Washington Lodge No. 46
A.F.A.M.
Volume 2024
Issue #7
Washington Masonic Center Calendar
July 1st, 7:30 PM Council of Cryptic Masons, Washington Chapter #3
July 3rd, 6:30 PM Willamette Lodge #2 Stated Communication
July 8th, 7:30 PM Royal Arch Chapter
July 10th, 6:00 PM Washington Lodge #46 Stated Communication
July 12th, 6:00 PM Valiant-Sellwood OES Installation
July 15th, 7:30 PM Commandy #15
July 16th, 12:30 PM Friendship Rose OES
July 18th, 7:30 PM Willamette Lodge #2 Officers Meeting
July 20th, 11:00 AM Lloyd Higgens Memorial Service
July 20th, 6:30 PM White Shrine of Jerusalem
July 24th, 6:30 PM Washington Lodge #46 Officers Meeting
July 28th, All Day, Reserved for M.W.B. Donald Stapleton
To have your event added to the calendar, please contact WM Matthew Cox.
Master’s Message
Brethren,
Thank you all for your hard work and support in making our Open House, Anniversary Celebration and Blood Drive a success! I truly appreciate each and every one of you for your time and effort as we achieved the goals I hoped to meet. Here is a quick recap of the highlights:
Community Involvement:
- We had several members of the neighborhood pop in to take a look at our Lodge. Some said they walk by every day but never had the chance to see what the inside looked like or to learn more about our work before then.
- The local Fire Department station came by for a brief meet and greet.
Charity:
- A few local non-profits used this opportunity to set up in the parking lot, spread the word about their good work and raise money.
- The Blood Drive attracted 20 potential donors, including some walk-ins. We ended up collecting 11 donations, which means we saved 33 lives!
Potential new Masons:
- We had six potential prospects come to the Open House, get tours and learn about the Craft and our Lodge. I expect some of them will become brothers in due course.
Fellowship:
- We had the chance to sit down, eat good food and reconnect with each other.
Thanks again to you all for making this event possible!
The next event will be the Annual Picnic at Oaks Park. We have been co-hosting this event with Cornerstone and Lents Lodges for many years and it is always a fun time! We’ll have food, drink, games, raffles, prizes and ride bracelets for those who want them.
The picnic is on Sunday, July 28th. We start at 9:00 AM, food will be served at 11:30 AM, and we will wind things down around 3:00 PM. All friends and family are invited, so I hope to see you there!
Sincerely and Fraternally,
Matthew Cox
Worshipful Master
Washington #46
From The West
| Brethren,
This past month of June was filled with fun activities, including the success of our Lodge’s anniversary open house. I want to express my gratitude for all the time, effort and dedication of our brethren who helped. Work worthy of recognition! We had visitors who have shown interest in joining. We hope to see them again and have fellowship with one another. I love to see our lodge being involved with the community. We will continue this tradition! This coming July is a continuation of our fun summer activities. We’ll be having our annual joint picnic in Oaks Parks with our brethren from Lents and Cornerstone. We look forward to spending time together with our families, friends, and acquaintances. Be sure to mark your calendar! It’s the last Sunday of July! I also want to send my condolences to the family of our dear brother Lloyd Higgens, who recently passed. We will be having a memorial service this July. I want to congratulate our three new brothers who are doing so well with their proficiencies and progressing to the degrees of our beloved ancient fraternity. I love seeing them grow and participating in our activities. I want to thank all their mentors in helping them achieve and reach their goals in Freemasonry. I started setting up the cast for MM degree. Please approach me if there’s any part you want to sign up for. For our July stated meeting’s dinner, we will be serving a wonderful array of Filipino foods. Included on the menu are adobo, lumpia and pancit! I will wear my barong to match it with our dinner! Please join us!
Fraternally, |
From The South
Brethren,
The past month has flown by and was filled with Masonic events. Attending the Grand Lodge Communication for the first time was inspiring. If you’ve never attended, I recommend you do so at least once. Meeting masons from all over Oregon, the country and the world was invigorating and very educational.
I thank all who participated and attended the FC Degree for Brother Revert. You made the evening what it should always be for those moving through the most important lessons of the craft. Recently, I visited Beaverton 100 to witness an MM Degree. Each of these degrees is wonderful to see, and we always come away with some new angle or catch something in a way we hadn’t before. If you ever feel rusty or dusty as a mason, attend a degree. You will be reminded in the best way of the feelings you had from becoming a mason and of the obligations you took to better yourself and your brothers.
As we step into the official summer season, I understand that the attendance at the lodge might be a bit lighter. However, I urge each of you to make an effort to attend if possible. Our sense of community is what makes our lodge special, and your presence is always valued. We are also making great strides in how we deliver our stated meetings, including a Masonic education segment.
As we approach the holiday season in July, I hope each of you has a wonderful time. I look forward to seeing you all soon, and I’m excited about the upcoming meetings and events we have planned.
Yours in Masonry,
Jesse McCann
JW
From The Secretary’s Desk
The Fourth of July is just around the corner, and we must never forget the role of masons in the writing of the Declaration of Independence. It was signed and accepted into Congress on the fourth of July, 1776, marking the birth of the United States. At least five members in that group of writers and signers were masons. There could have been close to 30, but records could not confirm that number. So, when we are all out there celebrating with family and experiencing those bright fireworks in the sky, remember that our constitution was based on Masonic principles, which helped shape the founding of this great country.
My congratulations to brother FC Joshua Revert and the entire cast for doing an excellent job on his recent Fellowcraft Degree on June 19th. Nearly all the members that participated in his degree were Washington Lodge members. Many thanks for the dedication and support of our new members. We have several degrees planned for the fall, and I hope we will have additional support from those we haven’t seen for a while.
Congratulations also to the officers who returned from our annual communication with three Grand Lodge awards. We have all worked hard over the last two years to make this possible and should all be very proud. We have many activities planned, so be sure to consult your Trestleboard and the website for times and dates.
Have fun with your family and friends, but most importantly, stay safe. God Bless!
Fraternally,
Don Stapleton, PGM, Secretary
|
| Brethren, it is my sad duty to report the passing of two Washington Lodge members.
Jerry L. West received his degrees in Sunnyside Lodge #163; EA-6/28/1967, FC 10/11/1967, and raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason on 11/22/1967. Brother West passed away on July 21, 2023 at the age of 80 years.
WB Lloyd S. Higgens received his degrees in Milwaukie Lodge #109; EA-10/27/1998, FC-11/21/1998, and raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason on 11/21/1998. Through the years, Lloyd was also a member of Portland Lodge #55 and master of Sunnyside Lodge #163 in 2011. He was a member of the Portland Police Bureau for many years. Lloyd passed away on June 13th at the age of 88 years. There will be a memorial service at Washington Lodge #46 on Saturday, July 20th, at 11 AM. |
