THANKS, TEXAS

Thanks to the Grand Secretary of Texas, RW:. Tommy Guest, for recommending Freemasons For Dummies in his monthly message to lodges. The steps of my path to Freemasonry began in Texas, a debt I can never repay.

CHARLES MARTIN, IRAQ AND FREEMASONRY

I just stumbled into Charles Martin's Blog about Freemasonry in Iraq. Brother Charles is working on the creation of Land Sea and Air Lodge No. 1 in Iraq, chartered May 2, 2006 by the Grand Lodge of New York. From the sounds of it, getting this lodge started has been a long, hard job. They started working on getting the charter in November 2005, received it in May of this year, but won't meet until September.

I see that they have tee shirts available.

Best of luck to Brother Martin and all of our brothers serving the cause of freedom.

I found his information while looking at the Military.com Forum about Freemasons in the military. Interesting site.

INDIANA MASONIC HOME FESTIVAL 2006

I'll be at the Masonic Home Festival in Franklin, Indiana in the vendors' tent selling and signing books this Sunday August 20th, between 8AM and 3PM. Drop by if you get a chance!

RAPER COMMANDARY #1 WINS FIRST PLACE IN HOUSTON TRIENNIAL

My own Knights Templar Commandary, Raper Commandery No. 1 in Indianapolis, has won First Place in the Class B Drill Competition at the 63rd Triennial of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar in Houston, Texas this past week. Captain George D. Kivett, who has had the distinction of having won six consecutive Triennial Drill Competitions, was recognized as the Outstanding Drill Captain.

George IS an outstanding Drill Captain, and his dedication to Freemasonry and Templary is unquestioned. This represents untold hundreds of hours and decades of service, skill and leadership, and he deserves far more than just an award. Congratulations to everyone on the team, and especially to George.

GRAND LODGE OF DELAWARE RECOGNIZES PRINCE HALL GL

I just received word via the Philalethes Society that the mainstream Grand Lodge of Delaware has voted to extend recognition to the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Delaware. Meaning that the last dozen or so holdouts remain mainstream GLs south of the Mason Dixon Line.

VISIT TO MABEL LODGE No. 255 IN MACON, GEORGIA

I was in Macon, Georgia this week working at one of my real-world jobs. The day went well and we got finished quicker than expected. I happened to luck into the business meeting of Mabel Lodge No. 255 and I had the honor of meeting the Grand Master of Georgia, MWBro. F. Ray Jackson. I found him to be a gracious and generous gentleman, and enjoyed the lodge's warm hospitality. They serve up a fine pork chop.

Many thanks to their Worshipful Master Jammell Corliss, RWBro.Carl Dohn PGM, Grand Marshal Walt Bowers, and all of the other brethren I met this evening. Please forgive me for misspellings and omissions - I knew I should have been taking notes, and they don't have a website I can cheat off of!

I also had the pleasure of meeting several Prince Hall brethren who work at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. They went out of their way to help a hot, overweight Brother who had been broiling in the Georgia sun move lots of heavy camera cases, thereby saving me the embarrassment of passing out from heat stroke in the lobby. The hospitality has been outstanding here in Macon, and I wish I could have had more time to explore before heading home in the morning. I have to quit my other jobs - they're interfering with my Freemasonry!

BTW, I highly recommend two downtown Macon eateries. Luigi's Italian Restaurant is friendly, fun and has excellent food. And the Downtown Grill is absolutely outstanding. They put up with a group of ten of us, and the food and service was way above average. Sarah and Heather were great fun, knowledgeable and incredibly efficient with a large party. They deserve a raise. I recommend the mixed grill (filet mignon, lamb chop and quail), and order just one of the vanilla/cinnamon ice cream amaretto cakes for an entire table. It is as large as an average human head.

