Lodge Calendar

April 2013 May 2013 June 2013
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Lodge Trestle Board
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We, the Brothers of Union Lodge No. 31, celebrate the hour before every meeting as an open house. We enjoy a light meal, refreshments and camaraderie with brothers and non-brothers alike. If you are not a mason and are interested in our fraternity you are welcome to visit our lodge and share in the food and friendship the first and third Thursday of every month from 6:30 – 7:30pm.



June 6th           : Awards Night/ Stawberry Festival. This is a Semi-Public event so bring your family. Stawberry shortcake will be served from 6:30pm to 7:30pm with the awards ceremony to follow beginning at 7:30pm.



June 19th         : Master Mason Degree at Sommerset St. James No. 34. We will be bringing our Fellow Craft to SSJ No. 34 to be raised by the 8th District Degree Team. Details about the dinner and degree will be posted here as they become available.



June 20th         : Master Mason Degree Education.
We will have our usual Open House Dinner beginning at 6:30pm with the Masonic Education to follow beginning promptly at 7:30pm.


July 11th          : Business Meeting/ Picnic. Due to the First Thursday falling on July 4th, our Stated Communication has been moved to July 11th. Following with recent tradition Union Lodge will host a picnic for our Open House Dinner. The Lodge will supply the burgers and dogs and we ask that the brothers bring a side dish or dessert to share. The Open House Picnic is for anyone who wishes to attend and the time is a half an hour earlier, beginning at 6:00pm with a short business meeting to follow starting promptly at 7:30pm downstairs in the dining hall. Dress is picnic casual. Shorts and t-shirts are encouraged.


August 1st       : Business Meeting/ Picnic. Following with recent tradition Union Lodge will host a picnic for our Open House Dinner. The Lodge will supply the burgers and dogs and we ask that the brothers bring a side dish or dessert to share. The Open House Picnic is for anyone who wishes to attend and the time is a half an hour earlier, beginning at 6:00pm with a short business meeting to follow starting promptly at 7:30pm downstairs in the dining hall. Dress is picnic casual. Shorts and t-shirts are encouraged.



Remember Brothers, calendar events and times are subject to change. Please check often.

 

Calendar Search Tool:

 A calendar search tool has been installed at the bottom of every lodge website calendar.
Put in a date in the future and all events throughout the state will result. Search for a particular event from sixteen different categories and all the events of that category will appear. Results up to one year in the future are displayed.
For example, looking for a Fellowcraft Degree in the state? Look no further than the website calendar search tool. Want to go to a Table Lodge? Do a search. Have nothing to do tomorrow night? Search for all events on that date.


 FROM THE EAST:

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Brothers,

  I have signed up to ride a 100 miles in one day to raise money for diabetes. The ride is called the Tour de Cure. As many of you may know my son is a Type 1 Diabetic and this ride is personal to me. If you would like to give anything on my behalf you can go to this link and donate for a worthy cause. You have to copy and paste the entire link to your browser to get to my personal page. Thank you and I hope to see you in lodge.

http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR/TourdeCure/A1ENE-NewEnglandArea?px=4558646&pg=personal&fr_id=8608


FROM THE WEST:

Reid208


Brothers one and all,

 

   A proper full report, of the Grand Lodge proceedings, will be reported by Bro. Birdsall who attended as proxy for our JW Jerry Swope. However, after attending the Grand Lodge session on April 8th there were a couple issues that caught my attention and are worthy of sharing. The subject has to do with Freemasonry and our Landmarks, which a committee has been reviewing to see that they work for the future. The first issue, which I tend to agree with, is with the actual definition of Freemasonry. As currently defined we believe in a Supreme Being but it is also written we believe in the Resurrection of the Body and Immortality of the Soul. The committee is recommending some modifications that would change the use of the word Resurrection of the Body to terms a little more compatible with our brothers that do not walk the path of Christian teachings, but still reverence a Supreme Being.

 

The matter of concern is with regard to Section 1003 Landmarks subpart iX which simple states “That the Lodge has the power to make Masons and to administer to its own private affairs.” This section needs no modifications in my mind and allows every Lodge to be autonomous and each have its own personality. Any additional addition to this clause will just give Grand Lodge the opportunity to meddle in what I feel is the personal business of an individual Lodge. Last year we received ideas on we should treat the reading of our minutes and how we should pay our bills from the Grand Lodge. I do not feel this is the business of Grand Lodge and we should conduct our Lodge business in a manner consistent with years of success. I will work hard against any changes to this Landmark in order to preserve our rights to govern and rule our own Lodge...

 

In short the Grand Lodge of Connecticut should have enough business of their own going on so as not to have to bother with the inner workings of our own lodge.

