MASONIC UNITY

                                                                         by T. H. (Dick) Dickason,

                                                                    Grand Governor of Washington

 

I have endeavored, during the past few months, to project the thought for each of us to show pride in Freemasonry.  What is pride?  I know each of us here has that pride, that enthusiasm, as you are taking the time to read this article, and your presence indicates your commitment to our Fraternity and its principles.  I have stated so many times during the past few months that we must increase our individual support of our Symbolic Lodges, as the Lodges provide the foundation for the very existence of the York Rite and for that matter the Scottish Rite, and for all the many other Concordant bodies.  Each of us should exemplify in our daily lives the teachings of the Symbolic Lodge.  I ask that each of you do away with your many York Rite pins, and wear only the Square and Compasses, which is the universal symbol of our fraternity.

      I have attempted to promote and support an atmosphere of unity between all three Bodies of the York Rite and our Symbolic Lodges.  I believe that if we all worked together toward the same objectives, we might in the future have the ability to reach a few of them.  However, I have had some resistance to the thought.  Our forward thinking has been confined by the lack of foresight of many brethren, who have become complacent in their thinking, and are out of touch with the issues that confront us today.  Perhaps it is time for many of us to examine the motives and reasons for belonging to the various organizations and our relationship with our Brethren.  The support and  cooperation I have received from the Grand Lodge,  the Scottish Rite and the Shrine could not have been better. But I would point out to you the lack of unity today, and over the years, has weakened the York Rite while the Scottish Rite, with its unity, has grown stronger.

      Our challenge for tomorrow must begin today.  Too much time and resources have been lost forever.  We simply cannot loose any more.  We must make a concerted effort to teach ourselves as I mentioned earlier, the purposes, programs and accomplishments of our Fraternity, then teach our less informed Brethren.

      Certainly there are distinctions which separate us in each of the Bodies.  As important as these differences are, however, we are ignoring what to me is the central issue.  We are at odds not only with one another, but with the future.  It seems some of our members are filled with a mixture of insecurity, self-protective sensitivity to only one Body, honest devotion, and conscientious self searching.   If should be apparent to each one of us that in today’s environment, we cannot survive unless everyone is working together to fulfill a common vision.

      Remembering, there is a mystical virtue in right angles.  There is an unspoken morality in seeking the level and the plumb.  A house will stand, a table will bear weight, the sides of a box will hold together only if the joints are square and the members upright.  When the bubble is lined up between the two marks etched in the glass tube of the level , you have aligned yourself with the forces that hold the universe together, and our Gentle Craft.

 

EDITOR’S NOTE -

 

      Isn’t this what the York Rite College is all about, striving for that unity that can pull us all together and strengthen the whole?

 

PRINCE EDWIN COLLEGE NO. 8

                                                                          St. Clair Shores, Michigan

 

With Spring approaching, our Ceremonial has been scheduled for March 25 at Jefferson Masonic Temple, St. Clair Shores.  Dinner with our new Companion Knights, our Ladies and our invited guests which include the Masters of our Lodges will high-lite the function.  Reservations are requested.

      The Annual Assembly and Installation will be on May 8th followed with refreshments.

      Don’t forget Charlotte, North Carolina and the Annual General Assembly of the Sovereign College. This will be the year of the change of Officers and a big step for Companion Knight Wayne E. Turton.  The dates are, July 20th through the 22nd.  Reservation forms are in this issue of the Crusader.  Come and be with your Michigan York Rite friends.

 

Wayne E. Turton Class

      A special event will take place on February 10, 2001 at the Double Tree Hotel, Romulus, on the anticipation of Wayne being elected and installed as the Governor General of the  York Rite Sovereign College of North America.  The Order Knight of York will be presented by Companion Knights from several of our Michigan Colleges under the direction of the Grand Governor Carl S. Hobday, PG.  A ladies program is being planned during the work and there will be a Social Hour prior to dinner and entertainment.  There will also be a Hospitality Room open for all to enjoy.  Reservations for the hotel and dinner will be in the summer of 2000.

      As you can see this will be a big year for Wayne E. Turton as well as for the College.

 

ILLINOIS YORK RITE COLLEGE NO. 15

                                                                                 Chicago, Illinois

 

On January 27, 2000, we began a new century with a full ceremonial conferral of the Order Knight of York upon a class of six candidates.  A proficient cast headed by C.K. Richard Carnall as King Athelstan and C.K. Martin Starr in his first performance of Prince Edwin.  Their work was excellent as was that of the entire cast.  Our new Companion Knights were most impressed with what they saw and heard as the Order unfolded within the confines of the Glenview Masonic Temple.

      Our next event will be our Ladies Recognition Dinner to be held on February 27, 2000 at the Terrace Restaurant in Lombard, Illinois,  Our ladies who have given us so much gracious support will be honored.

      On April 15, 2000, our college will confer the Super Excellent Master Degree during a York Rite Festival which brings together casts of companions from six Midwestern States.  Each State will confer a degree in the Royal Arch Chapter or the Cryptic Council using the ritual of their domain.  The venue of this festival will be Evanston Masonic Temple in Evanston, Illinois.  We are especially proud of our college cast for the Super Excellent Master Degree, all of whom have had extensive experience with this degree.  Illinois College No. 15 is moving forward with the new century and will be reporting many additional activities in the months that lie ahead