KNIGHT OF THE NORTH ERIC SCHMITZ and the QUEST FOR THE HOLY GRAIL

My friend and brother, Eric Schmitz, Senior Deacon of Lodge Vitruvian No. 767 and Past Master of Monroe Lodge No. 22 in Bloomington presented a program at Vitruvian's April meeting on the origins of the Grail legend. He has a new "interactive exploration kit" about the Holy Grail, due out in October of this year:

The Quest for the Holy Grail
An Interactive Exploration of the Grail Legends
Eric Schmitz
The perfect kit for anyone who wants to know more about the secrets of the Holy Grail!

Long before “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” the Grail Quest captured the imagination of writers and the public. Long believed to be an actual goblet brought to Spain by Joseph of Arimathea, the Grail inspired Mediaeval knights to go on pilgrimage in ill-fated attempts to find it. More recently, the Grail has gained new adherents as a different kind of treasure, the royal bloodline of the descendants of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, kept secret for two millennia by the Knights Templar and the Masons. Books like The DaVinci Code and Fair Winds’ own Bloodline of the Holy Grail have introduced this Grail concept to millions of people. This kit is for them.

This kit contains a 176-page book about the bloodline of Jesus, 22 full-color cards of the people involved, a full-color map and genealogical chart, and a grail medallion, all packaged in a keepsake box.

Eric Schmitz is a 12-year Freemason, with a longstanding interest in Arthurian legend and Grail mythology dating back to childhood. He is a Past Master of Monroe Lodge #22 in Bloomington, Indiana, a co-founder of Lodge Vitruvian #767 in Indianapolis, Indiana's premier "European Concept" Lodge, and an original "Knight of the North." He has written for the Indiana Freemason magazine, and is a co-author of the pamphlet Laudable Pursuit, a commentary on the past, present and future of Freemasonry in America. He holds degrees in electrical engineering and library science. This is his first book.

Bravo Eric! Vitruvians rule!

WEST VIRGINIA VISIT - JOSEPH W. SUMMERS #173

I had the great experience of visiting Wbro. Jason Craig at Valley Lodge in Masontown, Pennsylvania last January. I also had the honor of meeting MWBro. Frank Joseph Haas, Grand Master of West Virginia, and Junior Grand Deacon R. Jay Guminey, also of the GL of West Virginia. That's the greatest thing about Freemasonry - I have met brothers everywhere in the world, and it's like ripples in a pond. Every friendship leads to more and more, and the list just keeps growing.

On August 26th, I'll have the honor of speaking at Brother Jay Guminey's lodge, Joseph W. Summers Lodge #173 in Morgantown, WVa.

SOLOMON'S BUILDERS IS OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED

Ulysses Press has officially announced the December release of SOLOMON'S BUILDERS: FREEMASONS, FOUNDING FATHERS AND THE SECRETS OF WASHINGTON D.C.

Solomon's Builders transports the reader back to the birth of a radical new nation and tells how a secretive society influenced and inspired the formation of what would become the most powerful nation on earth.

A history that reads like a thriller, it follows George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and the other Founding Fathers who transformed the lessons of their Masonic lodge rooms into models for a new democracy. In the process, it pieces together the still-visible clues of the Freemasons as it uncovers the mystical Masonic symbolism hidden in the design of the city and in its monuments, statues and buildings.

From "all-seeing eyes," pentagrams, and Egyptian-inspired obelisks to the imposing and mysterious Masonic temples of the "Widow's Sons," Solomon's Builders guides readers on a Freemason’s tour of Washington, D.C. as it separates fact from myth and reveals the background of the sequel to The Da Vinci Code.

LAUDABLE PURSUIT SPURS MASONS TO ACTION

The ideas from Laudable Pursuit keep bearing fruit. All over the country, we get messages about young Masons using it as a guide for making changes, getting back to basics, and reinvigorating their lodges.

The following note was posted on the Knights of the North forum the other day.

I don't think you fully realize how ripe my jurisiction is for change! We had a degree night last night with representives of 5 Lodges. Almost all Past Masters and Officers of Lodges. LP was discussed and every person there is backing it! And taking it to thier Lodges.

