Wilmington, PA Lodge Masonic Symposium Sept. 20

Wilmington Lodge No. 804 in Wilmington, Pennsylvania will hold its first annual Masonic Symposium on Saturday, September 20, 2014 from 9:00AM until 5:00PM. They have a total of four Masonic Speakers that are experts in their respective areas. These brothers are Shawn M. Gorley, Master Masonic Scholar and author of "Freemasonry Defined" and writer for "The Working Tools Masonic Magazine", Master Masonic Scholar Adam T. Osman and author of "Earning Freemasonry", Charles Harper Sr. author of "Freemasonry in Black and White and Juan Sepulveda owner of the well known podcast "The Winding Stairs" as well as a member of the Youtube Masonic show "The Masonic Roundtable. Brother Sepulveda is also a prominent artist specializing in Masonic art.

For the price of admission you get three meals starting with a breakfast of donuts coffee and juice. A lunch of pulled pork and choice of sides and a full dinner, not your typical after meeting cold cuts! 

This will be a day of highly entertaining speakers that will fully engage with the audience and encourage Q&A and open discussion. The respective speakers have a wealth of experience in giving presentations and talks and have all done so all over the country. This will be the first time all of them will be together under one roof at the same time and assures to be not only educational but fun. There will be several breaks throughout the day and the speakers will have their books and artwork available for purchase and signing.

The seating is limited to 100 people to keep it comfortable and to also encourage visitation and meeting Brethren from all areas that will be in attendance. Unfortunately they cannot offer refunds, once a ticket is purchased the sale is final, this is because of the catering so that they know exactly how much food to bring without running short.

For those of you that may be traveling great distances please look for motels in the Hermitage, Sharon and New Castle Pennsylvania areas. If there are any further questions please do not hesitate to contact the host Shawn M. Gorley at 724-730-1812 or email at shawn@drivenbylight.net and include symposium in the subject area.

Tickets are $30 and are available here online.

GL of Kansas Adopts Background Checks

Michael Halleran, the new Grand Master of Kansas, reports that Kansas adopted a new resolution calling for mandatory background checks of new members at its annual meeting on March 21st. This is after two years of the program being done by edict. The previous two years showed that the program did not scare off potential members or affect membership in any way. This is a welcome change and one that should be adopted nationwide.

Man Tries To Burn Down Grand Lodge in Boston

From CBS in Boston:

A man was arrested for allegedly trying to burn down the Masonic Temple Lodge on Tremont Street in Boston Monday night.

Boston Fire officials say the man entered the building and sprayed a liquid onto some furniture and attempted to ignite it. 

He was detained by a security officer and then arrested by Boston Police.The man, who was not identified, will be charged with attempting to burn a place of worship.

Boynton Lodge Esoteric Research Group Presents W. Kirk MacNulty

Renowned Masonic author W. Kirk MacNulty will speak at the Boynton (Florida) Lodge Esoteric Research Group on Saturday, April 12th, 2014. He has been a Freemason for over forty years, and is a member of Lodges in American and Great Britain. His publications include Freemasonry Symbols, Secrets, Significance; Way of the Craftman: A Search for the Spiritual Essence of Craft Freemasonry and Freemasonry: A Journey through Ritual and Symbol. He is  Friar No. 94 of the Blue Friars.


The day will be divided into four sessions: an Introduction to the Symbolism of the Craft Degrees, followed by Symbolism of each of the Craft degrees. Lunch is included in the price of the ticket. The sessions will end at 3:00 PM.

The seminar is only open to Master Masons, and you must present a valid Lodge dues card and ID for admission. Suit or jacket with a tie are also required. Tickets are $30 each, and there is limited seating available. As of this writing, only 37 seats remain, so reserve now.

The event will held at Boynton Lodge No. 236, located at 2701 Quantum Blvd., Boynton Beach, Florida.

For more information and ticket purchases, see here.

Masonic Society Welcomes 2500th Member

This morning Secretary Nathan Brindle of the Masonic Society entered our 2,500th new member since we began on May 1, 2008. Welcome member #02500, Bro. Wayne Harrison!

This doesn't mean we have 2500 current members. Like any other organization, we've have attrition over nearly 6 years of existence. But we do have just under 1300 members as of today! Why not join us and help us keep growing?

http://themasonicsociety.com/join

Grand Lodge of Ireland

Take a photographic tour of the Grand Lodge of Ireland here. A magnificent building! Freemasons' Hall, Molesworth Street in Dublin. The building is open for tours Monday-Friday, at 2:30pm, or by appointment, by calling 01-6761337.

Pleiades Lodge #478 Masonic Education Symposium April 26th

The 1st Annual Pleiades Lodge No. 478, 2014 Masonic Education Symposium will be held April 26, 2014. 

Anthony Mongelli, author of The Craftsman Symbology, Charles M. Harper Sr., author of Freemasonry in Black and White, Robert Herd, author of The Initiatic Experience, and keynote speaker, Mir Omar Ali, Past Grand Chaplin and current member of the Board of Grand Examiners of the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of the State of Illinois, all in one event! 

Education, Festive Board and Fellowship, lunch and Festive Board for only $20.00!!!!! 

