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Lots of Changes for 2022…a recap

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2021 and 2022 have been very unique years for all and especially Freemasonry. The pandemic had us staying home and trying to organize online video meetings and such just to keep in touch with our brothers. This also gave rise to brainstorming on how we could improve some aspects of the way we do things.

To many Brothers, nothing is more grating a sound to the ears than hearing the phrase “because that is how we always did it”. Now there is always or should always be a consideration for the past. But let’s face it, not everything that worked 20 or more years ago works today.

We often hear that everything moves slowly in Freemasonry. Well, that may be true but the last 2 or so years have seen a paradigm shift in this thinking. Over the last 2 years WMs, District, and GL officers had to “think quickly” and come up with solutions to problems that were neither anticipated nor considered frankly. This led to changes that for the most part were good for the Fraternity or maybe the jury is still out on some.

One change has focused on communications and how lodges, at least in our district, have “solved” or at least attempted to solve. How to keep all who wish “in the loop” when it comes to events and what other lodges are doing. Although it may seem that each lodge is an island unto itself, we cannot allow this to happen. Working in isolated silos works against all our interests. What works for a lodge to help them with members, finances, etc. should not be kept secret and should be shared.

The LIPMA (Long Island Past Masters Assoc.) has been attempting to help facilitate that sharing and collaboration we should be seeing. One way they are doing that is to try and have a consolidated outlet of news and information to distribute to all members of the Suffolk District or others. Some have embraced this and others have not yet. Having a consolidated events calendar is the first focus.

A one-stop-shop for all events happening at Lodges and concordant bodies in and around the Suffolk District. This includes obtaining tickets to paid events and fundraisers. Instead of waiting for tickets to be mailed to a member or lodge, they can go and pick them up anytime they like, 24/7/365. LIPMA even went the extra mile on this to assure that those that post events/fundraisers get their funds from the event quickly and electronically. Several have already taken advantage of this system and are either in progress or soon will be. You can check out events and purchase tickets anytime anywhere by going here and finding the upcoming events you would like to attend -> Suffolk District Events

Another change you may notice is communication on the District BAND. Brothers are signing on and sharing experiences and what’s happening at their lodges, requesting assistance, or just joshing with Brother online. The monthly newsletter is also back and hopefully, many brothers are receiving it and have a look at the goings-on around the District and the jurisdiction and beyond. The Grand Lodge of New York is also collaborating with CraftsmanOnline.com to bring excellent education to anyone who desires it. If you are not getting the District News Letter, you can sign up for that on suffolkmasons.com or go here -> Craftsmen Online – Suffolk Masonic District (suffolkmasons.com) and look for the blue mailbox with the S&Q and type in your email address.

It only took 22 years but it seems to me that Freemasonry is finally taking bold steps into the 21st century.

So here is the recap:

  • The suffolkmasons.com for the Suffolk Masonic District is new and improved.
  • Online ticket sales have taken off and received well by most. (don’t forget to purchase your tickets for the upcoming District Dinner at Polish Hall).
  • every day new members join the District Band. The BAND is for members only and updates the suffolkmasons.com events calendar daily. Feel free to add your Lodge events to the Suffolk District BAND so they can be published on the District Website.
  • Post articles of interest on the BAND and they may make it onto the website. Be sure and give credit for yourself and any contributors including photo credits.
  • The Suffolkmasons.com site is encrypted and secured, so feel comfortable with using it.

All of these solutions are for the brothers of the district and set up for your use. We are hoping for others to wade in and also think outside the square so to speak and find solutions that work and share these with your brothers. Everybody has ideas and we must seek that noble contention, or emulation, of who can best work and best agree.

A united front on getting information out to the District is critical. Too many times I have heard that “I didn’t hear about this” phrase. In this day in age there is no reason for that. Any member can post to the BAND and add to the calendar. Yes it’s moderated so we must remember our obligations when posting but there is no reason why brothers should be lacking information. I mean come on; we hold in our hands the aggregate sum of all human knowledge on a daily basis. if you didn’t hear about an event then chances are you didn’t want to hear about it.