Reid Burdick, SW



 

CT. Traveling Masons Club
 
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Are you a Traveling Man? Do you enjoy visiting other lodges, but are not a fan of traveling alone to an unfamiliar lodge?  Brother Jim Johnson from Somerset St. James No.34 has the answer to your dilemma. Bro. Jim has founded the CT. Traveling Masons Club. This is a group that will travel to different lodges through out the state and beyond and all that is required is to sign up via email. When Bro. Jim has decided on a destination all that is needed is a courtesy email R.S.V.P. so that the receiving lodge knows how many brothers to expect. The group's maiden voyage was a visit to Union Lodge No. 31 on Jan. 3rd, 2013 and was happily received and introduced. My hat is off to Bro. Jim for taking the initiative and the time to form and administer this new traveling club. The success of the group however depends on you. Bro. Jim Johnson can be contacted via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information and sign up. As a Worshipful Master it is good to see brothers traveling in unity and Brother Jim and the CT Traveling Masons Club are always welcome at Union Lodge. Thank you Brother Jim for all your efforts. Godspeed.


 

 
Blue Lodge Council Meetings 2013
 

June 24th @ Bay View No. 120

September 30th @ Wooster No. 10

November 25th @ Union No. 31

                                                                                  

 

Online Masonic Discussion Group

Any brother Master Mason who would like to participate in a Masonic Discussion Group administered by Bro. Pat Trainor can do so by signing up via the link below. There is a wealth of archived material to view, but to access the archives you need to create a free gmail account. There are some lively discussions and subjects to test and improve your Masonic knowledge. Your opinions and comments are welcome and encouraged. If you have any trouble accessing the link you can email Bro. Pat at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

http://groups.google.com/group/MasonicResearch/sub?s=9aBGxQwAAADvK0_dx12l9caOEvCduhyn&hl=en

 

 
Welcome Brothers and Guests
dinner
Photo is from the dining hall at the "Old Union Lodge"

 ________________________________________________________________________________

The Bridge Builder is a poem written by Will Allen Dromgoole around the turn of the 20th Century. This poem is used by many fraternal societies to teach the importance of building for future generations.

Please take a moment to read this humble poem and reflect. What bridges have you built in your life?

The Bridge Builder

"An old man, going a lone highway,
Came, at the evening, cold and gray,
To a chasm, vast, and deep, and wide,
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.

The old man crossed in the twilight dim;
The sullen stream had no fear for him;
But he turned, when safe on the other side,
And built a bridge to span the tide.

"Old man," said a fellow pilgrim, near,
"You are wasting strength with building here;
Your journey will end with the ending day;
You never again will pass this way;
You've crossed the chasm, deep and wide-
Why build you this bridge at the evening tide?"

The builder lifted his old gray head:
"Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,
"There followeth after me today,
A youth, whose feet must pass this way.

This chasm, that has been naught to me,
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building this bridge for him.

 ________________________________________________________________________________

Union Lodge No. 31 meets on the first and third Thursdays of every month at 7:30pm. July and August meetings are the first Thursday only.

freemasonry


Modern Massonic Tracing Board by Greg Stewart




DIRECTIONS

From I-95 North or South, Take EXIT 74. At end of ramp take a RIGHT onto Rt.161 Flander's Road.

Proceed South on Flander's Road approximately 1 mile. At traffic signal turn RIGHT onto Society Road.

Proceed approximately 1/4 mile on Society Rd. Bay View Masonic Temple is on LEFT across from Middle School and Town Library

What is Freemasonry?

Freemasonry is the oldest fraternal organization in the world. It is dedicated to promoting improvement in the character of its members. A Mason is taught to be a good citizen. To be of good character. To care for those less fortunate, and to give back to his community.

Freemasonry is not a religion. This is not to say that Masons do not have religious beliefs. One of the tenets of the Masonic Fraternity is that its members are free to express their beliefs in the religion of their choice. However, it is also a condition of membership that each recognize that the wonders of the universe are not here as a result of our doing. But rather as a result of a Supreme Being, who brings order and purpose to our existence.

Membership in the Masonic Fraternity is an act of free will. A man must ask for the opportunity. The potential member must be at least eighteen years of age, of sound moral character, and able to express his belief in a Supreme Being.

The Masonic Fraternity believes that its members have an obligation to give back to their communities, and to benefit others. It is an important point to emphasize that Masons are taught to go about these tasks in a quiet, unassuming fashion. This is meant to impress upon our members that it is the work, and not the individual, that is of importance. It is also to preserve the dignity of those for whom the work is performed.

Feel free to email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for any questions, comments or requests for further information about membership.

Connecticut Freemasons: Making a difference here and around the world.