Cuban Freemasons Extol Life of Jose Rizal
15 April 2010 - The Philippine Embassy in Cuba reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that Philippine national hero Jose Rizal's virtues and heroism were extolled at a program on April 12 in Havana marking the 54th anniversary of the founding of the Jose Rizal Masonic Lodge of Cuba [Logia Masonica Jose Rizal].
In a stirring oratory, Marciano Perez Quintero, a prominent Cuban Freemason, touched the hearts of his listeners when he recounted the life of Rizal as a dedicated patriot who bore no hatred for those who snuffed out his life by firing squad "in a cold December morning".
Orator of the Lodge, Alfonso Hernandez Ramirez gave another moving account in poetry form, of how Rizal dedicated his life and talents to the goal of enlightening and liberating his people since his youth, and even in exile in Dapitan.
Guest speaker and Philippine Ambassador to Cuba Dr. MacArthur F. Corsino, a Master Mason himself [and a Senior DeMolay, mod.], stressed that the national heroes of both Cuba and the Philippines, Jose Marti and Jose Rizal, were Masons. He said that from their pens and their blood arose two free and independent nations.
Ambassador Corsino added that his affinity with Cuban Masons helped him in his work of strengthening Cuban-Philippine relations on a people-to-people level.
Conducted entirely in Spanish, the program began with remarks by the Master of Jose Rizal Lodge Rene Alberto Duarte Mustelier.
An overflow crowd of over 200 Freemasons and family members attended, at the 10th floor of the Grand Lodge Temple in midtown Havana.
The Jose Rizal Masonic Lodge of Cuba was founded in Havana on April 12, 1956 by a handful of Cuban Freemasons well-versed in the parallel developments of Cuban and Philippine history and appreciative of the greatness of Rizal.
Similar to the Philippines, the Cuban revolution against Spain was spearheaded by Freemasons. Aside from their national heroes Marti and Rizal being Freemasons, the leaders who first declared independence for their respective countries, were Freemasons: Carlos Manuel de Cespedes of Cuba in 1868 and Emilio Aguinaldo of the Philippines in 1898 - who also both became the first Presidents of their countries.
Although Cuba is a Communist state and belief in God as their first principle, Masonry remains a strong civic, non-political fraternity in the country. Founded in 1859, there are today over 40,000 Masons and 400 lodges across the island-nation.
[Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs dispatch.]
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Thursday, July 1, 2010
http://www.thebrownraise.org/2010/03/rizal-ang-orig-na-ofw/
http://www.thebrownraise.org/2010/03/rizal-ang-orig-na-ofw/
Rizal said, “[A traveler] lives more, because he sees, feels, enjoys, and studies more than one who has seen only the same fields and the same sky and to whom yesterday is the same as today and tomorrow; that is, his whole life, all his past, his present, and perhaps his future, can be reduced into the first dawn and the first sunset.”
Monday, June 21, 2010
Noynoy can learn from Rizal
By Dr. Pablo S. Trillana III
Contributor Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: June 18, 2010
Today, June 19, 2010, is the the 149th birth anniversary of our national hero Dr. Jose Rizal and is 11 days before Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III will take his oath as the 15th President of the Republic.
Rizal never held any office even remotely comparable to the presidency. But Aquino can learn a thing or two about leadership from Rizal's life as an exile in Dapitan.
Immediately after returning to the Philippines on June 26, 1892, Rizal was charged with smuggling anti-friar leaflets. Without the benefit of a trial, he was then shipped out to Dapitan. He arrived in that lonely Mindanao outpost, "the edge of nowhere," as writer Leon Ma. Guerrero described it, on July 17, 1892 and stayed there until July 31, 1896.
