For hundreds of years, sharing meals with brothers has been a treasured Masonic tradition. In the newest issue of California Freemason, we delve deeply into this practice – from the beginning of the fraternity to today’s traditions. Join us for a trip around the world from Masonic tables to toasts and beyond!
By Brian P. Bezner
This article is the first installment of an informational series by the Masonic Education Committee.
As Masons, we have made the choice to join a group of like-minded individuals to assist in our personal growth and improvement. Many of us have chosen to become leaders within this fraternity, as we find this aspect of the craft to be fulfilling. When stepping into a leadership role within an organization, certain clichés may come to mind. For example, “you only get out of it what you put into it” or “with great status comes great responsibility.” Although phrases like these may seem ominous, if viewed as a foundation for guidance – the base for your further growth as a leader – they can become beacons and help ground your actions. The first and most important care of a leader, however, is often the most difficult: humility.
We are given several tools within our ritual as a way to guide our thoughts and our actions. Furthermore, we come to the craft with set of principles and beliefs that we have honed over years of observance and reflection. Together, these resources better our approach toward all mankind. In order to practice humility, we must be comfortable sharing the glory of achievements. Though this may seem difficult when we are lauded for leading a group of people, it is important to remember that glory resides within the leader as well as those being led; it is a power greater than oneself.
Leadership can be a noble act and can allow for others to feel a sense of relief that the brunt of responsibility lies within someone else. It can also be a less than noble act if the leader is consumed with the selfish notion to assume all credit. The primary focus of a leader is to understand the people that are part of the collaborative team and the audience to which a final product will be given. Leadership takes on several roles throughout the process – speaker, listener, counselor, collaborator, observer, etc.
Our installation ritual offers the foundation that begins with our tiler and works its way to the Worshipful Master. When a brother is installed as the tiler, he is given the charge that the sword is the implement of his office as a guard at the door. More importantly, it is given as a guard against our thoughts and a watch over our lips. As leaders within this organization, we are to be guided by the simplest of charges so that our thoughts and acts not only reflect favorably upon us, but upon our noble institution. The actions and words of a leader can be enlightening or detrimental; they can build-up as well as tear down. Let us be mindful of all that our tiler is to teach us through his quiet, deliberate actions.
As a senior DeMolay, I had the opportunity to serve as master councilor of my DeMolay chapter. When the master councilor is installed, he is given several charges on how to lead within the chapter and within the organization for the time he serves. The most important of these is, “As you have risen from the ranks for a brief period of time, so to the ranks you shall return.” As a young man, it is even harder to be humble and to not allow arrogance seep into our actions. However, the lesson is there for all to hear, especially the newly installed master councilor.
Humility is the first and most important care of leadership, as it makes the foundational clichés applicable in your performance as a leader. It is grounding to help us become more mindful of the words we select and the actions we are willing to pursue. Furthermore, it guides us to the most important realm of growth – self-reflection, which is intended to be humbling in nature. As a leader within this, and any organization, our approach should be ever mindful of our beginnings, our journey, and our desired end.
Brian P. Bezner is an inspector, Masonic Education Committee chairman, and past master of Rosemead Lodge No. 457.
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A priority of the 2020 Fraternity Plan is to make a positive impact on society. When public schools get the support they need, that impact is made not only in classrooms, but in the future of each student.
Here are some ways you and your lodge can make a difference.
Donate to the California Masonic Foundation
Adopt a school
Volunteer
Contests and awards
Connect with the public
Keep brothers in the loop
Share this story with your lodge! All freemason.org articles may be repurposed by any Masonic publication with credit to the Grand Lodge of California. Print this article and post it at lodge; include it in your Trestleboard or website; email it to members; or use the buttons at the top of this page to share it on Facebook or Twitter.
Throughout our state, young men and women turn to DeMolay, Job’s Daughters, and Rainbow for Girls for a unique environment of brotherhood and sisterhood. There, they transform from timid youths into confident leaders. They learn respect, patriotism, tolerance, and reverence. They form friendships that last a lifetime.
To recognize our Masonic youth and to encourage members to strengthen relationships with youth order members, Grand Master Heisner has declared March 2017 to be Youth Orders Month in California. Read the proclamation.