If you would like more information about some of the changes or to recommend some, please get in touch. Leave a comment below reach out on BAND or send me and email, webmaster@suffolkmasons.com

 

Riverhead 3rd Degree

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Riverhead Lodge No. 495, held the 3rd degree for 4 Fellowcrafts being raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason. The degree started at 12 noon-ish and went through the day until just before 3 PM and all parts of the degree were done well and hopefully well understood by the new Master Masons.

Congratulations to Bro. Edgar Alverez, Bro. Sebastian Alverez, Bro. Ezra Fife and Bro. John Umina.

After the degree dinner was served and all enjoyed the meal, especially the sausage and peppers made by our one and only Bro. Dominick.

The Silent Summons

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V:.W:. Brother Bruce Siska posted this on BAND and I always like this portrayal or story. I thought it should see a wider audience. So here it is, thank you V:W:. Siska for posting.

A member of a certain Lodge, who previously attended meetings regularly, stopped going. After a few months, the Worshipful Master decided to visit him. It was a chilly evening, and the Worshipful Master found his brother at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire.
Guessing the reason for the Worshipful Master’s visit, the brother welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace, and waited. The Worshipful Master made himself comfortable but said nothing.

In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs. After several minutes, the Worshipful Master took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember, and placed it to one side of the hearth, all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent.

His host watched all of this in quiet contemplation. As the one, lone ember’s flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow, and its fire was no more. Soon, it was cold and dead.

Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting. The Worshipful Master glanced at his watch and chose this time to leave. He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember, and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately, it began to glow once more, with all the light and warmth of the burning coals around it.

As the Worshipful Master reached the door to leave, his host said, with a tear running down his cheek, “Thank you so much for your fiery summons, my brother. I’ll be back in our Lodge next meeting.”

— Author Unknown

 

WB George Washington visits Smithtown Lodge No. 1127

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The 18th C. came alive last night at Smithtown Lodge when an unexpected guest arrived.

None other than Bro. George Washington (W:. Bill Mountzouros)! He, with the able assistance of Bro. Gary Gudzik, DSA, entertained and ENLIGHTENED the Brethren.

The topic was Civility and proper comportment, in the very words of Bro. George (see slide-in photo).

Demand for Events has taken off!

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As the days get longer and brighter, the demand for live events is building. New data reveals that consumers are buying tickets at a rate we haven’t seen since before the pandemic. The proof is in the numbers.

Since the start of 2022:

✔Tickets sales for entertainment events are up 176% in NYC and 127% in LA

✔Ticket sales for food and drink events are up 158% in NYC and 141% in LA

✔Ticket sales for concerts are up 100% in NYC and Boston

✔Ticket sales for health and wellness events are up 179% in Houston

The above is just a snapshot that reflects national trends.

If you’ve been waiting for the right time to kick off and explore that new event idea, now is the time to act on the attendee demand that’s sweeping the nation. Whether you are holing a small dinner or a full-fledged party or musical event, now is the time!

If you are the member of your Lodge, or in the district, that is responsible for creating and running events there are a few things to remember:

  • Plan your event far enough in the future that you can assure you will have a good pool of potential attendees and not run events on the same day at the same time as your neighbor Lodges. This takes communication with the Masters & Wardens of the Lodges in the area (District).
  • Once you have a plan and are set, begin promoting your event at least 2 or 3 months ahead of time.
  • Selling tickets is a Lodge decision on how much and how many to expect to get the planned budget right. We have found that if tickets are to be sold and pre-paid ahead of the event, when the event nears it’s a cinch to adjust the budget accordingly to for the number of attendees. As opposed to just pay at the door. We all know RSVP is a four-letter word to Masons.
  • Promote your event as widely as possible and keep up with it, send reminders and updates periodically.

The Suffolk Masonic District and the LIPMA have teamed up to bring Hiram’s Tickets to all the Lodges and appendant bodies in the area. You can sell tickets to your Lodge or appendant body event right from the suffolkmasons.com website event pages. There is a cost as the system is a professionally coded and implemented software suite. The cost is minimal, just $1.00 per ticket sold.  So, what do you get for your $1.00/ticket price?

