We have an exciting month of Masonic activity ahead in September.
At the first Stated Communication, we have important votes on the proposed By-laws and Standing Resolution changes that I circulated last month. Please contact me if you have any questions about the proposed changes. The first proposal is to move from two Stated Communications per month to one Stated Communication per month. The second proposal is intended to codify and clarify existing practice with the Past Masters' jewel which the Lodge traditionally purchases for its outgoing Master. The third proposal is intended to clarify the usual method of distribution of the Trestleboard while preserving the existing options for the manner in which Brethren receive it. Please join us in Lodge for the discussion and vote on these important issues.
We will also hear a paper on the symbolism of the Fellowcraft Degree written specifically for the Lodge by Ill. Jim Tresner, a noted Masonic author who reviews Masonic books for the Scottish Rite Journal. Ill. Tresner is now unfortunately unable to travel to Alexandria from his native Oklahoma to deliver the paper but we are privileged that he has composed it for us. We will then have the opportunity later that week to see a visiting Lodge confer the Master Mason Degree using Texas ritual in our Lodge room.
The weekend of Friday, September 26 will be Ladies Night 2008 and our Fraternal Visit from Liberty Lodge in Beverly, Massachusetts. Visitors will join us from William L. Elkins Lodge No. 271 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at Ladies Night. The plan is for the guests from Liberty Lodge to arrive and meet with hosts on Friday afternoon. We need hosts! Let me know if you are interested in hosting a Brother and his wife from Liberty Lodge. At 7:00pm on Friday, members and guests with tickets will board the vessel Nina's Dandy at its wharf in Old Town Alexandria, for a dinner cruise on the Potomac to Georgetown with a view of national monuments, three-course dinner, cocktails, and dancing. The cost per person for members of our Lodge is $89.00. Tickets are available via PayPal on the Lodge website or by contacting the Worshipful Master.
On Saturday morning, September 27, we plan to conduct a cornerstone laying ceremony at Brother Michael Pocalyko's estate home under construction in the mountains, named Hamatreya, in the Shenandoah Valley on the Blue Ridge, near Skyline Drive, about an hour by car from Northern Virginia. Directions to the mountain location are available from the Worshipful Master.
Please join us for these enjoyable and enlightening activities in September!
Sincerely and Fraternally,
Douglas H. Wood
Worshipful Master
| Day | Time | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| Sun 09/07/2008 | 7:00 pm | LODGE RITUAL SCHOOL Practice for Master Mason Degree |
| Tue 09/09/2008 | 7:00 pm | CALLED COMMUNICATION: Work in the Degrees |
| Thu 09/11/2008 | 7:30 pm | STATED COMMUNICATION: Program: Paper by Ill. Jim Tresner on the Symbolism of the Fellowcraft Degree Vote: Proposed By-laws and Standing Resolution Changes |
| Sat 09/13/2008 | 9:00 am | FRATERNAL VISIT FROM: Plano Lodge No. 768, Plano, Texas; including their conferral of the Master Mason Degree using Texas ritual (under Dispensation from the G.L. of Virginia and the G.L. of Texas) |
| Sat 09/20/2008 | 1:00 pm | DISTRICT 1A PICNIC: Fort Ward Park, West Braddock Road, Alexandria |
| Thu 09/25/2008 | 7:30 pm | STATED COMMUNICATION: Wardens' Night 2008 |
| Fri 09/26/2008 | 7:00 pm | LADIES NIGHT 2008 AND LIBERTY LODGE VISIT: Dinner Cruise on the Potomac with Brethren and Ladies of William L. Elkins Lodge No. 271 and Liberty Lodge |
| Sat 09/27/2008 | 10:30 am | CORNERSTONE LAYING: Hamatreya Estate of Bro. Michael Pocalyko, Page County, Shenandoah Valley (Dispensation request pending) |
| Sat 09/27/2008 | 4:00 pm | CALLED COMMUNICATION: Work in the Degrees, with assistance from Liberty Lodge |
STATED COMMUNICATIONS - The Stated Communications of this Lodge shall be held at the George Washington Masonic Memorial (GWMM), Alexandria, Virginia on the second and fourth Thursday of each month except the fourth Thursdays of November and December and for the additional Stated Communications for the observance of George Washington's birthday, June 24th for Saint John the Baptist Day and December 27th for the Installation of Officers.
CALLED COMMUNICATIONS - Usually on Mondays or Tuesdays as announced herein.
LODGE RITUAL SCHOOL - Will always occur the Sunday before a Monday or Tuesday Called Communication Degree at 7:00 PM, unless otherwise stated. Additional ritual schools will be announced herein as necessary.
YOUTH MEETINGS AT GWMNM - Alexandria-Washington Chapter, International Order of DeMolay, meets the first and third Sundays at 2:00 pm in the North Lodge Room. Bethel No. 22, International Order Jobs Daughters, meets the first and third Sundays at 6:00 pm in the North Lodge Room.