Here are some ideas for supporting Masonic youth near you:
Adult leadership
Financial support
Lodge events
Youth order events
Shared events
Trestleboard and website
Remember: For the young members of DeMolay, Job’s Daughters, and Rainbow Girls, Masonic youth orders are a safe space, a social network, and a source of support and inspiration. Imagine the difference you can make by getting involved.
Share this story with your lodge! All freemason.org articles may be repurposed by any Masonic publication with credit to the Grand Lodge of California. Print this article and post it at lodge; include it in your Trestleboard or website; email it to members; or use the buttons at the top of this page to share it on Facebook or Twitter.
At Acacia Creek’s founding, its board members set out to create a different kind of retirement community: One that would unite Masons and non-Masons alike in a shared culture of respect, community, and enthusiasm for life. One where the desire to “age successfully” — to establish continued growth and learning as an integral part of the aging process — would be a distinguishing factor.
Now, six years young, Union City, California’s best-kept secret is out. The nonprofit continuing care retirement community (CCRC) has achieved an unprecedented victory: Masterpiece Living designated Acacia Creek as a “Certified Center for Successful Aging.”
This prestigious distinction, which has only been awarded to 16 other CCRCs in the United States, recognizes “organizations that have set themselves apart from all others by implementing the best successful aging practices that promote resilience and benefit both members and team members.”
The criteria is partially based on qualifications determined in a landmark 10-year study by the MacArthur Foundation, which revealed that a majority of physical and mental again is determined by lifestyle. Acacia Creek’s application was unique in that it not only met but exceeded Masterpiece Living’s gold-caliber standards. Very few communities have ever scored above 90 on the evaluation; Acacia Creek’s score was 95, the highest to date.
“This achievement reflects the vitality and engagement that is the culture of Acacia Creek,” says Acacia Creek President Chuck Major. “It is the result of the partnership between residents and team members in creating a community where all residents age happily and successfully.”
Learn more about Acacia Creek’s culture of community and successful aging at acaciacreek.org.
Photo (from left): Acacia Creek Retirement Counselor Martha Crawford, Resident Donna Baird, Successful Aging Coach Penny Vittoria, with Masterpiece Living Partnership Specialist Cere Reine Meintzer
In addition to the symbolism attached to architectural tools, Freemasonry is built upon stories and legends. And, no story is more intriguing than the one about the “traveling man” – the stonemason who traveled from work site to work site in search of a job. We have little direct evidence of how traveling stonemasons did this, but it remains an important part of the lore of Freemasonry.
According to our traditional history, when a building was completed, and stonemasons were released from their duties, they would scatter in different directions looking for work. Upon their arrival at a new work site, the master stonemason in charge would test them to determine if they were really who they claimed to be. One test asked them to recite part of the legendary history of the craft – the Old Charges. Another required them to give the proper passwords and grips. The final test was to ask them for the “mason word.” The mysterious “mason word” was proof that they were, indeed, members of the guild of stonemasons, for it was the most carefully guarded of all the secrets. It was so secret that it was only given in a way and a manner known to fellow masons, and then only in a whisper – “mouth to ear.”
Contemporary Masonic historians have searched for evidence of this colorful story in the old records of the craft, but have come up empty handed. Perhaps these “traveling masons” were so careful with their means of proving who they really were that no evidence has survived to prove the accuracy of this old story. Or, perhaps the evidence has been under our noses all the time, but we have not been looking in the right place.
The “right place” to look may not have been in England, Scotland, or Ireland – the homeland of speculative Freemasonry as we know it – but in France. France has preserved an organization similar to Freemasonry called the “Compagnonnage.” The French title of those who belong to it is “Compagnons du Tour de France.” Today the “Tour de France” is a famous bicycle race, but the race was named for a much older institution, a “Tour de France” associated with stonemasons in the Middle Ages. When a journeyman stonemason (a fellow of the craft, as we would call him) wanted to become a master stonemason, he would leave home and go “on tour.” The tour – the “Tour de France” – would take him to many towns around the country where he would work for different master stonemasons to prove his skill. It was as if he were having his “card punched” by other skilled workmen, who would certify that he, indeed, proved his worth to achieve the rank of “master stonemason.”
On September 16, 2016, the fraternity celebrated the institution of Regius University, U.D. in Fresno. This was followed by the institution of Benicia’s Carquinez Lodge, U.D., on September 23, and that of The Downtown Masonic Lodge, U.D. in Los Angeles on September 30. Between 75 and 100 brothers attended each celebration.