One Brother, a KYCH, when he heard what we were doing, left and came back with his suit coat on to show his support. Even though the temp in the Lodge room was about 98. Brothers are showing up wearing only black suit, white shirt and black tie already.

Every day more Brothers say, "It's about time."

I fully understand the pitfalls and your wise counsel is greatly appreciated. But I believe we are at a watershed. The moment must be siezed with the dedication and intensity that has proven contagious. Here is the text of our new committee:

Consilium Reconciliatio

Resolution for the Brothers of the Milton Masonic Lodge No. 161, Free and Accepted Masons of Wisconsin, to establish a Committee for Lodge Restoration and Reform for the purpose of making a studied approach to improving the health of our beloved Craft.

Whereas: Brothers are being rushed through their advancement to the sublime degree as Master Mason without proper instruction and regard to the fraternity, to our detriment, the investigation period for a petitioner should be a minimum of 6 months. Also to facilitate the proper education of a Brother the time spent as an Entered Apprentice should be a minimum of one year. Likewise as a Fellowcraft.

Whereas: Entered Apprentices and Fellowcrafts are allowed into Lodge meetings everywhere except in the United States after the 1840’s and to provide for making Masons, not just members, the stated communication should be open on the Entered Apprentice Degree for the purpose of Masonic education and fellowship. A business meeting being held separate on the Master Mason Degree in accordance with the Wisconsin Masonic Code.

Whereas: The standards of the fraternity are integral to our survival, arrangements should be made to teach and enforce requirements for proficiency, dress code and attendance.

Whereas: The fees and dues for Lodges have not increased proportionately over the last two centuries, which only hurts the Lodge, petition fees and yearly dues should be increased to a reasonable enough level to ensure the financial stability of the Lodge and impress upon new members the value of association.

Whereas: The worldwide Masonic community is bringing increased pressure on American Grand Lodges for the use of one day classes for all three degrees the practice should not be engaged in by the members of our Lodge preferring instead to hold to our initiatic traditions and make Masons not just members.

Whereas: The leadership of the Lodge is paramount to it’s survival and prosperity, a proper education program should be enacted with the mentor program for Apprentices and Fellows as well as a more detailed program for officers and Wardens concerning history and ritual, completion of which would be required to ascend to the East.

Therefore: The Lodge should weigh these considerations with care and due diligence appointing learned Brothers to a committee tasked with educating themselves concerning the decline of our Craft and the solutions required to restore it to the dignity that it deserves.

Worshipful Brother Winter Jefferson Guite
Past Master
Thirty Second Degree
Milton Masonic Lodge No. One Hundred and Sixty One
Seventeenth of July
Common Era Two Thousand and Six
Anno Lucius Six Thousand and Six

GARY DRYFOOS' "...A PAGE ABOUT FREEMASONRY"

Since 1994, Wbro. Gary Dryfoos' website, "...A Page About Freemasonry" has been an outstanding source of reference material for new and seasoned Masons, as well as for the uninitiated. I owe Gary two notes of thanks. First, for providing a link to Laudable Pursuit and the Knights of the North website. And second for a most flattering review of Freemasons For Dummies.

"Those of you who have ever visited my website will know that I am a proponent of Masonic education. When we make a new Mason, we owe him a first-class course of instruction in what Masonry is, what it does, and where it came from. We owe it for his own sake, as our brother, for the sake of his circle of family and friends who will ask him about this peculiar organization he's joined, and for the sake of our own future. "Freemasons for Dummies" could serve as an important part of that education in any lodge."

"...Freemasons for Dummies belongs on every Masonic bookshelf. A few years ago, I attempted to compile my own list of books about Masonry for the general audience. The idea would have been to raise funds to donate a small "Masonic bookshelf" to local public libraries. I could never decide on that list, until now. If your lodge is looking for a way to inform your community about Freemasonry, consider donating a few copies of this book to your town library, and maybe even the public high school libraries."

