Arizona Reunion

Patty and I enjoyed a wonderful evening with Minnesota Masons in Phoenix, including a full table from my home lodge! (Photo on the left.) I hadn't see Brother Rodney Hansen and his wife, Sue, since they moved to Iowa in 1991!

The photo on the right shows PGM Phil Soderberg and his wife, Bobbie; PGM John Peterson and his wife, LaDonna; Arizona Grand Secretary Bill Robertson; Past Senior Grand Deacon (MN) Ben Holt and his wife Sylvia; and Patty and me.

I'm finishing this blog in the Phoenix Airport, waiting for a flight to Minnesota and snow, blowing snow and school closings. I keep asking myself, "What is wrong with this picture??"

In Arizona

Patty and I are in Phoenix for tonight's Table Lodge with Minnesota Masons. PGM Phil Soderberg and WB Ben Holt stopped by for a cup of coffee with us this morning and said they are expecting 40+ for dinner tonight, including ten or more from my home lodge - Sibley Lodge! We are looking forward to another super evening.

In the meantime, Patty and I just returned to the hotel from a fieldtrip to the Desert Botanical Garden, just a few miles away. It was a wonderful time! Lots of different cacti, wildflowers and hummingbirds! (Makes us really ready for summer at Rice Lake!) We picked up an Arizona Christmas tree ornament (try to do that when we travel) and a cactus, which I'm sure I'll kill before the snow leaves Minnesota...

Which, I understand from the weather reports, may be an even longer time ...

Anyway, now we can kick back and relax a bit before heading over to the El Zariba Shrine Center for tonight's festivities! Check back tomorrow for a report and photos from the event.

Texas Reunion

Patty and I attended the 30th annual Minnesota Mason Texas Reunion dinner Saturday night. A wonderful crowd of Masons from Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, New Jersey - even Manitoba were there! I was most surprised to see Past Grand Master Ken Butchart of Manitoba and his wife, Mary in attendance. Apparently, they had spotted a little article about the dinner (with my photo) in the local paper and contacted PGM Alyn Dull for tickets.

I was privileged to present widows pins to Mary Lou Learmont and Dottie Martin. That is such a moving presentation. We want our ladies to remember that, even though we are gone, they have assistance in the fraternity.

After a wonderful dinner of chicken and beef, PGM Chuck Baltos favored us with a couple of songs and PGM Alyn Dull introduced me for a few words.

Shown in the group photo are Past District Deputy Grand Master of Texas Mark Schlieper and his wife, Diane; PGM Alyn Dull and his wife, Anna; PGM Chuck Baltos and his wife Ginny; yours truly and Patty; PGM Warren Sonsteby and his wife, Carol; PGM (MB) Ken Butchart and his wife, Mary; and PGM Don Flood.

The warm Texas weather was topped only by the warm hospitality of the brothers and guests at the Rio Grande Valley Shrine Club. Thanks to all!

Everything's Bigger in Texas

Except, perhaps, "mid-size" cars at the Harlingen Airport Car Rental...

Patty and I are in South Texas for the annual Grand Master's Reunion with the Minnesota Masons who winter here. We are looking forward to the dinner and good fellowship Saturday night.

Watch for a report Sunday!

Tolerance Awareness Tuesday

There is a cliche that whenever you hear the ritual, you pick up something new. Just because it's a cliche, doesn't mean that it's incorrect. I discovered that again at the one-day class a few weeks ago.

Listening to the third section of the lecture of the First Degree (not only perhaps the most beautiful lecture in Masonry, but great literature by any standard), I was struck by the following:

By the exercise of BROTHERLY LOVE, we are taught to regard the whole human species as one family, the high and low, the rich and poor; who, as created by one Almighty Parent, and inhabitants of the same planet, are to
aid, support and protect each other. On this principle Masonry unites men of every country, sect and opinion, and conciliates true friendship among those who might otherwise have remained at a perpetual distance.

