June 2016 DDGM Article for The Word

I am deeply humbled to have been selected to serve as District Deputy Grand Master for the Cortland-Madison District. I am also profoundly grateful for the Brothers who have helped me to get here. They have lent a helping hand, given of their time, passed on pearls of wisdom, offered their support and, in every way, have worked to make me a better man and Mason.

While I am far from a perfect ashlar, these Brothers have helped to break off some of the rough corners. And as we prepare to bring a new generation of Masons into the Craft, we need men like these in our ranks. In many cases, they’re already here, but we need them to come back to Lodge. For whatever reason, many have drifted away taking their time, talents, and experience with them.   Our Fraternity, our Lodges, and our Brothers need you back.

We need you to mentor a new Brother as he works toward proficiency and beyond. We need you to teach that younger Brother one of the Lectures. We need you to fill a chair so that a Brother with less experience doesn’t get pushed into it before he’s ready and we desperately need you to share of your talents and experience in order to help him get ready. We need you to partake in the work of the Lodge so that our Lodges can stop functioning at a subsistence level and actually grow to become strong, vibrant Lodges that present a variety of quality Masonic programs. We need you to join us for coffee and fellowship after the meeting. We need you to share a lifetime of stories and wisdom. We need you to show our new Brothers that there’s so much more to Masonry than lapel pins and dues cards. My Brothers, we need you to show them, and the world, that Masonry truly is “A Way Of Life”.