The 169th Anniversary Annual Banquet will be held on Wednesday, October 23, 2019 at The Bucks Club in Jamison, PA.
Social Hour – Hors D’oeuvres – Cash Bar
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Dinner Buffet and Program
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Summer Projects
Thank you to the Building Committee and assisting Brethren for their hard work installing the new fence and benches at the front entrance.
2nd Annual Grand Master’s Eastern Sporting Clay Event
Schedule:
8:30 a.m. Registration and warm up
10 a.m. Shooting will begin promptly
Cost: $150 per person, breakfast & lunch included / $25 non-shooter lunch
Winners will be determined by the Lewis Class system. Chinese Auction, 50/50 and more! Registration deadline is August 30, 2019. For more information, call Jeff at 724-396-8001.
Shooters must provide their own ammunition. All proceeds benefit the Masonic Temple/Masonic Library and Museum of Pennsylvania. Sponsorships are tax deductible.
Tall Cedars of Lebanon
The Tall Cedars of Lebanon of North America is a side degree of Freemasonry, open to Master Masons in good standing in a regular Masonic Lodge. Its motto, “Fun, Frolic, & Fellowship,” is indicative of this social bent. Its members are distinguished by the pyramid-shaped hats they wear at their functions. The name is derived from the cedars of Lebanon that King Solomon used to build his Temple.
Read more“Tall Cedars of Lebanon”
The Masonic Family: THE ROYAL ORDER OF SCOTLAND
With their own terminology, structures and practices, each masonic Order is different from the next. Freemasonry Today breaks down the origins, requirements and organization of the Royal Order of Scotland. One of the most historic Orders in Freemasonry, The Royal Order of Scotland’s ritual traditions reach back 700 years to Robert the Bruce.
The Masonic Family: Royal and Select Masters
With their own distinctive terminology, structures and practices, each Masonic Order is different from the others. The Grand Lodge of England breaks down the UK origins, requirements, and organization of Royal and Select Masters.
Valley Forge’s Washington Monument
The National Memorial Arch was originally one of two commemorative arches planned: one for General George Washington and the second, slated for construction elsewhere on the grounds, for General Von Steuben. These were to serve as actual entry and exit gates, allowing access to and from the park, whose perimeter in those days was defined by iron fencing.
Impressions of Doylestown Lodge
Artist davidohlerking1337 painted a picture of the lodge facade on State Street as part of a impressionism series that includes several Doylestown locations. You can see his other works at https://imgur.com/user/davidohlerking1337
About the Master’s Medal 2019
169 Years of Doylestown Lodge. Embossed in the center is a representation of Boaz and Jachin, the pillars which stood in the porch of King Solomon’s temple. The pillars are well known Masonic symbols that many believe represent that which one “enters” to begin their Masonic journey. The Latin phrase “Ad Lucem” under the pillars means “Toward Light”. The ribbon is black and represents the darkness left behind in the passage to becoming a more enlightened individual through self-betterment, fellowship, and charity.
The Masonic Family: Rose Croix
The Ancient and Accepted Rite, or Rose Croix, is one of the oldest Orders, yet many Craft Freemasons in the UK know little about it. The Grand Secretary General of the Grand Lodge of England explains how the Rite has attracted more than a quarter of a million members worldwide.
Closing Thoughts 2018
Before I started my year in the East, I took some time to talk to some Past Masters to ask for their advice and lessons learned from their year as Worshipful Master. Some of the advice I was able to apply to planning my year, some advice helped me to focus and get my head in the game, and some advice helped me to handle some of the stress of balancing Lodge responsibilities with my work and family life. Many of the Past Masters told me that I could judge my own success by looking back at the end of my year to see what we accomplished as a Lodge, and perhaps what could have been done differently.
The Tun Tavern
In November we celebrate Veterans Day across the country, and this year is particularly special. For this newsletter I won’t go into the full history of Veterans Day, but I will highlight a few specific dates. Major hostilities of World War I ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, and this armistice with Germany would be celebrated as Armistice Day. This date was celebrated in the United States and was made an official national holiday on May 13, 1938. In 1954, Armistice Day in the United States was officially renamed to Veterans Day and has remained in observance since then.