Before the Dapitan interlude, Rizal's two incendiary novels, "Noli Me Tangere" (Touch Me Not) and "El Filibusterismo, " (The Filibuster) had made waves in the Philippines, opening the eyes of Filipinos to their dismal condition. The increasingly restive natives alarmed the colonial government. The latter would have been more alarmed had they discovered that on July 3, 1892, Rizal founded the La Liga Filipina, a sub-rosa organization whose aim was to establish an ideal society, whose members were pledged "to mutual protection against any adversity, to provide defense against violence and injustice, to stimulate education, agriculture and commerce, to study and apply reforms…"
In Dapitan, Rizal found not a hermitage but windows for effecting social change. Losing no time, Rizal talked his commandant-warden, Ricardo Carnicero, into granting him freedom of movement. In return, he promised not to escape.
Rizal put up a school for boys that became his laboratory for molding the "whole man." Besides the basic subjects of reading, writing, mathematics, Spanish and English, he taught his pupils boxing, swimming, fencing and sailing. Agriculture and community work was part of his curriculum, as well as lessons that could be imparted only by real-life experiences. Often, he took his wards on perilous field trips to test their mettle. Rizal's whole man must be not only mentally and physically fit, he must also have the bravura to cope with the unpredictable world outside the classroom where intelligence was needed most.
Rizal also built a hospital. He earned good fees from the wealthy but treated the poor gratis. He continued to write poetry, sketch and sculpt. At the urging of Ferdinand Blumentritt, his Austrian friend, he worked on a Tagalog grammar and learned Bisayan.
Fr. Pablo Pastells, then the Jesuit superior in the Philippines, began a lengthy correspondence with Rizal in the hope of saving the brilliant Ateneo alumnus from his "shipwreck of faith." Rizal obliged with an epistolary debate, substantiating his arguments with the writings of philosophers and historians whom he quoted from memory, because he had no access to a library. Rizal was also in touch with leading ethnologists, botanists and zoologists in Europe, to whom he sent specimens of unusual plants and insects and sketches of unfamiliar animals, flowers and shells found in Dapitan. As a result of this exchange, a frog, a beetle and a lizard were named after him.
Rizal also engaged in the copra and hemp business. He formed a cooperative to help break the Chinese trade monopoly in Dapitan. He helped fishermen increase their catch by teaching them scientific fishing methods. He built Dapitan's first water system, lit its streets, drained its marshes to prevent malaria and beautified its plaza.
He even played lotto and won, investing his winnings in a sizable farm in Talisay, a seaside barrio, which he turned into a working plantation.
Several times during his exile, Rizal demanded that he be brought to trial and face judgment, and that if there were no further reasons for his exile, be set free. But his pleas fell on deaf ears. In February 1895 Rizal met the 18-year-old Josephine Bracken, the adopted daughter of one of his patients. The two fell in love, but were forbidden to marry in church unless Rizal "retracted his religious errors," specifically his embrace of freemasonry. Instead of bowing to the clergy, Rizal chose to live with Josephine as his wife, believing there was no impediment to their union before the eyes of God.
In June 1896 Rizal was visited by Pio Valenzuela, Bonifacio's emissary, who informed him about the Katipunan and the imminence of revolution. Rizal refused to endorse Bonifacio's plans for an armed struggle because they appeared fatally inadequate, though he suggested revolutionary tactics that might help the Katipunan.
All told, Dapitan showed a facet of Rizal's character that is often overlooked because of his larger-than- life image as idealist-martyr: his down-to-earth notion of social change. So even as he aimed for the stars, his feet were firmly planted on the ground.
In transforming backward Dapitan into a progressive community, Rizal demonstrated that he had a full grasp of the demands of development such as education, health services, infrastructure, livelihood, agriculture, security and the many other factors that empower people to live a better life. Without patronage, without resorting to bribery or any shady arrangement, without the authority invested by high position, Rizal created a model community, a microcosm of what the Philippines could become given a leadership that cared for it, exactly as he had envisioned in La Liga Filipina.
Aquino can have no better mentor as he begins to govern a nation so hungry for a leader who treads the high ground but at the same time can translate his idealism into reality.
Dr. Pablo S. Trillana III is the supreme commander of the Order of the Knights of Rizal.
Contributor Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: June 18, 2010
Today, June 19, 2010, is the the 149th birth anniversary of our national hero Dr. Jose Rizal and is 11 days before Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III will take his oath as the 15th President of the Republic.
