Arcana Lodge #187
Ancient Free & Accepted Masons 

New Members

Arcana Lodge is proud to announce that five new members have been raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason. We welcome Brothers James Young, Mark Manthy, Mathew Feiock, Douglas Anderson and his son Jason Anderson to Arcana Lodge.

I would like to thank the young ladies and guardians of Jobs Bethel #19 for preparing a delicious ham dinner for our Third Degree.

We have an exciting summer schedule planned with a full set of degrees for what may turn out to be another class of five candidates who wish to be raised before the leaves fall. That’s a lot of degree work to do in a period of time as short as a Minnesota Summer.

So come down to Lodge to see the innovative work of our past masters, and the exciting new presentations by our newest brothers. At the same time you can get away from the heat, humidity and mosquitoes by joining the officers and new candidates at this all new set of degrees.

Until next time, may the blessing of Heaven rest upon us and all regular Masons.

Fraternally yours,
Richard Hunt, Wor. Master

Further Light in Masonry

Many people tend to identify themselves and the organizations they belong to by the company they keep. Sometimes, for reasons I don’t care to go into, rumors or myths are started which have the effect of expanding the perceived membership rolls of an organization to include famous or important people. I would like to shed some light on two such myths about William Shakespeare and the Holy Saints John.

It has long been a myth that William Shakespeare was a member of the Masonic fraternity, nay more that he had written much of the Masonic Ritual! Unfortunately this is not true. There is no evidence to indicate Shakespeare even knew there was an organization of stone masons that would eventually become Speculative Freemasonry. The old Gothic Constitutions are the basis for The Constitutions of the Free-Masons compiled by Dr. James Anderson in 1722 and adopted in 1723. There is nothing in the Gothic tomes that remotely resembles the writing of the Bard.

Yet many of Shakespeare's phrases have found their way into the rituals of today. For example: "to that undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveler returns," is taken directly from Hamlet, Act III, Scene 1 (the obsolete word bourn, means boundary). However, these phrases certainly were not written especially for the Craft. It would be nice to claim William as an early accepted member, but we can't.

The Holy Saints John have been a part of Freemasonry for centuries. The ancient guilds or trade unions of England each had its patron saint. The patron saint of the hatters, for example, was St. Clement; St. Crispin was the patron saint of the shoemakers. The patron saint of the stone masons was St. John the Baptist.

When Speculative Masonry evolved, St. John the Baptist understandably became the patron saint of the Freemasons. He was a man of humility and virtue, a man who steadfastly kept his obligations to God, principles that are upheld in the teachings of the Craft.

The feast day of St. John the Baptist is June 24^th and was celebrated annually by Masons in Scotland and England.

In 1725, the feast day of St. John the Evangelist on December 27^th became the annual feast day of the Grand Lodge of England. St. John the Evangelist, like St. John the Baptist, is a patron saint of Freemasonry. He embodies not only the brotherhood of man, but is the "bringer of light," that which is the deity within each man. Neither of the Holy Saints John was a Freemason.

This year Cass Lodge will celebrate the Holy Saints John Day on June 25^th at Arcana Masonic Temple. Please join us for a great meal, and an unforgettable table lodge. For reservations, please mail your $15 check to WBr Mark Campbell, Treasure of Cass Lodge by June 11.

Again I would like to thank the companies and individuals for their generous contributions, and support of the Arcana Trestleboard. Please contact me if you are interested in contributing an article, notice or financial support for this publication.

Fraternally yours,
Doug Roswold, Sr. Warden

News from the Secretaries Desk

Webster’s Dictionary defines obligation 1. The binding power of a promise or contract. 2. The state of being indebted for a favor.

During the three degrees of the Blue Lodge there are many different obligations that we as Masons swore to God that we would uphold.

I’m sure that all of us as Masons remember most of them, but where in these obligations does it clearly state that we must pay dues to our lodge? However, if you choose not to pay them eventually the lodge has no other course but to stricken your name from the rolls of membership in Masonry. This is a job that falls on the Secretary each year and it is a part of this job that I do not enjoy.

There are 22 members who owe dues for 1996 and 1997 and this total is $1,298. There are 87 members who still have not paid their dues for year 1997 and this total is $5,307. The combined total of unpaid dues is $6,605. Arcana Lodge sorely needs the financial support from all its members if it is to continue to be a viable part of Masonry in Minnesota. Please look in your wallet and check what year your dues card is. Also, look deeper into your heart and conscience and ask yourself how important it is to you that you continue with Masonry being a part of your life.

Please let the lodge know if financial problems are preventing you from being current with your dues, for another obligation we all took is to help a distressed brother. So check your dues notices and make a commitment to yourselves and your lodge to bring your dues up to date. I know your lodge will appreciate it, and I know personally as Secretary of Arcana Lodge I will also appreciate it. Thank you.

Fraternally,

W.B. Franklin Johnson P.M.
Secretary

Outstanding Mason of the Month

Past Master
Walton E. French

Arcana Lodge is proud to acknowledge the Outstanding Mason of the Month for June, Worshipful Brother Walton E. French. Twice elected Master of Arcana Lodge (1977 and 1990), Walt is the kind of Brother who can fill in for any part in the Masonic ritual on a moments notice. He has been a regular member of the Coffee Club since it first started. He and his wife always make sure there’s plenty of good hot coffee, and a little something to snack on as well.

Arcana Lodge Committees

Sunshine Visitation Committee for the Ill or Homebound

Cass Lodge
St. John’s Day Banquet

Your check will be your reservation. Mail your check to:

WBr Mark Campbell, Treasurer, Cass Lodge
8657 – 22nd Avenue South
Bloomington, MN 55425
Phone: 854-5172

NE Lodge
Outdoor Master Masons Degree

Thursday, June 19th, 1997

Attention all graduates of Minneapolis Edison Senior High School:

Edison 75 Year All Class Reunion
will be on October 9 - 12, 1997

For more information contact Dick Anderson, Chairman, at 788-9771

This publication is issued with the permission of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge A.F. & A.M of Minnesota.

Send stories, ideas or comments to:
Doug Roswold, Editor at webmaster@arcana187.org

This page was updated on May 02, 2003 by Doug Roswold