  • No messing with online merchant accounts, LIPMA will process all PayPal, Venmo, Credit/Debit Cards for you. The Credit Debit fee is passed onto the buyer, so the Lodge or organization does not absorb that fee.
  • Automatic payouts the day of the event to a personal or business PayPal account (minus the $1.00/ticket LIPMA fee).
  • You have total control of the event from creation to updates. Logon to suffolkmasons.com and click “My Events” on the top menu and add your Lodge or Organization event, dates, times, add images, etc.
  • Add tickets, how much, then they go on sale, when to end the sale.
  • Add a ticket image to make sure the buyer knows which event it’s for.
  • Email promotion to over 500 emails addresses in our DB, growing daily. Includes announcement, ticket promotion, reminders and an after event thank you note.
  • 24/7 access to your attendee list and sales reports
  • Online check-in via the website (attendees report) or via iOS or Android smartphone app (request the phone app code from the admins prior to your event).
  • The attendees list contains a valid guest list for future event promotion.

A representative from LIPMA can come and explain more if requested.

Let’s get those events listed. At the very least you should enter your event on the Suffolk District BAND and this calendar is sync’d with the suffolkmasons.com website calendar so it will be listed tickets or no tickets and there is never a cost to add non-ticketed events. In fact, you can create RSVPs as well and there’s no fee on that either.

If you would like more information, you can check out this post for more detail -> Introducing Suffolk Masonic events tickets powered by LIPMA

Successful Venison Dinner to benefit Camp Turk

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Dear Readers,

The critics have spoken and it’s unanimous!

Thanks to all those who participated I last night’s event. Fantastic evening for everyone. Kudos to the Stokke family for all they do.  – V:.W:. Bill Debenedetto

Thats just one of the many posts since last night’s Venison Dinner. With this event canceled the last 2 years due to concerns, it was a welcome and wonderful return. I’ll just point to all the smiling faces in the images to tell you how the evening went. A big thanks to the Stokke family and Bobby Able and all those that pitched in and made this event a great success.

Below are images taken by our Brother Paparazzi – W:. Al Baker

There are lots of pics so it may take a few seconds to load…be patient.

Feb 2022 School of Instruction

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Suffolk District AGLs V:.W:. Bill Debenedetto and V:.W:. Gil Kruse came out last night to Potunk Lodge #1071 for a School of Instruction. On the agenda was to discuss and get info on the Drama of the 3rd degree.

Brothers from Potunk Lodge, Riverhead Lodge, Smithtown Lodge, Suffolk 60 and others all joined in the discussion and ritual.

All had a very enlightening evening and are looking forward to the next.

 

Is it President’s Day or Washington’s Birthday?

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Although the holiday is most often referred to as “Presidents’ Day,” the observed federal holiday is officially called “Washington’s Birthday.”

Neither Congress nor the President has ever stipulated that the name of the holiday observed as Washington’s Birthday be changed to Presidents’ Day. Additionally, Congress has never declared a national holiday that is binding in all states; each state has the freedom to determine its own legal holidays. This is why there are some calendar discrepancies when it comes to this holiday’s date.

So why is Washington’s Birthday commonly called Presidents’ Day?

In a sense, calling the holiday Presidents’ Day helps us to reflect on not just the first president, but also the founding of our nation, its values, and what Washington calls in his Farewell Address the “beloved Constitution and union, as received from the Founders.” Additionally, Abraham Lincoln’s birthday is in February (on the 12th), so by calling the holiday “Presidents’ Day,” we can include another remarkable president in our celebrations as well.

Today, many calendars list the third Monday of February as Presidents’ Day, just as quite a few U.S. states do, too. Of course, all of the 3-day retail store sales are called “Presidents’ Day” sales and this vernacular has also been influential in how we reference the holiday.

Presidents’ Day History

Historically, Americans began celebrating George Washington’s Birthday just months after his death, long before Congress declared it a federal holiday. It was not until 1879, under President Rutherford B. Hayes, that Washington’s Birthday became a legal holiday, to be observed on his birthday, February 22.

