GM of CT Simon LaPlace Extols the Benefits of a Lodge Open House

What do you think of lodge open houses. How have they benefitted your lodge? Comment below.

Found a Picture of my Grandfather at the Minneapolis Valley

Grandpa Jim in the middle with glasses and tan suit

When I first was thinking of Masonry, I assumed that no one in my family was a Mason. Then I found out my paternal grandfather, Grandpa Dick, was a Mason and a Sir Knight. He was the man who signed my petition and led me to a lodge near my house.

A couple of months later, I found out that my other grandfather, Grandpa Jim, was a Mason, a 32°, and an active Shriner. I was floored. Two men in my family were Masons and I had never known at all. When I found out, Masonry felt more and more like it was in my blood. I found out further that several greats and great-greats were also Masons.

At the One Day to Masonry, two good friends and I started looking through the pictures of the different Scottish Rite classes. I knew my Grandpa Jim was a member of the Minneapolis Valley and I checked my phone for his Masonic record (I had asked about a year earlier) and we started flipping through the photos for the class of 1979. It took a bit as classes in those days were huge but then, I saw him; my Grandpa was just smiling back at me.

As I went back to perform my part in the second degree, I looked in the Minneapolis Valley auditorium and thought that in one of those seats, my Grandfather had watched the degrees of the Scottish Rite, absorbing the lessons as he worked his way to the 32°. It really changed how I performed the work, as if I were performing it for him.

I know both my grandfathers keep watch over my family and I know that they have earned their reward in that spiritual building, in the Great Lodge Above. I love you Grandpa Jim and Grandpa Dick and I hope to be able to see you both when I lay down my working tools.

5 Reasons Why I Joined the Freemasons

I asked Brother Matthew to write something on the subject of anything that came to his mind. He has written a very well-thought out piece. Thank you Brother Matthew.

I couldn’t tell you what specifically prompted my interest in Freemasonry two years ago, or what spurred me to actually join early this spring. I think I just knew I needed an overhaul, and Freemasonry’s business was “making men better!” But I can give you the five reasons I ultimately joined, and made one of the very few totally good decisions of my life.

1. Friendships

I’m 32 years old, and part of a generation that was tagged pretty early on (probably deservedly so) for being slackers and man-boys, but even we have to grow up sometime. I was the second of my good friends to get hitched, and within three years all of us had wives. Some of us even have kids. What none of us had anymore, it seemed, was time for each other.
It’s no one’s fault. Even man-boys grow up, get careers, move away, have families, etc. but what can be so unexpected is when you finally carve out a free evening in your schedule and suddenly realize you don’t have anyone left to spend it with. And frankly, making friends at 32 is hard. Joining a lodge almost instantly gave me about a dozen fun, interesting friends, and about six million more whom I haven’t yet met.

2. Charity

I am not a charitable man by nature. If I’ve got money in my pocket, I’ll hand it out freely, but that’s because I don’t really value money. Giving anything of me has been almost an anathema. But though my sense of charity is underdeveloped, my sense of guilt does double-overtime.
I may be selfish, but I’m not dumb; I realize that living in service to others is how one truly learns to live in service to oneself. Freemasons don’t just write checks; they serve.

3. Ritual

I was raised in a mostly secular home; we never went to church. But more than that, we never really did anything religiously. Our holidays were inconsistent; we had no traditions to speak of, no yearly vacations or barbeques; we never said Grace, or had favorite bedtime lullabies. It was life devoid of ritual. Ritual is important, though; it’s how we remember. I don’t mean the memorization, I mean ritual is what keeps us, and what keeps our history, personal or cultural. It’s daily exercise for your soul.

4. The Bling

I have to admit to a certain retro-raconteur streak in my personality. I’ve always loved classic Mad Men-esque manliness culture. Couple that with my love of badges and accessories, and I was pretty much meant to be a Mason. No, it’s not the noblest reason to become a Freemason, but it is an aspect and connection to our history.

5. Good Things Deserve to Survive

There are some institutions in this country and this world that are…well…institutions. They’re good things. They do good things for their members and their communities. Damn the society that lets them die thinking they’re too out of touch, or too old, or too rigid. They’re not. They’re the sum of their members. My lodge is filled with young, fun, wise men and recovering man-boys. Freemasonry is helping them do that. Freemasonry is not going to die on my watch.

Those are five pretty great reasons, but the best part is that when I got in, there were dozens more: leadership training, exposure to diversity of race, religion, and politicals, education… Really, it can all be summed up in one word: light.

We’re a much younger generation than who is usually perceived to be a Mason, but that’s our strength. Yes, there is an age gap in a lot of lodges. There weren’t too many Baby Boomers who took up the apron, but that is indicative of our strength. Many of us are drawn to fraternity and Masonry without simply following in our fathers footsteps, but because of the reasons above. But how many young men and new dads have these thoughts and don’t know anything about Freemasonry? Sadly, it’s almost all of them.

We can’t ask them to join us, but we have to remember that we are truly not a secret society. Wear your lapel pins. Get one of those tacky car magnets your grandpa had. Go bowling with your Shrine or Grotto brothers and wear your fez, damn it! Talk about us to anyone who will listen. Let people know that we’re out there and that we are anything but irrelevant. We’re brothers.



Matthew Gallagher is a freelance writer in the Twin Cities, the head writer of Transylvania Television, and a proud Master Mason of Braden Lodge No. 168

Becoming a Freemason Part 1: What’s a Freemason?

This series of posts will focus on joining a Masonic Lodge. Yes, it has been done before by great Masonic bloggers like John Ratcliff. The reason I’m doing this is that I think it is essential to give interested men all the tools they need to understand the process from petition to voting. I promise not to reveal our secrets nor ruin the experience for our new brothers but I do think there is a need to explain to a petitioner what they can expect.

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So you want to become a Freemason? Do you know what one is? Do you know what they do? In this modern world of Internets and its series of tubes, you may have an interesting view of Freemasonry. Some of it may be right, some of it may be wrong but at least you’re looking. That’s why I’ve decided to help you out. The first thing we have to do is define what Freemasonry is.

Freemasonry is the oldest, largest, most well known Fraternity on the planet. We call among our brothers the most influential men that Deity has seen fit to produce. We have three tenets that Freemasons are taught to follow: Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth. We meet as equals and do not regard a brother’s political or spiritual identification as a disqualification to membership nor are we allowed to discuss in Lodge religious or political matters. The major requirements for membership are a belief in God, be a man of good moral qualifications, and be of legal age in the jurisdiction. (in MN, you have to be 18 years, but this age will vary depending on where you live.)

This description is incredibly basic and will not satisfy the curious man. That’s why I’d like to point you to a great resource. What is Freemasonry? is an eBook written by Brother Greg Stewart and made available for free. This is a compendium of all good knowledge that a man should possess before he petitions a Lodge. Frankly, there is nothing I can tell you that hasn’t been covered by Bro. Greg. He’s done a real service and if you want to do more reading about Freemasonry, go to his wonderful Masonic magazine, Freemason Information.

Freemasonry is a great place to meet friends that you would have never met because the Fraternity brings men from all kinds of backgrounds together. We come together as brothers to build better men and better communities. If you are interested, stay tuned next week as we explore how to locate a Lodge and try to find the right fit for your Masonic growth.