If Masons, in fact, ALL peoples, would abide by this admonition, what a beautiful, wonderful, respectful and peaceful world we could live in.

We don't have any control over ALL peoples, but we do over ourselves. Why don't WE attempt to do better to live up to this Masonic principal? If we do, the World will truly be a better place.

Zuhrah Potentate's Ball

Patty and I attended Potentate Darryl Metzger's Potentate's Ball last night. The food and fellowship were exceptional!

The hospitality rooms and entertainment by the Shrine musical groups were terrific.

Thank you, Illustrious Sir Darryl and the members of Zuhrah Temple for a great evening.

Shown with Patty and me are High Priest and Prophet Al Niederhaus and his Lady, Deb.

Biwabik Master Mason Degree

It is, in fact, a long way from Winthrop to Biwabik, but I certainly am glad I made the trip yesterday. I had been looking for a chance to visit the home lodge of Past Grand Master Sam Dickinson and Area Deputy Rolf Widstrand, and it finally worked out for the Master Mason Degree last night.

Brother Don Prospeck received the degree mainly in a wheelchair. Shortly after having total knee replacement, Brother Don fell and broke his ankle. (Is that why they call him "Lucky"?) The accomodations were made to raise him last night, and the degree work was truly impressive.

In addition to Biwabik brothers, there were visitors from Two Harbors, Grand Rapids and probably at least one other lodge that comes not to memory at this time. The first section of the degree started at 5:00 p.m. and after a break for a delicious dinner, the second section was conferred.

Shown in the one photo is MWB Sam Dickinson, yours truly, new Master Mason Don Pospeck, Area Deputy Rolf Widstrand and Worshipful Master John Olness.

Wayzata Table Lodge

I attended the Table Lodge in honor of Robert Burns, poet and Freemason, last night at the Wayzata Country Club. It was a first rate affair all around.

MWB Neil Neddermeyer acted as Master of the table lodge, and WB Andrew Brennan and I were piped in by applause of the guests present. Good food, good fellowship, wonderful toasts. It was a great evening.

One of the highlights for me was the toast to the victims of the Haiti earthquake, and their rescuers. MWB Neil set out his top hat, and by evening's end, $285 had been collected to be matched by another $285 from the Grand Lodge of Minnesota for earthquake relief to Masons in Haiti.

(You can send your check, payable to "Minnesota Masonic Charities" to the Grand Secretary, with"Haiti" in the memo, to qualify for matching funds.)(I have received an e-mail from my accountant this evening that we may be able to claim contributions to Haiti relief made this month on our 2009 tax returns! Check with your tax advisor!)

Thanks, Brothers of Wayzata Lodge No. 205! You done good!

Happy Birthday, Wolfgang!

Today is the 254th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, prolific composer and Freemason. His opera, The Magic Flute is said to be a Masonic opera.

You could judge for yourself. I received a message from Worshipful Brother Alan Peterson about a performance of that piece. See the message below, and, if it fits your schedule, you very well may wish to take it in!

Sunday April 18th at 1:30 pm, the University of Minnesota school of Music is performing our departed Brother Mozart’s, The Magic Flute. This opera has a magic concoction of singspiel, fairy-tale and Masonic ideology. 45 minutes prior to the performance, the director David Walsh will host a discussion about the opera in the lobby and you are welcomed to ask questions or listen to what is discussed.

Tickets are $20 per person or $10 if you are alumni, students and staff of the University. To order tickets you can either call 612-624-2345 or order online at opera.umn.edu for the performance. It is open seating.

Can I suggest that you make a special day of it by having lunch with others, either/or Mason’s or other people of your life, before the performance?If you have any questions, feel free to call me at 651-248-9926

New Flag Case

I walked into the Grand Master's office and discovered on the bookshelf that our Iraqi-flown American flag was in a beautiful new display case. After some intensive investigation (I asked Gary Odegard...), I found that Worshipful Brother Dale Seubert hand-crafted the case. He did, as you can see, a marvelous job.