Washington’s birthday was celebrated on February 22 until well into the 20th century. In 1968, Congress passed the Monday Holiday Law to “provide uniform annual observances of certain legal public holidays on Mondays.” By creating more 3-day weekends, Congress hoped to “bring substantial benefits to both the spiritual and economic life of the Nation.”

Today, George Washington’s Birthday is one of only eleven permanent holidays established by Congress. One of the great traditions followed for decades has been the reading by a U.S. senator of George Washington’s Farewell Address in legislative session, which remains an annual event to this day.

When Is George Washington’s Real Birthday?

Although the federal holiday is held on a Monday (the third Monday of February), George Washington’s birthday is observed on February 22. To complicate matters, Washington was actually born on February 11 in 1731! How can that be?

George Washington was originally born when the Julian calendar was in use. During Washington’s lifetime, people in Great Britain and America switched the official calendar system from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar (something that most of Europe had already done in 1582).

As a result of this calendar reform, people born before 1752 were told to add 11 days to their birth dates. Those born between January 1 and March 25, as Washington was, also had to add one year to be in sync with the new calendar.

By the time Washington became president in 1789, he celebrated his birthday on February 22 and listed his year of birth as 1732.

To summarize, Washington’s birthday changed from February 11, 1731 (Old-Style Julian calendar), to February 22, 1732 (New-Style Gregorian calendar).

 

The rest as you know dear readers is history!

2022 Grand Master’s Message – Camp Turk

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Dear Brother,

As we know, Camp Turk at Round Lake is a premier summer camp and one of the crown jewels of New York State Freemasonry.  The past two camping seasons have been very difficult as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.  The 2020 season was cancelled entirely, and last season Camp Turk operated with far fewer children than in previous years.  This was due in large part because of the continued uncertainty surrounding the Covid-19 protocols and the difficulty in finding competent staff.

As we continue our plans for the 2022 camping season, we need everyone’s help in bringing the number of children attending camp to pre-Covid levels.  Therefore, I am asking that each district in our jurisdiction sponsor 2 children to camp this year.  By sponsoring these children your District is not compelled to pay the full amount of weekly tuition.  If the district is unable to pay the full amount which is $550 per week, there are scholarship monies available for families that qualify.   We also expect families to pay a portion of the tuition as well.

This is an important transition year for us as we strive to bring our “one of a kind” camping experience to as many children as possible.  This information can be shared with all our bothers, their families, neighbors and friends.

Applications are now being accepted by registering at our website at www.campturk.org .  Please contact Mollie Denslow, Camp Administrator at 315- 392-2081 or email campturk@campturk.org , with any questions or to obtain a Scholarship Application.

Thank you for your kind and generous consideration.

M:.W:. Bro. Richard J. Kessler

 

Grand Master

Grand Lodge F. & A.M. of the State of New York

71 West 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010

Lodges are getting serious about securing the District Traveling Gavel

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As of late we have seen a great Brotherhood and competitive spirit among Brothers of the Suffolk District with the District Traveling Gavel. There has been Bragging rights and quite a bit of smack talk as well. All in good fun and of course good taste (mostly).

Lately, as April approaches, some Lodges once they have snagged the gavel for their Lodge, are going to greater and greater lengths to secure it and assure that none attempt to acquire it for another Lodge. Case in point, Suffolk Lodge No. 60, recently went to Amityville Lodge No. 977, where Start of the East Lodge No. 843’s, W:. Joe Lombardo, recently appeared with the Traveling Gavel.

Amityville Lodge was conferring the 1st degree on a candidate and the Brothers of the District came out in force to help, aid and assist the Lodge in the best way possible. Filling the Lodge with Brotherly Love and Fellowship. However, once the Traveling Gavel was spied, all that went out the window and in the end Suffolk 60 emerged with the Traveling Gavel. And there was much rejoicing.

The Brothers of Suffolk 60, naturally proud of their acquisition and not wanting the gavel to be absconded with, have secured the Traveling Gavel in a most interesting, and possibly dangerous way. You be the judge!

 

I am not sure about any other Brothers, but I am pretty sure I won’t be reaching for that Traveling Gavel in its current location. I suspect for another Lodge to acquire it, it will take thought and cunning and a very large steak by the looks of it.