Rizal never held any office even remotely comparable to the presidency. But Aquino can learn a thing or two about leadership from Rizal's life as an exile in Dapitan.
Immediately after returning to the Philippines on June 26, 1892, Rizal was charged with smuggling anti-friar leaflets. Without the benefit of a trial, he was then shipped out to Dapitan. He arrived in that lonely Mindanao outpost, "the edge of nowhere," as writer Leon Ma. Guerrero described it, on July 17, 1892 and stayed there until July 31, 1896.
Before the Dapitan interlude, Rizal's two incendiary novels, "Noli Me Tangere" (Touch Me Not) and "El Filibusterismo, " (The Filibuster) had made waves in the Philippines, opening the eyes of Filipinos to their dismal condition. The increasingly restive natives alarmed the colonial government. The latter would have been more alarmed had they discovered that on July 3, 1892, Rizal founded the La Liga Filipina, a sub-rosa organization whose aim was to establish an ideal society, whose members were pledged "to mutual protection against any adversity, to provide defense against violence and injustice, to stimulate education, agriculture and commerce, to study and apply reforms…"
In Dapitan, Rizal found not a hermitage but windows for effecting social change. Losing no time, Rizal talked his commandant-warden, Ricardo Carnicero, into granting him freedom of movement. In return, he promised not to escape.
Rizal put up a school for boys that became his laboratory for molding the "whole man." Besides the basic subjects of reading, writing, mathematics, Spanish and English, he taught his pupils boxing, swimming, fencing and sailing. Agriculture and community work was part of his curriculum, as well as lessons that could be imparted only by real-life experiences. Often, he took his wards on perilous field trips to test their mettle. Rizal's whole man must be not only mentally and physically fit, he must also have the bravura to cope with the unpredictable world outside the classroom where intelligence was needed most.
Rizal also built a hospital. He earned good fees from the wealthy but treated the poor gratis. He continued to write poetry, sketch and sculpt. At the urging of Ferdinand Blumentritt, his Austrian friend, he worked on a Tagalog grammar and learned Bisayan.
Fr. Pablo Pastells, then the Jesuit superior in the Philippines, began a lengthy correspondence with Rizal in the hope of saving the brilliant Ateneo alumnus from his "shipwreck of faith." Rizal obliged with an epistolary debate, substantiating his arguments with the writings of philosophers and historians whom he quoted from memory, because he had no access to a library. Rizal was also in touch with leading ethnologists, botanists and zoologists in Europe, to whom he sent specimens of unusual plants and insects and sketches of unfamiliar animals, flowers and shells found in Dapitan. As a result of this exchange, a frog, a beetle and a lizard were named after him.
Rizal also engaged in the copra and hemp business. He formed a cooperative to help break the Chinese trade monopoly in Dapitan. He helped fishermen increase their catch by teaching them scientific fishing methods. He built Dapitan's first water system, lit its streets, drained its marshes to prevent malaria and beautified its plaza.
He even played lotto and won, investing his winnings in a sizable farm in Talisay, a seaside barrio, which he turned into a working plantation.
Several times during his exile, Rizal demanded that he be brought to trial and face judgment, and that if there were no further reasons for his exile, be set free. But his pleas fell on deaf ears. In February 1895 Rizal met the 18-year-old Josephine Bracken, the adopted daughter of one of his patients. The two fell in love, but were forbidden to marry in church unless Rizal "retracted his religious errors," specifically his embrace of freemasonry. Instead of bowing to the clergy, Rizal chose to live with Josephine as his wife, believing there was no impediment to their union before the eyes of God.
In June 1896 Rizal was visited by Pio Valenzuela, Bonifacio's emissary, who informed him about the Katipunan and the imminence of revolution. Rizal refused to endorse Bonifacio's plans for an armed struggle because they appeared fatally inadequate, though he suggested revolutionary tactics that might help the Katipunan.
