August 2013 - wsl.avenue.org · To-chatting, all dressed in the prescribed day our sitting officers will return to our rows, “Penguin” outfits: Black suit, silver tie over a making

reetings Brethren!

We had a good Stated! Our Junior Deacon, Tim O'Brien, delivered the program, “Making Good Men Better” authored by MW Edwin Cohen (GM2007) We were en-

tertained by GHP Russel Snodgrass who de-livered a very good joke. I wish you all could have been with us, and I encourage you to come to our next Stated. We have degree work coming up on the 29th. We will raise a worthy brother to the sublime degree of Master Mason. We will commence at 6pm. I strongly encourage you to be there. It means a lot to a new brother to see a good crowd of his brothers at his raising. Please come. Next month, I will be out of town, celebrating my 30th wedding anniversary. I don't much like missing our meeting, but I am confident in our lodge leadership team. RW Bill Bond will sit in the East.

Speaking of Brother Bond, he is recuperating well from follow-up surgery on his arm. Please include him in your prayers. Our July program, “Making Good Men Better” made a number of points, but the one that struck me is the importance of friendship as the cement that holds us together as broth-ers. I wondered if I had been a friend and brother to all the Masons I have had a rela-tionship with. The answer, sadly, is that I have fallen short of that ideal. What should I do about it? Since I know change is effected by positive action, what action should I take? The answer, for myself, is to reach out to the men I have been acquainted with during my four plus years as a Mason. Do you know a Mason that you have not seen or heard from in a while? I encourage you to take positive action and reach out to that brother. Give him a call, chat with him, find out how he is and let him know you care. This way, I think, is how you make at least one good man bet-ter - by being a good friend.

Fraternally,

L. Thomas Hill, Jr., Worshipful Master

BY the WIDOW’S SONS’ LODGE No. 60, Charlottesville, VA

Visit: Widow’s Sons’ Lodge No. 60 Website / Widow’s Sons’ Lodge No. 60 Facebook Page

August 2013 Next Stated Communication: August 19, 7 PM

Light Fare: from our Steward, Brother Peter-John Leone, we just received the news that

he is leafing through his cookbooks, preparing for a special summer’s refreshment menu to follow our August Stated. He will be serving us Paeilla! - Buen Provecho!

“We represent a fraternity which believes in justice and truth and honorable action in

your community….men who are endeavoring to be better citizens…[and] to make a

great country greater. This is the only institution in the world where we can meet on

the level all sorts of people who want to live rightly”

Harry S. Truman, American President und Freemason. Quote from SCRL April 2013

CONGRATULATIONS ON

YOUR MASONIC BIRTHDAY!

Michael L. Arnold 08/30/2004 Alexander Banks, V 08/26/1968 Dale R. Blosser 08/29/1988 Joseph F. Brown, III 08/12/1992 Brian E. Campbell 08/28/1990 William W. Clark, Jr. 08/27/1951 James E. Craig 08/16/2008 David S. Davidson 08/07/1967 Harold W. Davis 08/04/1975 Steve E. Fetcho 08/27/2005 Irving Forrest 08/23/1995 George P. A. Forschler 08/03/1967 Robert H. Garner 08/23/1963 Carroll J. Good 08/27/2005 Charles M. Hale, Jr. 08/09/1977 Robert A. Harrison, Jr. 08/19/1953 Robert A. Harrison, III 08/27/2005

Jeffery E. Hodges 08/26/1985 Jason E. Hodges 08/27/2005 James E. Holler 08/27/1984 Douglas D. Hudson 08/20/1951 Joshua D. Katcher 08/16/2008 Patrick M. Kelly 08/27/2005 Ian C. Kelly 08/27/2005 Boyd L. Knott 08/24/1970 Daniel T. LaPlume 08/27/2005 John Coulter Maddox 08/02/1971 Brady L. McLane 08/04/2004 Timothy B. Parent 08/27/2005 William F. Reinhold, III 08/26/1996 William E. Rose 08/26/1972 Larry B. Saunders 08/27/2005 Kent Schlussel 08/07/1990 Craig P. Sorokti 08/26/2010 Steven R. Thomas 08/28/2008 William D. Vincent 08/27/2005 M. Van Wilson 08/07/1990

If you need any assistance, please contact the Worshipful Master, Tom Hill, Jr., at [email protected], telephone: 434-465-9388 or our Lodge Secretary, Mark Chapman at [email protected], telephone: 434-971-1332, or any of the officers !!