8 a.m.- Coffee and Donuts

9 a.m.- Welcoming by Worshipful Brother Stephen Valle of Pleiades Lodge no. 478 

9:15 a.m.- Bro. Anthony Mongelli and The Craftsman Symbology 

10:30 a.m.- Bro. Charles M. Harper Sr. and Cultural Relativism in Freemasonry 

11:45 a.m. - Lunch in Dinning Hall 

12:30 p.m. - R.W.B. Robert Herd Leadership Seminar 

4:p.m. - Festive Board with Keynote Speaker: R.W.B. Mir Omar Ali 

Limited Seating Event!!! Only 100 tickets to be sold!!!
All authors are featured writers for the Living Stones Magazine, with Robert Herd being the Owner/Editor. The magazine can be found athttp://www.livingstonesmagazine.com

Tickets are limited and going fast. For tickets and general information: http://pleiadesmasonicsymposium.eventbrite.com/

Pleiades Lodge #478 is located at Westchester Masonic Temple, 10210 Canturbury Street, Westchester, Illinois.

Masons Win Legal Battle Over Detroit Temple Ownership

The Masons have won their legal battle over ownership of their one of a kind Temple building.

From the Detroit News today:

The Masons have won their legal battle over who owns Detroit’s Masonic Temple, the largest building of its kind.

“We won! All counts related to any claims of ownership of the Masonic is over. It it is clearly owned by the Masons,” said Bradley Dizik, special adviser to the Masonic Temple’s board of trustees.

Dizik was referring to a Tuesday ruling by Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Leslie Kim Smith that dismissed claims by a former management company they had an ownership stake in the institution, according to Dizik, who is attorney and a consultant in the case.

The Masonic Temple Association of Detroit, which owns the Masonic Temple, booted the management company, Halberd Holdings, out of the facility in 2012. The association claimed, among other things, that Halberd was ruining the temple’s reputation by not paying its bills and hiring felons.

It came at time when the 1,037-room facility faced a financial crisis. The News revealed in April the Cass Corridor institution owed Wayne County $152,000 in back taxes. It faced being sold at the annual auction of foreclosed properties. Bidding for the 14-story Gothic structure, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, would have started at $160,000. The Mason’s claimed that it was never in danger of being sold in foreclosure and they had worked out a deal with county officials.

But the news motivated Detroit-born rocker Jack White to step forward, out of the blue, and pay the tax bill.

It also sparked East Coast attorney Dizik, a third-generation Mason originally from Farmington Hills, to move to Detroit to help get the 88-year-old building back in order. Dizik helped broker a deal with DTE Energy Co.,which had threatened to shut off the power because of a $300,000 overdue bill. That bill has already been greatly reduced and should be paid off by the end of this year, Dizik said.

The biggest threat was Halberd’s ownership claim.

Some of the investors that once made up Halberd have split up, including former Detroit Lions star Mel Farr and Donald Foss, founder of Credit Acceptance Corp, according to court documents. The two remaining principals are Michael Smith, a Mount Clemens attorney, and New York filmmaker Matthew Mazer.

Halberd’s attorney, Norman Yatooma, could not be reached for comment.

There remain some claims and counter-claims between Halberd and the Masons, all of which should be resolved by end of summer, attorneys for the Masons said Tuesday.

The best is yet to come for the Masonic, Dizik says.

The Masonic is now in the heart of the planned 45-block entertainment district that is to be anchored by the new home for the Detroit Red Wings. That arena will be built across the street from the Masonic Temple.

Late last year, the Masons hired The Crofoot to help book shows at the facility, which has resulted in more concerts. Upcoming shows include comedian Katt Williams, the local rocker Rodriguez and singer Lana Del Rey.

laguilar@detroitnews.com
Twitter: LouisAguilar_DN

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140311/BIZ03/303110089#ixzz2vh2w7e4j

Volume 2 of Bound Short Talk Bulletins Available For Preorder

The Masonic Service Association of North America is embarking on a monumental publishing effort. The MSA has published a Short Talk Bulletin virtually every month since 1923. Now, they are assembling these gems of Masonic education into bound volumes, freshly edited and typeset. It is now  possible to own complete bound sets on subjects that range from Masonic history, symbolism, philosophy and biographies.

Volume 2 (1938-1952) of five projected volumes will be available soon, featuring an index and more than 700 pages. Subsequent volumes will be published every 9-12 months. All profits will be used to support MSA activities. The books are edited by Brother S. Brent Morris, editor of the Scottish Rite Journal. It follows the successful launch last year of Volume 1 of the series. When the series is completed, all 90 years of Short Talk Bulletins will be published in this attractive, re-edited, re-typeset, and indexed version.

Three options are planned.

The Master Mason Edition will be bound in linen fabric with sewn signatures. Price: $90 + $8 shipping (Pre-publication price: $60 + $8 shipping if ordered before September 1st, 2013).

The Lodge Edition is identical to the Master Mason edition, but lodges may order 1 copy per lodge for $50 + $8 shipping, only if paid for with a Lodge check. Must be ordered before September 1st, 2013.

The Grand Master Edition is bonded leather binding, with gilt edges, and satin book marks, and autographed. Price is $150 + $8 shipping. Pre-publication price is $115 + $8 shipping if ordered before September 1st, 2014.

Shipping costs are for U.S. orders only. Please contact the MSANA for non-U.S. orders.

Volume 2 will be printed in Fall 2014 for delivery before Christmas.

Order online herehttp://shopping.msana.com/product.php?product=26.