March Quarterly Communication – 2019
The first regular Quarterly Communication of the Grand Lodge took place on Wednesday, March 13th at the Masonic Building in downtown Boston.
At 1:30pm, R.W. Richard Maggio (Grand Marshal) escorted the Grand Master, M.W. Paul F. Gleason to the East of Ionic Hall.
Prior to formally opening the meeting, Massachusetts DeMolay presented the colors. 2019 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of DeMolay. The Grand Master thanked the four DeMolay “Dads” present (and via proxy, all DeMolay advisors) for their work lending guidance to DeMolay members.
Representing the organization were:
DeMolays:
- Montayo Cardoza, State Master Councilor
- Bro. Ryan Dukas, Deputy State Master Councilor
- Bro. Donovan E. Cargill, Past State Master Councilor
“Dad” Advisors:
- M.W. Albert T. Ames, Past Grand Master
- R.W. Joseph P. DeNicola, Past Deputy Grand Master
- R.W. Paul R. Perkins, Past Senior Grand Warden
- R.W. Wayne M. Vinton, Past Junior Grand Warden
Opening & Committee Reports
The Grand Master then proceeded with the opening of Grand Lodge. After introducing the distinguished guests in attendance, the Grand Master called on M.W. Albert T. Ames, Grand Secretary, for the report on the recognition of proxies and voting powers of Lodges. Then, R.W. Stephen C. Cohn delivered the report of the committee on charters and by-laws. Following that, R.W. W. Warren Richardson delivered the report of the committee on records.
The Grand Secretary, M.W. Albert T. Ames, then read a petition for consolidation, which was approved. Mount Holyoke Lodge (South Hadley), Chicopee Lodge (Chicopee) and Vernon Lodge (South Hadley) will be merging into one body, meeting under the name of Mount Holyoke Lodge.
R.W. Mason W. Russell then delivered some remarks on recommended changes to the Grand Constitutions. Ten proposed amendments were read to the brethren in attendance. They will be mailed to each Lodge Secretary for review in the next thirty (30) days.
Memorial & Necrology
We recently lost an important member of our Grand Lodge family. The Grand Master read a memorial tribute to the late Wor. Barry K. Johnson, who passed away in February.
The Grand Master then called upon his Deputy Grand Master, R.W. Lawrence E. Bethune, to read the necrology for six (6) past Grand Lodge officers who entered the Celestial Lodge above since the last communication.
Presentations
The Grand Master asked for R.W. Peter Culbertson to join him in the East. He thanked Peter for his hard work innovating, planning, and executing the inaugural Golden Gavel Awards ceremony. The one issue with the ceremony he had? That Peter didn’t receive a Golden Gavel in recognition of his efforts. He presented him with a plaque in his honor to make up for it.
The March Quarterly is when qualifying Lodges receive the Grand Master’s Award. A Lodge who receives this award is being recognized for running a successful program during the previous Masonic year.
The 2019 recipients were:
| Lodge Name | City/Town |
|---|---|
| Artisan Lodge | Winchendon |
| Caleb Butler Lodge | Ayer |
| Charity Lodge | Cambridge |
| Charles W. Moore Lodge | Fitchburg |
| Columbian Lodge | Boston |
| Corner Stone Lodge | Duxbury |
| Daniel Webster Lodge | Marshfield |
| Ezekiel Bates Lodge | Attleboro |
| Golden Rule Lodge | Wakefield |
| King David Lodge | Taunton |
| Konohassett Lodge | Cohasset |
| Marine Lodge | Falmouth |
| Middlesex Lodge | Framingham |
| Milton Lodge | Hingham |
| Montgomery Lodge | Milford |
| Mount Moriah Lodge | Westfield |
| Norfolk Lodge | Needham |
| Norumbega Fraternity Lodge | Newton |
| Old Colony Lodge | Hingham |
| Orient Lodge | Norwood |
| Rising Star Lodge | Stoughton |
| Saint Matthew’s Lodge | Andover |
| Star in the East Lodge | New Bedford |
| Tahattawan Lodge | Littleton |
| The Scouter’s Lodge | Holden |
| United Brethren Lodge | Marlborough |
| West Roxbury-Dorchester Lodge | Norwood |
| William Parkman Lodge | Woburn |
| William Sutton Lodge | Saugus |
R.W. Geoffrey Kromer (Senior Grand Warden) and Wor. Jonathan Sriberg presented the Grand Master with two donations for the Masonic Service Association. They were representing the “Grumpy Past Masters” Facebook group, which raised funds through the sale of a special pin for members of the group.
The Grand Master then called for and received donations from several lodges in attendance. He delivered his remarks to the brethren assembled, and closed Grand Lodge in ample form at approximately 3:25pm.
