Arcana Lodge #187
Ancient Free & Accepted Masons

920 Lowry Avenue NE
Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55418, USA

News from the East

Brothers,

Our Annual Meeting on December 10th resulted in the election, to the East, of a Worshipful Brother who can't serve because of a conflict with his job commitment, which includes night-time hours. He respectfully declined the opportunity to serve again as Worshipful Master.

We have scheduled another election for the office of Worshipful Master at our Stated Meeting on Monday, January 14th, 2008. The requirement for eligibility is to have been elected and have served as a Warden. If you are eligible, don't be surprised if your name comes up for consideration. This is a great opportunity for a Past Master or for a brother whose journey through the line may have been interrupted.

We can all agree that 'times have changed' since we became Masons, and there are drastically fewer brothers in the Craft than there were just a few years ago. What is the future of Freemasonry? What about Arcana Lodge?

This week, I read a "Short Talk Bulletin" from the Masonic Service Association, entitled "Freemasonry; In Today's World". The writer, Stewart W. Miner, starts out "It seems to me that Freemasons have long been entirely too preoccupied with the past, an extensive period when, according to many in our number, almost every good and perfect act, at least since the Grand Lodge era, has been impacted by the thoughts and deeds of Freemasons of great renown. "

Br. Miner goes on to mention our pride in those Freemasons who sought and won our national freedom, those who established our government, and those who have labored over the course of more than two centuries to protect and preserve the American way of life. Little is known about how Freemasonry affected those brothers. Did these Masonic Heroes of Yesterday choose Freemasonry because of their appreciation of its teachings or, conversely, did they, after forming their personal moral and spiritual beliefs elsewhere, seek out like-minded men in the temples of Freemasonry? Whatever the case, they were builders for the future, with magnificent temples erected, tremendous financial resources accumulated, and world class charities established.

What about our present situation? "For the better part of four decades, we have busied ourselves, almost exclusively, with the examination and identification of fraternal ailments. Almost anyone in the craft can recite a litany of Craft afflictions, capped with hand wringing accounts of attendance and declining membership. ‘Address these symptoms‘, so it is said, ‘and the Craft will thereby be returned to good health and prosperity.’” So far nothing has worked. This author believes that we need to look to the identification and subsequent treatment and containment of what may be a fundamental but unappreciated disease - the obvious lack of demonstrated interest in Masonry by Masons.

Br. Miner ends with, “Let us therefore take heed of the observation of a wise man who once said that the only constant in this world is change; let us accept that change is a part of life. Let us accept it, prepare for it, and cope with it. It is the only way.”
Better scholars than I will have to work on that. Meanwhile, I have been encouraged to see young men seeking us out on the internet, through Grand Lodge or by telephone to Arcana Lodge. We must welcome their interest in us and work together to bring them into the Craft. This will require organization (I’m a great one to talk about organization) and better communication with the members of Arcana Lodge.

Vern Bandel,
2007 Master

On a personal note, to those who offered me much valuable help during my year in the East, I dedicate this poem to you.

A FRIEND’S GREETING

I’d like to be the sort of friend that you have been to me;
I’d like to be the help that you’ve been always glad to be;
I’d like to mean as much to you each minute of the day
As you have meant, old friend of mine, to me along the way.
I’d like to do the big things and the splendid things for you,
To brush the gray from out your skies and leave them only blue;
I’d like to say the kindly things that I so oft have heard,
And feel that I could rouse your soul the way that mine you’ve stirred.
I’d like to give you back the joy that you have given me,
Yet that were wishing you a need I hope will never be;
I’d like to make you feel as rich as I, who travel on
Undaunted in the darkest hours with you to lean upon.
I’m wishing at this Christmas time that I could but repay
A portion of the gladness that you’ve strewn along my way;
And could I have one wish this year, this only would it be:
I’d like to be the sort of friend that you have been to me.

Edgar A. Guest

News from the West

Brothers,

Well we now close on another year, I am writing this as your exiting Jr. Warden, and entering Sr. Warden. This last year has been a good one in the fact that we raised 4 new members to the lodge.

I was also able to sit in the east for the first time this year during the Entered Apprentice Degree. I must say the second time held a little more for me because the candidate was a friend of mine whom I had the honor to be the first line signer of his petition.

I was also happy to see one of our new members step up into the line for this next year. It’s always good when new members take an active part in the lodge.

Unfortunately the one problem I saw during this last year was attendance. We had several nights where we didn’t have enough people to make a quorum. This is something that we shouldn’t let happen even once. I am making it one of my goals for this next year to try and get more of our members who haven’t been around for awhile back to lodge.

I am offering out my help to those who may have been away for awhile and feel a little rusty on what happens in lodge. I am more than willing to come in early or on an earlier date to run through things with anybody who wants too. If you don’t know when lodge is, give me a call I would be happy to discuss lodge dates with you and other events coming up. We need to show the newer members that lodge is important, and that we are there to help them. I want to make this year the next step in revitalizing our lodge. I hope to see many of you at lodge in the future even a hand full of times from everybody during the year would make a drastic improvement in the lodge. Another great time is when we are doing degree work.

Untill the next time.

Mark Moriarty
Senior Warden Elect 2008

Masonic Light

Arcana’s English Connection

As secretary and webmaster for Arcana’s Internet presence I recently received the following email from a brother overseas.  The message of universal brotherhood and support truly exemplifies the very best principles Masonry offers.

Dear Brother Secretary

Please forgive this unscheduled interruption to your labours.

I am a Past Master of the Lodge of St Peter in Exeter (#5806 of the United Grand Lodge of England) and whilst preparing a short account of our history for a forthcoming Lodge website, I found an account of one of your Brethren receiving his First, Second and Third degrees in our Lodge, due to his overseas military service during the Second World War.

He was Bert George Walter Peterson, a Chief Pharmacist in the US Navy, who had been elected in Arcana Lodge, but travelled overseas before he could be Initiated.  At your request, our Lodge held an Emergency Meeting on 4 March 1944 at which he was Initiated, and was attended by 39 American Brethren from the 29th Const. Battalion, USN, all of whom were members of different Lodges.  Bro Peterson subsequently received his Second and Third degrees in our Lodge on 22 April and 19 May 1944.

One of our senior Past Master managed to speak with Bro Peterson by telephone some years ago, and mentioned that he fondly recalled his time in Exeter.  He was suffering with the associated frailties of old age then, although was otherwise in good health.

Having just read this in our old records, I thought that I would see if you had a website and would once again make contact with Arcana Lodge and wish every Brother good health at this special time of year.

If Brother Peterson is still a member of your Lodge, then please pass on our especial Fraternal Greetings and tell him that he is still remembered by this Lodge.

Most sincerely and fraternally yours,

Richard Ebrey MSc PhD
PM, Lodge of St Peter in Exeter (5806)

Unfortunately I had to dispatch the sad news to our Brothers in Exeter that Br. Bert Peterson answered the roll call of the Grand Architect of the Universe a few years ago on February 19, 2003

 Special Announcements