Knights Templar floor work

Temple Commandery Number 4 in Des Moines, Iowa has the privilege of opening the One Hundred Forty-Eighth Annual Conclave of the Grand Commandery Knights Templar of Iowa next weekend. Iowa's Right Eminent Grand Commander, Sir Knight Rusty Hill,  is a member of Temple Commandery so we have the honor of opening the Conclave. As a new Sir Knight, I volunteered to assist with the opening, in part because I thought it would be an opportunity to learn more of the ritual and get to know the guys in my Commandery.

I've had a lot of fun learning the ritual and especially the floor work. The verbal part of the ritual isn't too difficult and the floor work is unique since we use swords throughout. So far, I haven't nicked anyone with the sword, but stay tuned- our practices are not done yet!

A busy Masonic weekend in Des Moines

How does one get to meet both the Governor of the State of Iowa and the Right Honourable Lord Mayor of York in the same weekend? Freemasons in Central Iowa know the answer to that question!

 This weekend the Iowa York Rite College #37 held its annual assembly in Des Moines at which officers were elected, seven new members welcomed, and the Lord Mayor of York made an appearance as part of the cast in the Order of the Knight of York. I was one of the seven new members of the College and I found the degree to be historically exciting and the lectures to be among the most memorable I’ve heard. The cast of the degree included Grand Governor George Harrison, Deputy Grand Governor David Dryer, members of the Lewis and Clark College #199, and York Rite members from around the state of Iowa. After dinner, Iowa Research Lodge #2 met with more than a dozen Iowa Masons joining as new members. More on this event later.

 In addition to Saturday’s festivities, on Friday Iowa Freemasons welcomed Governor of the State of Iowa Terry Branstad as a member of the Des Moines Scottish Rite. Governor Branstad, State Representative Jeff Kaufman, and State Representative Tom Sands joined the Des Moines Consistory in a ceremony attended by United States Senator Charles Grassley, Gary Sissel S.G.I.G., and a large number of Scottish Rite members. The Des Moines Consistory blog as well as  Bailey’s Buddy has more about this event.
(Photo from City of York Public Libraries, http://library.york.gov.uk/uhtbin/cgisirsi/8bQrKeH5JC/YORKIMAGES/194843551/2/8)

Knock, knock, knock

White bronze tombstones were quite popular around the turn of the twentieth century. These stones were actually sand cast zinc, not bronze, but the white bronze label stuck. The “stones” are hollow and easily identified, either by color or by simply knocking on them: you’ll hear a metallic, hollow sound.

Most of these markers have a plate which can be removed with a screwdriver to reveal their hollow interior; there are anecdotal reports that bootleggers used these hollow markers as a drop. The customer would leave cash inside the stone and the bootlegger would visit, in the middle of the night of course, and leave the booze.

I ran across a white bronze tombstone in the Polk City Cemetery. The tombstone marks the grave of G.E. Merrill, a Past Master of Operative Lodge #308 in Polk City. I didn’t check inside, but I did knock, more than once.

Living History Farm's Dr. Armstrong: Freemason from Polk City

Dr. George Armstrong was one of Polk City’s earliest doctors and also a Freemason. Dr. Armstrong traveled to Iowa from Ohio beginning his Polk City practice in 1857. He owned property at the corner of Broadway and Summer street; current residents believe his office was located there. In 1979, Dr. Armstrong’s office was donated to Living History Farms. The office is located on the main street of Walnut Hill, the recreated town at Living History farms. Dr. Armstrong is buried in Polk City Cemetery.
(Currie, Roxana. Polk City's Early History Before 1900. Iowa City: Camp Pope Publishing, 2000.)

Master Craftsman II is DONE!

(photo courtesy of Scottish Rite)

Master Craftsman II is done! I received an email this past week from the Scottish Rite that my final Master Craftsman II quiz has been scored. It’s been a long but enjoyable process of reading, writing, and researching. Throughout the course, I used the Scottish Rite Ritual Monitor & Guide as well as A Bridge to Light. In addition, I spent quite a bit of time reading Morals & Dogma. My paperback copy of Hutchens’ Bridge to Light is showing considerable wear and De Hoyos’ hardcover Monitor & Guide actually looks like its been read: I can guarantee that it has! Morals & Dogma, which probably should show the most wear, is on my iPad!

I started the course over a year ago. After receiving the first quiz, I set the program materials aside for about six months. Other activities took precedence and a few weeks of delay turned into a few months. What finally motivated me was the Des Moines Scottish Rite’s one-day summer reunion last year. After this slow start, I made good progress:
- on average, it took 10.5 days to complete each quiz
- quiz 5 (15° - 18°) took the longest at 29 days
- quiz 2 (6°- 8°) took the least time at 2 days
- the Scottish Rite averaged 4 days turnaround time in scoring each quiz
(These numbers do not include my delay at the beginning of the course)

I was impressed with the staff at the Scottish Rite in D.C. They scored my quizzes and put the next one in the mail within a day or two. The only time there was a significantly longer delay was over Christmas. As a classroom teacher responsible for grading tests and essays of over 160 students, I was impressed with their turnaround time!

Next!

Lodge night- Three petitions!

