates to “liberty, equality, fraternity” while the Blue, Red, and White Ribbon signifies liberty, equality, brotherhood, democracy, secularism, and modernization.

‘Tis the season

The election & installation of lodge officers for 2023 will be held on Friday December 9th. The altered schedule for the night is:

  • 5:00p Dinner
  • 6:00p Stated Meeting
  • 7:00p Election
  • 9:00p After Party

If you are a visitor planning to attend – please arrive at 5p for check out.

Dine & Donate – NBI – October 30th

On Sunday, October 30th come support Doylestown Lodge for a dinner Dine & Donate event from 5pm to 8pm at the New Britain Inn (NBI), located at 376 West Butler Avenue, New Britain, PA (flyer attached). 20% of the proceeds (alcohol excluded) will be donated back to the Lodge by NBI. The flyer must be presented in order for the lodge to receive credit, so please remember to bring it.

Dine and Donate – NBI_10302022

172nd Annual Banquet

I would like to cordially invite you to attend our annual banquet at the Bucks Club in Jamison, PA, on Friday November 4, 2022. We will begin the evening at 6:00pm, with a cocktail reception (cash bar) and various hors d’oeuvres.

Dinner will then begin at 7:00pm and the evening will include live music, and our traditional awards and recognitions. Significant others are welcome and encouraged to attend. All attendees must be 21 years of age.

The cost is $45 per person, and is all inclusive (with the exception of the cash bar). If interested in attending, please RSVP with the number of attendees to [email protected], or via call/text at (215) 378-8486 by October 18th. Please make any checks out to “Doylestown Lodge No. 245,” and remit to 55 E. State St., Doylestown, PA 18901 (or hand to our Secretary at any meeting) by the same date.

If unable to attend, but would still like to donate toward this event, please annotate whether you plan to be in attendance on your response. Any proceeds beyond costs will go to the lodge and/or be donated to masonic charities.

5th Annual Sporting Clays Event

The 5th Annual Sporting Clays Event (East) is being held on Sunday September 11, 2022 at the Lehigh Valley Sporting Clays, Coplay, PA. This event continues to get bigger and bigger each year with over 100 shooters last year. The Grand Lodge has set a goal of 150 shooters this year.

Below is a link to the brochure with the registration information as well as sponsorship information for the event. Also, the Grand Lodge link for the information is:
https://pagrandlodge.org/event/5th-annual-sporting-clays-events-eastern-event/

5th Annual Sporting Clays Event – LVSC (1)

Lodge Summer Picnic

Brethren, you and your family/friends are cordially invited to attend Doylestown Lodge’s 2022 Summer Picnic. This is an open event for masons, their families, and their friends.   The event will be held at Peace Valley Park (Pavilion 3) on New Galena Road in Chalfont, PA from 11:00am to 3:00pm on Saturday, July 23rd.  A mapped image of the picnic location is provided below.

The event is rain or shine; however, the pavilion is covered to protect us from the elements.  There are plenty of parking spaces and there are public restrooms available at the facility.  There is also a small children’s playground adjacent to the pavilion and Lake Galena is a short hike away, in case folks are interested in a stroll to the water.  Peace Valley Park also has an abundance of recreational activities available, including a marina with boat and canoe rentals located on the southern/eastern side of the lake.

We have prepared a sign-up genius link below to keep track of all attendees and to allow people to bring snacks, drinks, and extra goodies.  Please click the link to RSVP and to sign up to bring an item or items to the picnic.  If you want to bring something that is not listed, feel free to add it to the list.

RSVP

Hope to see you and your family/friends out to this great fellowship event this summer.

Memorial Day Parade

Doylestown borough carried on its proud tradition of hosting a Memorial Day Parade, one of the oldest in the nation dating back to 1868, to pay tribute to those who have served our country at home and abroad. Doylestown Lodge No#245 also carried on its tradition of marching in the parade and running a pancake breakfast for the public. Masons also marched as part of military and first responder groups (Brother Price notably piloting the Engine 19-3, a 1923 Ahrens Fox pictured below) as well as alongside various community services groups. Lodge #9 of Warminster and the Rainbow Girls also provided support which was much appreciated.

Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs

30 group tickets have been reserved for our lodge for the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs vs. Buffalo Bisons minor league baseball game at Coca Cola Park in Allentown, PA on Saturday, June 18th @ 6:30pm.

This is an open event for masons/non-mason and tickets are $21 per person and come with $5.00 of pre-loaded concession value for use at the game.

Transportation will not be provided; however, there will be several car pools available if you need a ride.

Children under two are free.

The reservation will be on a first come, first serve basis, so please act fast.

One lucky attendee will have the privilege of throwing out a first pitch (to be selected before the game).

Following the game, the ballpark will put on a fireworks show, which is always a treat.

Please use the following sign-up genius link to register you and potential guests for tickets:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050E45A5A72EA0F49-lehigh

2022 Scholarships are now available

Update 6/2/2022: The Scholarship Application Deadline has ended. Good luck to all who applied!

The Doylestown Masonic Lodge annually awards scholarships of $500 to graduating high school seniors from local schools who have been involved in community activities including volunteer service and have demonstrated a dedication to their high school academic experience.

Read more“2022 Scholarships are now available”