Hello Brothers. Thanks to all the Brothers and Ladies who helped to plan, and participated in, the annual sweethearts dinner at the Lexington restaurant. We all enjoyed wonderful food and wine, fantastic music and dancing, and the best conversation and fellowship anywhere. What a wonderful evening. I'm sure we can all look forward to more of the same next year.
We will all want to greet and welcome our new Masonic Brothers, who will be initiated into our lodge on Thursday night, March 22. Hopefully we will all meet together the following Thursday night March 29th for our joint table lodge with Macalister and Montgomery Lodges. Remember, this is a Partners for Life Charity Gathering. All proceeds will go to the Masonic Oncology Pavilion for the University of Minnesota Cancer Hospital. Please call the lodge office at 651-222-2643 and let us know you are planning to attend, so we will have enough food prepared. A minimum donation of $15.00 is requested however, Brothers are encouraged to, "give as liberally…as you can do without inconvenience to yourself."
The next special event we are planning is the April stated meeting, which will be held at the James J. Hill house. This will be a first for both them and us. We will move our charter to the Hill house and open a tiled lodge at 7pm Thursday April 12th our regular stated meeting night. There will be no dinner provided on this evening, so all Brothers should eat dinner before coming to lodge. We will hold an abbreviated lodge meeting, hear a presentation from our LEO about James Hill's Masonic activities, and then close lodge and take guided tours of the house and hear about its history. It is my hope that this will become an annual event and will begin an ongoing relationship between Ancient Landmark Lodge and the JJ Hill house. All Brothers should arrive at the Hill house between 6:15 and 6:45pm. Lodge will open promptly at 7pm. The JJ Hill house is located at 240 Summit Avenue, 1/2 block West of the Cathedral, just off Kellogg Blvd.
I look forward to seeing you all at our coming Masonic events.
Todd Henderson, Master
Throughout this months newsletter you will find pictures of the 2007 Sweethearts Dinner held at The Lexington.
by Doug Kuchera
Many of you are aware of my involvement this year with the St Paul Winter Carnival as the Prince of the Southwind, Notos. My duties in the legend grant the powers to bring the warmth of spring and summer to Minnesota with the help of the mighty Vulcans.
The rewards have been immense. We visited over 70 nursing homes and schools, with over 100 appearances overall during Carnival week. Unfortunately our beloved Masonic home was set aside because of it geographic location . I have been promised by the Royal Family that a visit will occur yet some time this year.
There is such joy when going into any of these nursing homes. The gray almost lifeless eyes light up and sparkle when you enter the room. Everyone wants to touch you and talk to you. There are tears in some eyes as they remember their own youth. The gratitude we receive for being there is truly immeasurable.
The ladies of our lodge were treated to VIP (heated seats) for the Grand Day parade. I had heard a rumor that they had a fantastic time and collected a very large display of beads. (OK, they had a screaming blast of a time). I had tried to setup a meeting with brothers from our sister Lodge while I was in Winnipeg for the Festival of the Voyager. Unfortunately my schedule did permit, but I hope to return next year and will have more time to do so.
Masonicaly, it has been a great adventure. I always wore my Masonic pin and ring. People asked me about it all the time, Many Brethren came forward and identified themselves, it gave me the ability to tell that the Masonic Lodge is strong, well and live. I have had an opportunity to invite many to come join us and sit in lodge at Landmark. It is interesting how many in Carnival are Brothers or Sisters. My Royal Guard is a young gal who was a Jobs Daughter in her youth. The spouse of the Captain of the guard took his degree work on the one day in January. I had suggested to one of the spouses of a cast member that he become a Mason, he grabbed my hand in fellowship and laughed, he's a member of Prentice Hall, I hope to have him as a guest in the near future.
In closing, one of the nursing homes we visited, was where my Aunt and Uncle live. They were there for our program and we made them part of the allegiance to the Red of the South Wind. What was more touching though, was when my Uncle Joe grabbed my hand and looked at my Masonic ring, he nodded in approval and smiled (Joe and my Father did their degree work together in the early 50's at Montgomery Lodge).
Ole'
Notos 07
Doug Kuchera
One of my favorite presidents, Teddy Roosevelt, said, "We have to, as a nation, exercise foresight ... and if we do not exercise that foresight, dark will be the future." I have been thinking about this often applying this to what is happening to our building (Masonic Temple Association or MTA) as well as Masonry as an institution. Its no secret the trend of membership and revenues in Masonry is downward.
Teddy's quote resonates with me but unfortunately we are consumed with the here and now. Are we far to busy to think about what comes ahead?
Are we so busy that we barely have enough time to get our day to day chores accomplished that we don't have time to plan and implement for the future?
Are we focusing too much on meeting expenses and quarterly earnings this month, just trying to get by?
Can we only focus on getting our next paycheck, so to speak?
I wonder what kind of plan could be developed that would reverse this downward trend. How can we increase revenues? How can we increase members? What needs to happen and who has the resources to make it happen? Does anyone even care? If we continue to do what we have always done, will we keep getting what we have always got?
What are the 3 best benefits you receive from masonry? Lets start with what our membership desires and build from there. Please call or email me.
It is vital for our organization to understand the big picture, to learn from the past and from others, and to prepare for the future. We need to understand the foundation of Masonry and develop from there.
Alan Peterson, Senior Warden
651-248-9926
by James W. McKenna
Fate's normally nimble fingers slipped
and I in my hasty journey tripped,
Like an actor in a Broadway play
whose never read the Playwright's script.
An actor in an awkward role
a mogul with a pauper's soul;
I am no different than the rest:
a blind man with a begging bowl.