This flag was donated to the Grand Lodge in 2008 by Brother Jon Morris, who served in the Rangers there. The certificate accompanying the flag - and shown in the photo - states:

"This flag of the United States of America is presented to: Grand Lodge of Minnesota, Ancient Free & Accepted Masons.

"This certifies that this flag was flown over the City of Anah, Iraq in the Western Anbar Province, in the face of the insurgent terrorist orgaization known as "The Isamic State of Iraq" on March 4, 2007 by Ranger Team One of B Co 1/194 MNARNG with Ranger Sergeant Jon Morris as non commissioned officer in charge."

Thank you, Brother Jon, for your service to our country and for remembering your brothers back home. And thank you, Worshipful Brother Dale, for crafting such a beautiful case to display and protect this treasure.

Tolerance Awareness Tuesday - Robert Burns

January 25 marks the birthday of the Poet Laureate of Freemasonry, Robert Burns. He has written great, well-known poetry and song, including Auld Lang Syne and A Man's A Man for A' That."

Burns embraced the Masonic virtue of religious tolerance. In his letter to Agnes McLehose dated 12 January 1788 Burns expresses an all-embracing tolerance for different faiths:

“. . . mine is the Religion of the bosom. – I hate the very idea of controversial divinity; as I firmly believe, that every honest, upright man, of whatever sect, will be accepted of the Deity.”

U.N. Secretary General Koffi Annan gave the inaugural Robert Burns Memorial Lecture, highlighting the bard's commitment to diversity and religious freedom.

Around the world, people celebrate the birthday of Robert Burns with good food, fine Scotch and, of course, Burns' poetry. (I'll be doing the same tonight - Tuesday - at the Wayzata Lodge Burns Night Table Lodge.) When we do, we should also recall that Burns' commitment to freedom of religion and tolerance of another's right to practice the religion of his choosing.

Finally! Caught Up!

I have finally caught up with blogging! Sorry to have so much to read at one time, but I do hope you'll check out the blogs of my visits to Lake Harriet, Corninthian and Minneapolis No. 19. Take a look at the photos from Gutter Bowl 4 and the Templar Lodge Rededication and table lodge.

Thanks for checking my blog from time to time. I really enjoy writing it.

Templar Lodge Table Lodge

To celebrate their newly refurbished lodge room, Templar Lodge hosted a table lodge Saturday evening with a great crowd, great food and great fellowship.

Past Master Chris Ronich acted as Master of the table lodge. A great time was had by all who attended.

Thank you, brothers of Templar Lodge, for giving me the privilege of being a part of your wonderful celebration!

Templar Lodge Rededication

Templar Lodge in St. Louis Park completed a revamping and redecorating of their lodge hall. Inspired by the lodge's name, the lodge hall has a castle look and feel, with coats of arms decorating the walls.

The Grand Lodge was invited to conduct a rededication ceremony, which we were pleased to do Saturday. A very nice crowd of brothers and guests were on hand to celebrate the refurbished facilities.

Shown in the photo is yours truly with John Magnuson Master of Paul Revere, Templar Lodge's predecessor 50 years ago when the lodge was built, after the previous building had burned. Next to PM John is WM Nicco Rocque and then PM Alan Betker, Master last year and project manager for this great improvement project.

Gutter Bowl 4

When we heard that Dave Lee, morning show host of WCCO Radio, had chosen the University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital as the charity to be supported by his Gutter Bowl bowling tournament, we knew we had to field a team.

So our team of DGM John Cook, SGW Tom Hendrickson, Grand Secretary Doug Campbell, JGD Jim Christensen, Grand Chaplain Steve Johnson and "anchored" by yours truly, took to the lanes Friday morning and done ourselves proud! We even came home with a prize - a case of Schlitz for coming in second to the last!

But we raised some serious money for Amplatz Children's Hospital, I got my photo taken with Ron Coomer, Ron Gardenhire AND Andy Rice, and I even had the chance to say a few words about Masonry on the air with host Dave Lee.