OUR OFFICERS FOR THE YEAR 2013

WOR. MASTER L. Thomas "Tom" Hill, Jr. 465-9388

SR. WARDEN William R. "Bill" Bond, III 982-4636

JR. WARDEN Jason A. Pattison 989-4109

TREASURER William F. "Bill" Baskerville 971-6763

SECRETARY Mark S. Chapman 971-1332

SR. DEACON Brian S. Weidman 974-6078

JR. DEACON Timothy P. "Tim" O'Brien 466-2936

CHAPLAIN Philip H. Nelson, Jr. 979-7351

SR. STEWARD Peter-John Leone 823-2359

JR. STEWARD Simon C. Alexander 202-0737

MARSHAL Taliaferro C. "TC" Dickerson, II 972-2571

TYLER Bobby Cameron, Jr. 295-2319

From your Secretary: A Friendly Reminder to my Brethren: It is blazing hot outside, the pool looks particularly inviting – and just think of the barbecue coming up next! January is long gone. And, I am sorry to note, so is for all too many the memory of what happened to your yearly dues statement! Remember your payments were as always due by January 1, and know that they were most

welcome already any time before that date! Your financial support, through your dues, is

very important for the programs of your lodge. Many organizations are regularly supported

in your name, such as: Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, Virginia Blood Services, Student

Scholarships, Children’s Language Center, Shriner’s Hospital, Boy Scouts of America,

Central Little League, Masonic Services Association: Disaster Relief, Alzheimer’s

Association, and the Masonic Home of Virginia. Your lodge also financially supports various

youth groups: DeMolay, Job’s Daughters, and Rainbow for Girls. So, if you have not paid

your 2013 Lodge dues, we thank you for responding promptly with your check! (maybe as

soon as you’ve dried off?)

Correspondence as reported at the July Stated:

The Secretary summarized a letter from the Masonic Service Association thanking Lodge members for their generous contribution for the relief of communities in Oklahoma which had experienced destructive tornado damage.

The Secretary summarized a thank you note from 2013 Lodge Scholarship recipient, Patrick Bond.

The Secretary summarized correspondence from the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Charlottesville requesting a donation. He made a motion that the Lodge donate $100 to-ward this charity. The WM asked if there was any discussion and he approved the motion..

The Secretary announced that the 6th annual James Stanley Johnson Memorial Golf Tournament will be held on August 22nd in Buena Vista VA., at the Vista Links Golf Course. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Masonic Home of Virginia.

Miracles are not

contrary to nature

but only contrary

to what we know

about nature. Augustine of Hippo, a.k.a. St. Augustine

(how many of us refuse to take seriously

anything that we don’t already know or ra-

tionally understand??)

It is our sad duty to inform you of the passing on July 5th of Lodge brother Worshipful Earl Vivian Thacker, Jr. He was a 66 year Mason and 95 years old. He had served the Lodge as Worshipful Master in 1984. Masonic Rites for Worshipful Earl Thacker were conducted on Thursday, July 11th.

His Spirit to God

His memory to our hearts

His body to the Earth

And a welcome Reminder: Aware of summer’s heat, our Worshipful Master

has no objection if, for the Stated Communication of August as well, you show up in casual attire, excluding shorts or sandals. Officers are to wear their Lodge polo shirts.

From the Editors’ desks:

Seeking the Light – 08 “Back Home” – seats. After some more festive bars of music

John the Baptist’s Day in Switzerland we witness the traditional opening, the candle One, then two or three brethren amble in, in the East is lit and our Chairing Master car-chatting, all dressed in the prescribed ries it down to light the three minor lights. To-“Penguin” outfits: Black suit, silver tie over a day our sitting officers will return to our rows,

pure white shirt, a little brief case pinned under making room for our new Chairing Master and an arm holding apron, band, Lodge badge and his officers. Lights are dimmed as the old ones white gloves. Round tables with empty glass- step down, to be brightened again as our new es, full wine bottles and fine salty pastry await Worshipful Master is installed. Festive Mozart us. Hearty greetings, hands are shaken all music underlines each step in the ritual. A fes-

around, back slapping and hugs. Then at four tive day, a festive celebration rounded out by PM, the Deacon in top-hat marches in, bangs the speaker’s solemn words and culminating in his staff on the floor, commands silence and the traditional distribution of a beautiful red we adorn ourselves with our jewels. A line rose for each brother to take home in memory

forms in the conference room, Masters fol- of John The Baptist. After closing ceremony, to lowed by fellow-craft and apprentices; at the a further tune, we march towards the exit, two end guests and the Worshipful with his Lodge by two, turning around on the door step to look officers. Harmonious music wafts through the back and sign toward the East. – And in small open doors as we proceed into our temple. groups we all find our way back into the pro-

One by one, we stop to sign before stepping fane world and to the fine restaurant,where, on down and between the two columns J.: and each “Johanni”’s Feast Day, we share a B.:, continuing with apprentice-level steps be- scrumptious festive meal. ----fore rounding the dimmed hall to find our HUSt

THE POWER OF WORDS — In the ancient and accepted Scottish Right Ritual, the Lodge Opening is felt as a heavy man- tle placed on our shoulders. The solemn entrance of the officers, followed by the Worshipful Master, the careful laying out of our three “Great Lights” – bible, compass and square, even the dimmed light are all layers of a precious “envelope” that imperceptibly removes us and isolates us from our profane “outside” world. All these ritualistic gestures – taking place in strictest silence – acquire their deeper meaning as the Trestle Board is prepared— As part of the Lodge Opening, a recent brother demonstrates his familiarity with our symbols, as he draws them with chalk on a rectangular piece of slate. This chalk drawing not only unites the brethren at their work, it also ties them to the most ancient and deepest Masonic tradition. There the responsible Master Mason at a Cathedral construction site assembled all his work- men in the Lodge, where he traced the project’s plans and details on the floor for all to see. Some of these tracings, as in Strassburg and Canterbury have survived to this day. Thus did these Masters create a unique pillar for all of Masonry, one that perpetuates our tradition of welcoming strangers from all horizons as brethren, who, even as they speak different lan- guages, in their heart understand each other as if by magic, due to our common language of symbols, a language deeply engrained in each one of us. And it is this language that helps to remove barriers that divide our various societies.— May such conciliatory traditions last forever! Pascal Bussière