It’s the beginning of an unprecedented expansion for the Grand Lodge of California. For the first time since 1958, eight new lodges will be created in a single year. According to Director of Member Services and Lodge Development Jordan T. Yelinek, this change is the beginning of a statewide effort – one that seeks to help members create and enjoy an even more meaningful Masonic experience.
“People are often afraid that if a new lodge forms, existing lodges will lose members. But the reality is that although the average size of a lodge in North America is around 170 members, the attendance is roughly 30 members or less. As lodges expand, it becomes difficult for leaders to provide sufficient ‘meaningful work’ for large groups of members, and it can be difficult for everyone to feel as though they have a true connection with their brothers in the lodge. Most lodges don’t have 100 plus active members.”
This is where, explains Yelinek, new lodges come in. “If a lodge isn’t filling someone’s membership experience, they can, in essence, create their own member experience by developing a new lodge. This doesn’t mean that the original lodge is ‘broken’ – or subpar – but that some people might have different expectations for their membership. We want to create a system whereby lodges can operate separately but lean on each other to share strengths and fellowship opportunities for mutually beneficial events and celebrations.”
Part of this “leaning in,” Yelinek explains, is the ability to share spaces. That’s what’s taking place in Benicia, where the newly instituted Carquinez Lodge, U.D. will share a lodge hall with Benicia Lodge, which is scheduled to be instituted on October 20. Both lodges will meet in the historic Benicia Lodge. Built in 1850, it is the oldest Masonic Hall in California and one of the state’s oldest buildings. In advance of the two institutions, it was completely remodeled with refinished floors, new furniture, display cases with interesting artifacts, and more. “We didn’t build our lodges as mausoleums,” says Yelinek. Combining multiple lodges in one building helps ensure that they are full of life.”
Interested in attending an institution near you? Upcoming ceremonies include:
• Benicia Lodge – Thursday, Oct. 20 in Benicia
• Aquila Lodge – Sunday, Oct. 23, Roseville
• Sempervirens Lodge and Logos Lodge – Monday, Oct. 24 – San Francisco
To learn more about creating a new lodge, contact Jordan Yelinek. Read more about new lodge development throughout California in the August/September issue of California Freemason.
All freemason.org articles may be repurposed by any Masonic publication with credit to the Grand Lodge of California. Print this article and post it at lodge; include it in your Trestleboard or website; email it to members; or use the buttons at the top of this page to share it on Facebook or Twitter.
Since the beginning, Freemasonry has captured the minds and hearts of some of the most imaginative men of each generation. Though far removed from the stonemasons who envisioned and built Europe’s grand cathedrals, the desire to create something new, beautiful, and impactful carries through to present day. In this issue of California Freemason, Mark Frauenfelder – research director at the Institute for the Future and founding editor-and-chief of MAKE magazine – interviews contemporary Masonic artisans and visionaries to delve into their drive for creativity and innovation.
FROM ROUGH CUT TO PERFECTION
Modern Masonic woodcarvers reveal what inspires their creative drive and the parallels they’ve found between their art and fraternity.
MEMBER PROFILE: AN ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT
One brother has led an inspiring life, from the Covina Children’s Home to a successful career in business and impactful philanthropic endeavors.
DWELLING TOGETHER IN UNITY
Throughout California, brothers are thinking creatively to reimagine what it means to be a lodge – and what they’re looking for when they don their aprons.
CREATIVE SPIRIT IN ONE SNAPSHOT
Masonic youth share their creative passions in our first-ever Instagram contest.
MASONIC EDUCATION: WISDOM, STRENGTH, AND BEAUTY
Past Grand Master John L. Cooper III explains why our stonemason ancestors believed that beauty was an integral component of “all great and important undertakings.”
BEYOND THE DRAWING BOARD
When the Masonic Homes set out to improve resident memory care, it was with collaboration, foresight, and imagination.
MASTER OF EFFECTS
From cult-classic films to television and commercials, one brother is using his creative talent in Hollywood – armed with the lessons of the craft.
UPDATED DIGITAL EDITION: The online version of California Freemason has just been revamped to make your digital reading experience even better. Check out our enhanced interface with additional photos, expanded interviews, and more!
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