Operative Lodge #308 held its stated meeting for February last night. Sixteen brothers attended including a visitor from Golden Fleece Lodge #89 in Litchfield, MN, just sixty miles west of Minneapolis. Our meeting featured an educational presentation by Byan Bever on the history of the American flag. In addition, initial plans were made for Operative Lodge’s annual Barbeque on September 29.

The highlight of our meeting, at least to me, was the reading of THREE petitions for membership in our Lodge! Three men from the community have petitioned for membership and none of the brothers at last night’s meeting could recall when we have last had that many petitions at the same time, if ever! Our traditions require men to petition for membership into Freemasonry; membership is not solicited. After the petition has been read in open Lodge, no action may be taken for thirty days. Then, a vote of the membership determines whether or not the petitioner is invited to become a candidate. If the candidate is accepted, he is scheduled to receive his First degree: the Entered Apprentice.

Operative Lodge #308 currently has one man who just completed his Entered Apprentice degree and is waiting for his Fellow Craft degree. It’s exciting to be a part of a Lodge with four men in the process of joining all at the same time! If you live in the central Iowa area and are interested in becoming a Freemason, checkout some of the links on the right side of this page or read some of the older posts on this blog to learn more. Remember, you must ask to join; no one will ask you.

Masonic Education Conference- Saturday

Grand Master Jerry Levay welcomed over one hundred participants to the Grand Lodge of Iowa’s 2012 Education Conference on Saturday, Feb. 11. After prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, conference attendees heard presentations from Cliff Porter, Chad Simpson, Ryan Broderson, and Jons Olsson.

Cliff Porter, a founding member of Enlightenment Lodge #198 in Colorado Springs, spoke on the topic of the psychology of Freemasonry. He applied his experience as a homicide detective in an interesting and entertaining presentation on Freemasonry, ritual, the ancient mysteries, and even birth order. After the conference, Brother Cliff graciously autographed copies of his book The Secret Psychology of Freemasonry.

Chad Simpson spoke on the symbolism of the Third Degree. Chad is a former recipient of a Grand Lodge of Iowa college scholarship and he mentioned the impact the award had on his journey in becoming a Freemason.

Ryan Broderson drew the tough slot of speaking immediately after lunch. Woody’s Smokeshack provided the meal and it was delicious and filling. Ryan’s presentation on the meaning of King Solomon’s temple held the well-fed audience’s interest, even in a warm room. Maybe his experience as a high school debater helped!

Jons Olsson ended the day with a rousing talk on Freemasonry and the Civil War. Jons humorous stories provided a perfect end to an educational, enlightening day of speakers.


Pictures from the Grand Lodge of Iowa's Masonic Education Conference on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012:

Masonic Education Conference- Friday night

Cliff Porter, founding member of Enlightenment Lodge #198 in Colorado Springs, CO, spoke after dinner Friday at the Cedar Rapids Scottish Rite Temple to kick off the 2012 Grand Lodge of Iowa Masonic Education Conference. Brother Porter's talk focused on how we can make Lodge a more fulfilling experience, and unlike some of the articles I have read on this topic, he went beyond replacing electric lights with candles.

I was fortunate enough to kick off the conference Friday morning with several hours in the Iowa Masonic Library researching my new paper, an analysis of the Door Lecture. While there, I learned from Bill Kreuger, Assistant Librarian, that the digitizing of the Index Rerum is over halfway complete. Index Rerum is a one-of-a-kind Masonic resource: it is a handmade index of Masonic Periodical articles stretching back over 150 years. The Library is entering each of the 400,000 plus records into a database to be digitized and made available to anyone on-line.

The conference continues tomorrow.

On the road to Cedar Rapids

The Grand Lodge of Iowa A.F.&A.M. Conference on Masonic Education begins today and I will be on the road early this morning to CR. I plan to spend some time today in the greatest Masonic Library in the world before the conference opens with dinner this evening.

My new research project is the Door Lecture from the Entered Apprentice degree. I delivered my first Door Lecture as Senior Deacon last month and it seems like a fitting subject for a project. Why is the Door Lecture considered one of the most important lectures in all three degrees? What does it teach us about Freemasonry?

Check back later today for photos and an update.

Snowfall in Polk City, Iowa Feb.4

Polk City is in the NW area of Polk county right about where the heavier snowfall amount is indicated on the NWS graphic.

Table Chapter

I spent part of this past snowy Saturday at my first Chapter school and Iowa’s first known Table Chapter. The purpose of the school was to provide instruction in the Mark Master, Past Master, Most Excellent Master, and the Royal Arch Degrees. As a new Royal Arch Mason of less than three months, I need all the instruction I can get.

Corinthian Chapter 14 and Ascalon Chapter 139 sponsored the Chapter school and arranged for the Table Chapter afterwards at Christopher’s Restaurant. I had never been to a Table Chapter before so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it turns out that no one else had been to one of these before either. Kurt Hoffman and Matt Risberg, the High Priests of Corinthian and Ascalon respectively, jointly planned the event complete with a ritual opening, closing, and seven traditional toasts. The ritual was fascinating and the toasts were inspiring, but the first order of business was introducing distinguished visitors, of course. That is something I have seen before. Actually, I think distinguished visitors were introduced at my initiation as an Entered Apprentice. Regardless, I had a great time at the school and Table Chapter. Kurt and Matt did a fine job organizing the event and I plan to attend more. Even if there is a winter storm warning in effect.