I hope that Gutter Bowl 5 will again support the Amplatz Children's Hospital, and that the Grand Lodge can again field a team.

Metro West Masters and Wardens, and Actual Past Masters

I was just tickled when my schedule allowed me to attend the Metro West Masters and Wardens dinner and meeting Friday night, and to stick around after to take a small part in conferring the Actual Past Master's degree on several new members, including Junior Grand Deacon Jim Christensen and Junior Grand Steward Bob Darling!

Worshipful Master Matt Lundgren (president of MW Masters and Wardens) and Area Deputy Lee Dorholt presented a lot of information in a short time so the APM Degree could be conferred.

The degree is fun and very informative. I'd suggest that all you Senior Wardens reading this talk to your DR to try to have the degree conferred on you shortly after your installation as Master (tradition, as always, prevailing...)

Happy Birthday, Brother Fanning!

At the dinner preceding the degree work for Minneapolis Lodge No. 19 Wednesday, the Tyler of the Lodge was recognized for his upcoming birthday. Brother Donald Fanning turns 99 years young this week!

The photo shows the cake, and Worshipful Master Hulbert assisting Brother Fanning in cutting the cake with the Tyler's sword!

Serving as a most active tyler for his lodge is impressive in itself, but I also ran into Brother Don at Scottish Rite Thursday Night (he's a stalwart serving in the dining hall) AND at the Templar Lodge reconsecration program Saturday afternoon. Wow! What an active Mason, at ANY age!

Thank you, Brother Don, for an example to serve us all.

Minneapolis Lodge No. 19 EA Degree

On Wednesday, January 20, I had the pleasure of observing eight candidates take their first steps in the Masonic Journey. The brothers of Minneapolis Lodge No. 19 welcomed three more to their ranks that evening in ritual work that was most impressive.

I've mentioned before that the refurbished lodge room at the Harrington Mansion is so very nice! (It was featured in an article in the Minneapolis StarTribune shortly after Dan Brown's new book was released.) If you should ever attend a function at the Zuhrah Shrine Center, ask around to see if there is a 19'er around (there usually is!), and see if you can take a look at the lodge room.

At least as impressive for me was the fellowship and excellent ritual work, including all three sections of the lecture following the degree, that was presented by the brothers. Keep up the good work! And, thank you to Worshipful Master Peter Hulbert and all the brothers for making me feel so very welcome.

Cornithian Lodge Entered Apprentice Table Lodge

On Tuesday, January 19, Brother Ken Reynolds, Entered Apprentice from Sibley Lodge, accompanied me to Farmington for an Entered Apprentice Table Lodge.

During the course of the dinner and toasts, fournew candidates were initiated into Masonry by receiving the First Degree. (The photo shows the Senior Steward explaining preliminary matters to the candidate, and asking a few pertinent questions!)

The food, fellowship and ritual were very good! It was the first table lodge for our new brother from Sibley Lodge, and he enjoyed it immensely. (And, we had an opportunity to work on a little proficiency on the way!) Past Grand Master Tom Jackson was also in attendance, as was Deputy Grand Master John Cook.

Brother John Freeburg, who was raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason the preceding Saturday at the One-Day class, was presented with a Masonic Bible.

Thank you, Worshipful Master Nick Johnson and all the brothers that made the degree, the meal and the toasts so memorable.

Lake Harriet Lodge Visit

On Monday, January 18, I had the pleasure of paying a formal visit to the stated communication of Lake Harriet Lodge. There was a very nice contingency present, and I made a brief presentation of the early history of the Grand Lodge of Ireland.

I was very impressed with the improvements to the lodge room since my last visit. New carpeting, including a checkerboard around the altar, with a red border, made a very nice impression. (You can see a bit of it in the photo...)

Thank you to Worshipful Master Brad Skeel and the brothers of Lake Harriet Lodge for a very nice evening of fellowship and education!