Editors: Hans-Ulrich Steiner at [email protected], Tel. 589 2468 and Pascal Bussière at [email protected]

THE YORK RITE OF FREEMASONRY IN VIRGINIA

Published in 2002 by the THE GRAND COMMANDERY KNIGHTS TEMPLAR OF VIRGINIA, Revised and Edit-ed by SK William F. Reinhold, Deputy Grand Commander, 2013

PART TWO: THE PATH OF INITIATION

MASONRY - A PROGRESSIVE SCIENCE: No serious minded member of the Masonic fraternity will ever

consider that the receiving of the various Degrees and Orders is the ultimate end of his endeavors. They are only

means to the end of making him better than he was before he received them. Ignorance, however, will always be

a part of his life and there can never be an end to his striving to become better as long as life shall last. The

consciousness of the divine compulsion, which is a part of man's higher nature, will cause every true Mason to

become a seeker after light as his highest mission. In so doing, he is aided immeasurably by obtaining as early

as possible in his Masonic career the knowledge which will be afforded him in the Orders of Knighthood.

Thus, in following the path of initiation, he will find himself as a York Rite Mason, passing through its Degrees

and Orders:

IN THE SYMBOLIC LODGE

1. Degree of Entered Apprentice

2. Degree of Fellow Craft

3. Degree of Master Mason

IN THE ROYAL ARCH CHAPTER (Which in Virginia includes the Council Degrees)

l. Degree of Mark Master

2. Degree of Past Master

3. Degree of Select Master

4. Degree of Royal Master

5. Degree of Most Excellent Master

6. Degree of Royal Arch Mason

IN THE COMMANDERY OF KNIGHTS TEMPLAR

1. Illustrious Order of the Red Cross

2. Order of Malta or Mediterranean Pass

3. Order of the Temple

Brother Mark S. Chapman requests members of Widow's Sons' Lodge No. 60 to join him in support of the Charlottesville WALK to End Alzheimer's on October 12, 2013. You can join his Team by registering on the website: www.CvilleWALKtoEndAlz.org or by retyping : http://act.alz.org/site/TR/Walk/VA-CentralandWesternVirginia? team_id=83523&pg=team&fr_id=3755 . Please contact Brother Mark with any questions. Virtual walkers are also welcome to join our Masonic team.

From Rt. Wor. Robert Simpson we received the following interesting historical tid-bit:

Freemasons were often chosen as judges, jurors, sheriffs, and marshals in mining communities and small farming areas. There is an old story surrounding this old Lodge building in Idaho. A man had killed another in a tragic dispute, and was taken before this Lodge’s Master. The Master informed him that his senseless act had left a widow with several children, and that if he would marry this woman and raise those children, the charges would be dropped. The suspect refused the Master’s offer and was subsequently hanged.

Widow’s Sons’ Lodge No. 60

A.F.&A.M.

P. O. Box 6262

Charlottesville, VA 22906

Non Profit Organization

U. S. Postage Paid

Permit No. 5

Charlottesville, Virginia

Return Service Requested

Hiram’s Journal Dated material

Please Process

At July’s Winding Winding Staircase Staircase study

group meeting of Widow’s Sons’ Lodge, Brother Rob-ert Simpson shared with us the develop-ment of our Lodge, touching on many topics that shaped

it's rich history. These included: The Lodges in Charlottesville; the War of 1812; the Cornerstone laying of Central College in 1817; the Morgan Affair; The significant contributions of Most Worship-ful James Leitch; the Civil War; the Anniversary Celebrations; the George Wright Tubercular Pavilion; and the Past Grand Masters. We thank Brother Bob for his most interesting contribution to our on-going study of Freemasonry!

Bro. Robert Simpson recommends you type the following address into your browser to learn more about Freemasonry in the Old

West: http://vimeo.com/43013696

HELP PLEASE ! Bro. Steve Fetcho needs volunteers during blood donations at the UVA Medical Center (next to the cafeteria on the main floor) on : August 6th from 9 AM - 3 PM, and on August 16th and 26th from 2:30 PM – 7 PM. Contact Brother Fetcho via Tel. 434.465.4012, or [email protected]

Queen Esther Chapter #14, OES, Charlottesville will have their

regular stated meeting on August 10th at 10:00 am in the Masonic Temple, 3rd Floor. Officers will receive a call with the date and time of our rescheduled school.

An Initiation is tentatively set for the August meeting.— Call our Worthy Matron, Patty Kirk, at 973-3922 for an application for membership!