STEPHAN DAFOE'S MASONIC MAGAZINE

Stephen Dafoe's latest issue of Masonic magazine arrived this week, and it continues to be a tremendous publication for Freemasons. His four-part article on the Morgan Affair alone has been worth the price of subscription. He is assembling a stable of respected authors who are breathing fresh life into Masonic research. I ordered a subscription for Lodge Vitruvian, and it flies off the table as soon as it comes.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RESEARCH LODGE

I had a long conversation with Wbro. Ralph Herbold tonight, who informs me that the SCRL has just ordered its 1,600th copy of Freemasons For Dummies!

I am absolutely astonished every time I speak with Ralph at the great reception the book has received. More to the point, the SCRL is a wonderful resource for Masons seeking further light. It is possibly the biggest steal in Freemasonry at just $15 a year. In return you receive the monthly mailing, packed with information culled from Masonic publications all around the world. And their incredible book department sells a massive list of Masonic books at just over wholesale cost. Plus, their Entered Apprentice program provides a copy of Allen Roberts' The Craft And Its Symbols to any EA that an SCRL member chooses, along with a free year's membership in the SCRL. If you aren't a member, you can't imagine what you're missing, every single month.

Find out more by visiting their website.

MASONIC DICTIONARY ONLINE

WBro. Stephen Dafoe, Masonic and Templar author and publisher, has collected together 26 new essays on progressive Freemasonry at www.MasonicDictionary.com.

A is for Apathy by Bro. R. John Hayes
Boring Our Members To Death by W. Bro. Christopher Hodapp
Charity by W. Bro. Fred Milliken
Dues That Don't Anymore by W. Bro. Nathan C. Brindle
Education: The Unspeakable Masonic Word by W. Bro. Jay Hochberg
Freemasonarian: How intellectualism Rots by W. Bro. Stephen Dafoe
Grand Lodge by W. Bro. Tim Bryce
Harmony by Bro. David Weinberg
Intolerance by W. Bro. C Shawn Oak
Jurisprudence, Masonic by W. Bro. Dan Ellnor
Kakistocracy by Bro. XXXXX
The Ancient Landmarks - Abusing Them by W. Bro. Dan Ellnor
Membership: Where Are We Really Losing Members by W. Bro. Stephen Dafoe
Nationalism by Bro. Jelle Spijk
Obligations by Bro. Steve Schilling
Whatever Happened To Masonic Pride? by W. Bro. Christopher Hodapp
Quality vs. Quantity - "Foodmasonry and You" by W. Bro. Michael Bayrak
Racism in Freemasonry by W. Bro. Fred Milliken
Stated Meetings and Entered Apprentices by Bro. Steve Schilling and W. Bro. Christopher Hodapp
That's Not How We Did It In My Year by W. Bro. Carl W. Davis
Universality by W. Bro. Eric Schmitz
Virtues by W. Bro. Tim Bryce
Asleep at the West Gate by W. Bro. Stephen Dafoe
X is for Xenophobia by Bro. John Hayes
Y AREN'T YOU LISTENING TO THEM? (GENERATION Y) by W. Bro. Tim Bryce
Zeal for the Institution by W. Bro. James Dillman

I'm honored to have been a participant in this project along with several of my fellow Knights of the North. And thanks to Stephen for his guiding, prodding and organizing.

ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST DAY

Greg Stewart, the "Masonic Traveler," has a terrific article aboutSaint John the Baptist Day, June 24th, and just what a couple of identically-named Catholic saints are doing in a non-denominational, non-sectarian men's fraternity.