The audience must really crave
an actor? No, a puppet slave!
To flip and flop from scene to scene
and end the play within a grave.
Of all things known, it's this I know:
it's Fate directs our little show,
For when she bids "Begin," we start
and when she cries "Move on!" we go.
And perform we must till then, at last
our names are stricken from the cast;
Till all that remains is a barren stage
and the memories, which our acts amassed.
But, what is an actor more or less
to the assurance of the play's success?
Think: were we each to lose our role,
would the play go on? The answer's yes!
Yes, other players She shall fling
upon the stage to act and sing;
They too shall stumble through their lines
while death waits mutely in the wing.
On and on it will endure
till she brings down that curtain-door,
And once brought down, will surely rise
on actors such as we no more!
W.B. Ricks Martin Bowles is a close personal friend whom I later discovered to be a brother. It was my high regard for him as a friend that led me, upon seeing a Masonic sign on his new car, to ask about the craft and thus began my quest for Masonic light.
Ricks comes from a family of masons going back several generations in his home state, Tennessee. He tells a story of his father's first introduction to the mysteries of the Craft. While sitting on the porch of a Judge who was like a father to Ricks' father a stranger rode up on horseback and said something unintelligible. The answer given by the Judge was also unintelligible then he asked Ricks' father to go stable the stranger's horse as he would be spending the night. Ricks' father warned him not to let this complete stranger into the house to which the man replied he's no stranger he's my brother. Rick's father said that from that day he wanted to become a part of a brotherhood that exhibited that kind of trust and friendship.
My first years in the Lodge and Scottish Rite were warmed by the constant presence of my Friend and Mentor Ricks Bowles. As time went on I discovered many other friends and mentors but Ricks wielded the trowel that first cemented me to the order and the hope of spending time in his presence got me out to lodge on many occasions when I might have decided to do other things with my time.
There are two reasons for my telling you this story. First I now for the first time realize that more of you have never met Ricks than those who knew him. Second I want to acknowledge my indebtedness to him as a means of illustrating the impact of a true mentor and friend.
We will be initiating a very large class of new brothers this spring and their Masonic quest will be largely influenced by the bonds forged with their mentors. The only one I know who profits as much as our lodge from Ricks mentorship is Ricks himself. Don't allow other opportunities to rob you of the joy of forming a special friendship with these new brothers. I am convinced that the main reason that new Masons fail to become active is a failure to form close ties to brothers who are active in the Lodge. If you become a true Mentor you will gain more than you give, and what you give will continue to abound with joy in this Lodge long after we all are gone. As Ricks would say, "It makes you feel so good you want to take back stuff you ain't stole yet".
Lodge LEO, Austin Harris
Sisters and Brothers, please keep all of YOUR Sisters and Brothers in Your Prayers. At the time of this writing, in early March, I know of several that are under the weather, undergoing tests, going to have surgery, etc., we also have two of our members' sons that will be deployed to Iraq before this news letter comes out.
How fast this last year has gone, it's almost time for a new core of officers to take over in less than a month.
We had two very special events happen this year. One was all the very special Sisters and Brothers that visited our afternoon meeting in November from Scotland.
The other was the Official Visit (OV) of the Worthy Grand Matron (WGM), Sister Barb Nordaune and Worthy Grand Patron (WGP) Brother Jim Foster on February 1st. The theme of the evening was the Winter Carnival. The Sisters and Brothers wore earmuffs, mittens, scarves, and afghans to keep warm, like at the parade.. We had a chili dinner at 5:30 PM and a Star medallion hunt before the meeting. The highlight of the evening was when Brother Al, Worthy Patron (WP) and I Crowned Sister Barb and Brother Jim Grand Chapter Queen and King, along with some other fun things, and an organ and piano duet, by Sister Helen Johnson, Associate Grand Matron (AGM) and Brother Glen Carlson, Past Grand Patron (PGP).
May the Lord keep us all safe, until we see each other soon.
Kathy Parent
Worthy Matron (WM)
P.S. Please check with Bonnie Benson as to the date and time for the 2007 - 2008 Installation of Officers, I think it's March 31st at 1 PM.
Carmel Chapter # 127 Order of the Eastern Star (0.E.S.)
Meetings 1st &- 3rd Thursday of the month
Meeting time: 7 PM 200 East Plato
You may have noticed this month's newsletter has a new look. That's because our Junior Steward, Kyle Smeby, is taking over production of the newsletter, and ultimately maintenance of the Ancient Landmark website. Kyle assumes these responsibilities from Worshipful Brother Bruce Sherman, who started both of these projects four years ago, in cooperation with Worshipful Brother Loren Davis, in the last days of 2003.
I don't think anyone can dispute the tremendous benefit these initiatives have provided to the lodge. The website was the first point of contact with our lodge for many of our newer brothers, and the newsletter has kept many that aren't able to come to lodge informed and involved.
If communication is the life's blood of any organization, which I believe it is, the newsletter and the website have given Ancient Landmark Lodge No. 5 a tremendous shot in the arm. Brother Kyle hopes that he can continue these traditions and expand on them, while WB Bruce continues to serve our lodge as its secretary, and Minnesota Masonry as Master of Educational Lodge No.1002, the Grand Lodge of Minnesota as Grand Chaplain, and the St. Paul Valley Scottish Rite as its executive secretary. Through his hard work, WB Bruce is exemplifying the beehive in the Landmark Lodge emblem, and brother Kyle says he is honored to be able to take some of that burden off his shoulders, as WB Sherman continues to dedicate himself to our Masonic ideals.
Thanks to both of you for your service to our Lodge and to Masonry.
Todd Henderson, Master.