The Masonic Family: Knights Templar
With their own terminology and structures, Masonic Orders offer new opportunities for growth, development, and friendship in Freemasonry. Over the next year, Freemasonry Today will spotlight the origins, requirements, and beliefs of the other Orders – starting with the Knights Templar.
When did it begin?
The earliest records of the masonic Knights Templar can be found in the minutes of the Chapter of Friendship in Portsmouth dated 1778. At that time, the degree was worked under lodges and chapters warranted by the Antient Grand Lodge using a variety of rituals. Lancashire had 10 of the first 40 encampments (now called Preceptories).
Inside the Freemasons
Netflix has started streaming availability of “Inside the Freemasons,” the five-part documentary shown in England on Sky1 network during the United Grand Lodge of England’s 300th anniversary celebration last year. The program was that rarest of television treatments of the fraternity – calm, even-handed, truthful – and features numerous Masons throughout England discussing their membership. It was created with the cooperation of the grand lodge
Doylestown Historical Society
A history of the building that is now the Masonic Lodge on State Street, courtesy of research conducted by Brother Milt Kenin of the Doylestown Historical Society:
Blood Drive 2018
This year we will be holding our annual blood drive on Thursday, May 17th from 2:00pm until 7:00pm. I see this program as vital, but under appreciated and decided that I would take a short break from more Masonic articles in my newsletter to spend a few minutes highlighting this lifesaving club. Small note, if you attended any of the leadership programs offered this year you probably sat through a 30-45-minute presentation on the Masonic Blood and Organ Club, so this short letter should be a relief.
Friday the 13th
As we approach our April Stated Meeting I was searching for a Friday the 13th themed article to make light of the date (of course Lou lucked out with two Friday the 13th meetings last year!) but was less than entertained with what I could find. However, I did stumble across an interesting read about a Masonic conspiracy from 1723 that I wanted to touch on briefly in this month’s newsletter. To be fair, there are a few articles written about this topic that go into better detail, but I’m limited by time and space.
In London there was an article posted in a local paper, The Flying Post, which was claimed to be the first published Masonic catechism and is referred to as “A Mason’s Examination” by R.F. Gould in his book History of Freemasonry. This specific article was printed in the April 11-13, 1723 edition (the paper was only printed a few times a week instead of daily, hence the span in dates) and prompted a response from the community. A second and similar article appeared shortly after this in The Post Boy December 26-28, 1723 edition and was referred to as a “sham exposure” of Masonic ritual.
The World’s First Grand Lodge
The world’s first Grand Lodge – looking back to where it all started
Three hundred years ago, in a room in a pub, history was made. Were it possible to travel in time, it would be fascinating to bring back the brethren who came together at the Goose and Gridiron alehouse in London on 24 June 1717, when they elected the first Grand Master and brought into being the first Grand Lodge in the world, writes John Hamill, Director of Special Projects for the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE).
According to James Anderson in the 1738 Constitutions of the Free-Masons, four lodges met at the alehouse in St Paul’s Churchyard. Named after the public houses where they usually met, the lodges were Goose and Gridiron Ale-house in St Paul’s Church-yard; the Crown Ale-house in Parker’s Lane off Drury Lane; the Apple-Tree Tavern in Charles Street, Covent Garden; and the Rummer and Grapes Tavern in Channel Row, Westminster.
Freemasonry in the news (The Economist)
The Economist explains
What is freemasonry?
Misinformation and conspiracy abound. Is it a benign organization or one bent on subverting government?
Published Feb 27, 2018
The literature on freemasonry does not offer straightforward explanations. Is it benign or bent on subverting government? Is it a community of knowledge or of the occult? Such questions are not new. Since its development in the 18th century, freemasonry has drawn the ire of the Catholic church, right-wing politicians and, more recently, Britain’s Home Office. (Fearing that masons in the police and judiciary were giving preferential treatment to other masons, the Home Office between 1998 and 2009 required judicial appointees to disclose their membership.) Freemasonry can appear incomprehensible because it contains no coherent ideology or doctrine, and is defined instead by a commitment to universal brotherhood and self-improvement. Nor does a single governing body exist. It is made up of a loose network of groups, known as lodges, that fall under regional and national grand lodges. What, then, is freemasonry all about?Read more“Freemasonry in the news (The Economist)”