IN DEFENSE OF MAGISTERIAL LANGUAGE

The Catholic Church is having a lengthy wrangle over the wording of the mass - their ritual, if you will. In the 1970s, a directive came from the Vatican to "simplify" the ritual, namely, to create a new translation that was closer to the vernacular, to the way people really speak and think, instead of the poetry of the mass as it had appeared in Latin. The new pope has decided that something was lost in that decision, that there is worth and majesty in the original Latin, and that a closer translation to its original Latin form would be more desirable, more affecting, more, well, reverent. In short, it sounds like the new pope has at last recoiled from the dumbing down of the liturgy.

Some interesting quotes:

"Folks are finally beginning to see what a banal translation of the Mass we've been saddled with for so long. The new translation is, I'm happy to say, not so very new-many of the expressions are just revivals of traditional expressions that have been used in English for generations."

"We need to give God the best words we can use. Words shape thoughts and cultures. We should not give God second best just to make things easier."

"Sometimes profound thoughts and truths require long sentences and big words," Harden said. "We don’t want to reduce the wording of the sacred Mass to the level of Time magazine. If people don't understand it, you educate and prepare them."

What a fantastic concept.

Pope Ratzinger has put the hammer down and called for a return to higher standards (in many areas, not just the wording of the mass) and more challenging vocabulary. For all those who point to Masonic ritual and call it too archaic, too long, or too complex for "modern men" to be interested, I find it interesting that the Church is taking the opposite view.

They are raising the standards. They are making it more challenging.

Freemasonry keeps making changes in an effort to appeal to young men, yet we keep doing it without asking young men about it first. We say they don't have time to take the degrees individually. We say the lectures are too long. We say the memorization is too hard. Yet, men who are staying away from Freemasonry don't know about those things. They don't know what Freemasonry IS! The young men who ARE joining our lodges are better educated than any generation of Masons ever before. They've done incredible research about the Craft before knocking on our doors. They are looking for something legendary, something mythical, something timeless. These are the men who grew up fascinated by the minutiae of the Star Wars universe and its organization; of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and its heroic stories and fascinating tapestries of cultures; of the esoteric discussions and philosophical labyrinths of The Matrix. These men are not looking for fast, easy ways to join this most famous and legendary initiatic brotherhood. And when we rush to MAKE it simple and cheap and fast, Freemasonry loses its value and its allure.

MUNCIE MASONIC CENTER REVISITED

After visiting with Wbro. Tim Brinkmeyer and the brethren of Delaware Lodge in Muncie, I put together a website for them. They have a magnificent facility, and they are so close to Ball State University that I think the students there simply need to be aware that Freemasonry is alive and well in Muncie, and that they have a true Masonic treasure in their midst.

THE MOTHER OF ALL EA DEGREES!

Last night the brethren of Major General John A. Logan Lodge #575 initiated a new brother in one of the most unique presentations I've ever seen. The room was illuminated solely by candlelight, and the room was scented with incense. The Bible reading was beautifully chanted by Brother Phillip Garver, who is a gnostic bishop and the SW of my own Lodge Vitruvian #767.Prior to the degree, the candidate was placed in a Chamber of Reflection, complete with the proper accessories of that tradition. And Brother Gary Messer, a talented artist, contributed special props, along with a newly painted mosaic floorcloth, complete with a blazing star and indented tessel. For brethren of Indiana, these are all very unique and non-traditional flourishes. For the candidate, they made an enormous impact, and made the evening even more memorable.

Bravo to WBro. Jim Lindsey PM, his officers, members and Past Masters for bringing these elements of Traditional Observance lodges to downtown Indianapolis! Logan Lodge was on the ropes just three years ago, held together by a dedicated but dwindling core group. A group of Masons from across Indianapolis saw the opportunity to help the brethren of Logan keep their lodge, while trying new and innovative ideas to reinvigorate it. Last night they succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.

BROTHER SAM HORNISH JR. WINS INDY 500



Brother Sam Hornish Jr won the 2006 Indy 500 today by 6/100ths of a second!

Muncie, Indiana's Incredible Masonic Temple

I had the honor of speaking to a small gathering last night of Delaware Lodge in Muncie, Indiana. The event was to honor their 50 year members, and the excellent dinner was held in Muncie's beautiful Roberts Hotel. WM Tim Brinkmeyer also invited Senior Grand Warden Jeffrey Zaring and his wife Margie for the evening, and it was truly outstanding. The dinner was the highest quality, the surroundings were elegant, befitting the honors being presented. Everyone had a wonderful time. 

Everyone who came, that is. 

But what I saw after dinner gave me a long, sleepless night. The Muncie Masonic Temple is without question one of the most beautiful and majestic ever constructed for the fraternity. It was built largely by the gifts of the Ball family, creators of the Ball jar, and the patrons of Ball State University. The temple association sold the building in 1999, and today the first two floors are operated as a community center by the Cornerstone Center. The third floor remains home to two Masonic lodges, an OES chapter, and a Job's Daughter's Bethel. A new DeMolay Chapter is getting underway in the old Red Cross room, and the old Commandery asylum is there as well. 

But it is the two lodge rooms that literally take your breath away. The identically sized rooms are decorated with massive hand-painted murals depicting Old Testament scenes. The rooms are painted in a rich golden-ochre scheme, and are without the question the most beautiful I've ever seen anywhere in the world. 

The third floor of the Muncie Temple is one of the greatest treasures of Indiana Freemasonry, and few people even know about it. If the students of Ball State knew it, the college men would be lining up in droves to join. And if the Muncie Temple Association would start thinking like new members, perhaps they could see it with a fresh outlook and realize that this place must be saved at any cost. To let this majestic place simply wither and die from apathy, or worse, inaction and stubbornness, would be a disgrace. 

We don't have too many lodges. We have too many buildings. There are at least seven lodges in Delaware County. Instead of everyone paying to keep up five different buildings, why aren't they pooling their resources to preserve the best and most centrally located facility? As numbers decrease, we can no longer sustain a lodge building in every neighborhood. More important, this is a rare moment in time when the new public awareness of Freemasonry, a university town, a large group of young men and fate could all collide to protect and grow these downtown lodges. 

The is no reason why Muncie Freemasonry should not flourish with Ball State University right in its midst. One or two lodge officers can't do it alone. Their lodges need to act, and act fast.

LODGE VITRUVIAN

A small but enthusiastic group was on hand to pass our lodge's Entered Apprentice to the Fellow Craft degree tonight. My friend and brother Eric Schmitz was outstanding in his role of Senior Deacon and the giver of the Middle Chamber lecture. My sincere thanks to all of you for your efforts. Lodge was great, and dinner at Capri was even better. May heaven smile upon Arturo DiRosa and his fine establishment.

GRAND LODGE IS DEAD! LONG LIVE GRAND LODGE!


The Grand Lodge Annual Communication for 2006 has ended after two days, in a session that was mostly harmless. It's always great to see old friends every year, and attach names with faces after prolonged internet communication. Congratulations on the end of a successful, if painful, year for now Past Grand Master Dennis T. Herrell. He is certainly one of the kindest and gentlest men I have ever had the privilege of knowing.



Best wishes to the new Grand Master of Masons in Indiana, Most Worshipful Brother James Barkdull.

The biggest surprise I have had in recent memory came from Past Grand Commander of Knights Templar of Indiana Lawrence V. Kaminsky. I wrote, produced and narrated a video program for the Indiana Grand Commandery last winter, and it has apparently been very popular and well received, not just in Indiana, but around the country. Unfortunately, I was in Tennessee when the Grand Commandery was in session last month. So I was more than a little shocked and astonished that Larry stopped me at Grand Lodge yesterday and presented me with the Distinguished Service Medal of the Knights Templar. It is truly a great honor and privilege for me to receive this award, one I certainly do not feel qualified to have earned. I was, for once in my life, speechless.

INDIANAPOLIS MASTER'S AND WARDENS and a LESSON IN FREEDOM

I had the honor of addressing the Actual Masters & Wardens Association of Indianapolis last night at Prospect Lodge #715 on Indianapolis' south side. Prospect has a great facility, and what is believed to be one of the largest lodge rooms in the state. They also have the very unique collection of custom lodge furniture and appointments of Irvington Lodge #666, with whom they merged several years ago.

Thanks to the brethren and their wives who came out. It was a great turnout, and I thank everyone for their hospitality, especially Jack Cummings of Englewood #715 who presided over the meeting, Secretary Bill Pike who I've known for several years, and of course, Prospect's Master Frank Capler and Senior Warden Jim Gaither. Joe Smith and the OES ladies provided a terrific turkey dinner, and the members of Prospect Lodge have a wonderful Temple. They also have one of the most incredible lineups of upcoming programs I've seen in any lodge. Trips to Canada. Back and forth visits with English brethren. Bus excursions. And a steady slate of new candidates. A busy lodge is a popular lodge, and the Prospect Masons have figured that out.

After the meeting, I drove through downtown and stopped in at Murat Shrine where the NexGen club was having a party. This is a club within the Shrine in Indianapolis of men under 45 (with a couple of notable "Old Fart Emeriti" thrown in), but the party was open to all.

The most excited guy in the room was a Mason in his late sixties, maybe early seventies. He was an emigre from Transylvania, Romania in 1965, and a man who knew very well what it was like living under a strict Communist dictatorship. He told me the most curious thing. He had first heard about Freemasonry in Tolstoy's "War and Peace," and like Tolstoy's Pierre, he wanted very much to become a Mason. But Freemasonry was outlawed at that time in Romania.

When he came to America, the first thing he did was to join a lodge. Why?

Because it was a symbol for him of freedom.

Because Freemasonry can only exist in a free country.

We take so much for granted.

THANKS TO MY PENNSYLVANIA BRETHREN

Thanks to the Pennsylvania Freemason Magazine for the nice review of the book, along with a shot of my visit to Valley Lodge back in January.

DOCTOR MOM

My parents are very talented, special people, from whom I have inherited only a fraction of their abilities. My mother is a uniquely accomplished woman. She has raised six children from three marriages. She has traveled the world. She has done more to quietly help her community than anyone I personally know, and she is the embodiment of Matthew 6.1:

Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

She was rewarded yesterday by Indianapolis' Marian College with the degree of Master of Humane Letters, making her an honorary Ph.D. Which, of course, now makes her Doctor Mom. The commencement program read:

Norma Winkler is a community leader who has a long history of helping Marian College. Following the death of her husband, Elmer, who was president of Rock Island Refining Corporation and a Marian College trustee, she established the Elmer L. Winkler Scholarship Fund. She and her stepson, Michael, were instrumental in starting the first Indiana State Fair train. She has also been active in the Catholic Church and served on the boards of Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, St. Mary’s Child Center, and St. Luke Parish Council. She is a member of the Heartland Film Festival board of directors.

I don't know who wrote that blurb, but it barely scratches the surface. She does not sound her own trumpet.

Showing her further Knowledge of All Things, she even picked the winner of the Kentucky Derby.

It was a great day yesterday. For the first time in seven years, our entire family was reunited for the occasion.

Tennessee Masons

I am in Knoxville, Tennessee this week shooting commercials, and had a last minute chance to visit South Knoxville Lodge #769. Many thanks to the brethren and their fine hospitality, and especially to WM Monroe Marcum.

Grand Historian of Connecticut

Thanks to Gary A. Littlefield, R.W. Grand Historian of the Grand Lodge of Connecticut for the nice mention of Freemasons For Dummies in his April 2006 message.

DUMMIES IN PARIS

Philippe Benhamou and my cherubic self in Paris

Alice and I flew Franceward this week for research on a new book, and to meet with with French co-author of La Franc-Maconnerie Pour Les Nuls, Philippe Benhamou. Also joining us were Philalethes Society members Mike Segall and his charming wife Odette, Michel Singer, and Brother Z.


My thanks to all for a wonderful evening. Especially to Mike and Odette for recommending the great venue, Le Petit Chatelet, right across from Notre Dame Cathedral, and to Z for acting as chauffeur. Everyone has made this an especially memorable trip.

Between Brother Z's career, Mike and Odette's incredible lives, Michel's globe-trotting adventures, and Philippe's work in the French space program, I definitely felt like the resident, well, dummy.

The food was great, the conversation and company was even better.

Dummies In Minnesota

I continue to be be astonished and humbled at the incredible reception Freemasons For Dummies has received. This past week, I spent two days in Minneapolis, at the Grand Lodge of Minnesota's annual communication. The book and its Dummy have been awarded the Duane E. Anderson Award for Excellence In Masonic Education by the Masons of Minnesota.


I don't know where to begin with how honored I am to be given an educational award for a book with Dummies in the title. More important, the reception I was given was nothing short of astonishing. If there are any Minnesota Masons lurking here, thank you, truly, from the bottom of my heart.



Their Grand Secretary told me to prepare not one, but THREE presentations for Friday. I figured by the banquet Friday night, the rotten vegetables would be flying at me. But every session was a true delight.

I owe a tremendous and un-repayable amount of thanks to MWBro. Andy Rice, the immediate PGM, MWBro. Neil "Cinosam" Neddermeyer PGM (and his wife Julie), Ed "More Light" Halpaus, Grand Lodge Education Officer, MWBro. Terry Tilton PGM, Grand Secretary Doug Campbell, especially SGD Tom Hendricks, and way too many others to list here. But most especially the brethren of Minnesota. The Grand Lodge Masonic Book Program has delivered over 1000 copies to its members, and the Grand Lodge Book Store sold over 200 copies on Thursday and Friday alone.

You guys won't ever know how that makes me feel, and I can't put it into words.

Now, here's the really important bit.

If you noticed something about the above descriptions, you'll see something very different from most Masonic jurisdictions. The GLofM gives a local and national award for excellence in Masonic Education. Their Grand Lodge meeting has three sets of afternoon breakout sessions on a wide variety of educational topics. They have a Grand Lodge Education Officer, Ed Halpaus, who emails a monthly educational piece to thousands of Masons. Ditto for Neil Neddermeyer, their Grand Lodge Fraternal Relations Officer, whose job it is to visit EVERY SINGLE LODGE IN MINNESOTA over the course of the year. He sends out CINOSAM, a weekly educational and anecdotal newsletter to over 3000 Masons the world over. Minnesota has a regular book program. In short, the GLofM has made a huge, ongoing commitment to educating its members. Their website is loaded with rafts of educational programs for officers and members. They believe strongly in the regular, ongoing mission of keeping their Craft educated, engaged and informed.

That's a lesson we should all be stealing and claiming as our own.

By the way, they have been planning for months a high-profile reaction to the upcoming DaVinci Code movie, and are planning for the onslaught of interest in Freemasonry when Dan Brown's Solomon Key is released, probably around Christmas.

Are you? Are we?

La Franc-Maconnerie Pour Les Nuls

The French edition of Freemasons For Dummies, entitles La Franc-Maconnerie Pour Les Nuls has been available now for just over four weeks. I have spoken with the French Co_autohor, Philippe Benhamou, who tells me it has sold 6700 copies in the first month of publication!

Brother Benhamou is a member of a lodge in Versailles. As I mentioned in the book,the notion of Masonic recognition is a sticky one, especially in the US where such issues can be hotly debated. Philippe's lodge is under the jurisdiction of the Grande Loge de France, the 2nd largest Grand Lodge in the country. Unfortunately, all mainstream US Grand Lodges recognize the Grande Loge Nationale Française - which is smaller in terms of membership. The upshot of this seemingly arcane discussion is that I can not sit in the same lodge with the co-author of my own book.

And if that isn't madness, I don't know what is.