All told, Dapitan showed a facet of Rizal's character that is often overlooked because of his larger-than- life image as idealist-martyr: his down-to-earth notion of social change. So even as he aimed for the stars, his feet were firmly planted on the ground.
In transforming backward Dapitan into a progressive community, Rizal demonstrated that he had a full grasp of the demands of development such as education, health services, infrastructure, livelihood, agriculture, security and the many other factors that empower people to live a better life. Without patronage, without resorting to bribery or any shady arrangement, without the authority invested by high position, Rizal created a model community, a microcosm of what the Philippines could become given a leadership that cared for it, exactly as he had envisioned in La Liga Filipina.
Aquino can have no better mentor as he begins to govern a nation so hungry for a leader who treads the high ground but at the same time can translate his idealism into reality.
Dr. Pablo S. Trillana III is the supreme commander of the Order of the Knights of Rizal.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Aphorisms on Freemasonry by George Oliver
Selected aphorisms from The Book of the Lodge by George Oliver (1782-1867)
I: Freemasonry is a beautiful system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols.
II: If you remain silent when Freemasonry is attacked, you condemn by your actions what your conscience approves.
III: As you are a Christian Mason, you must on all occasions study to perform the duties of Christian morality, which are comprehended under the triple category of God, your neighbour and yourself.
IV: The benefits to be derived from Masonry are well described by Ovid and Horace, when they say, -"Ingenuas didicisse fideliter artes emollit mores. Asperitatis et invidiae corrector et irae; " which may be translated thus: "To have learnt the liberal arts faithfully, softens the manners and operates as a fine corrector of ill-nature, envy, and anger.
V: To subdue the passions has been the universal aim of all mankind. All have placed their hopes upon it; and hence sprang the first idea of the Γνωθι Σηαυτον, which was inscribed on the portal of heathen temples, that it might prove a stimulus to virtue, of which it was the first lesson, and lead to the desirable consummation, in which all excellence was blended, of subduing the passions.
VI: If you intend to pursue the study of Masonry to any beneficial result, it is indispensable that you attend the Lodge regularly. This is your apprenticeship, and without it you will never become a bright Mason. There is no royal road to science.
VII: A Lodge is not to be understood simply as a place where Masons assemble for the dispatch of business, but of the aggregate body of its members. The latter is, strictly speaking, the Lodge; the former is only the Lodge-room.
VIII: An incompetent person in the chair of the Lodge, is like a hawk on the wing, from which all the inferior birds hasten to escape, and leave him the sole tenant of the sky. In the same manner, such a Master will cause the Lodge to be deserted by its best Members, and be left alone in his glory.
IX: If you mean to attend your Lodge, be there at the hour mentioned in the summons. Whoever is late, disturbs the Brethren, and interrupts the business of the Lodge.
X: When seated, recollect your situation. If you are an Officer, do your duty, and nothing more. If you are simply a Brother, your business is to hear, and not to speak. An officious interference is unbecoming in a Mason: it may do harm, and cannot, by any possibility, be productive of good.
XI: Be always obedient to the Chair. Obedience is a virtue of the greatest importance to your own character as a Mason, and to the general welfare of the Lodge. Without obedience Wisdom would be inoperative, Strength would lose its power, and Beauty its grace; and confusion and discord would soon banish the occupants of the holy ground.
XII: Never by any chance or persuasion suffer yourself to be inveigled into a party hostile to the Officers in charge of the Lodge. If you do, you will be a marked man, and your progress in Masonry will be rendered doubtful, if not altogether prevented.
XIII: During the period when serious business occupies the attention of the Brethren, you must not leave your seat, or engage in conversation with your neighbours, not even in whispers; neither should you move the chair or bench on which you are seated, or make any other noise to disturb the Master or his Officers in the orderly execution of their respective duties. Silence is the leading characteristic of a well-regulated Lodge. I have known many good Lodges spoiled for want of a due attention to these trifling particulars.
XXV: Never enter into a dispute with a cowan. Like the deaf adder he will stop his ears, and refuse to hear the voice of the charmer, charm he never so wisely. No matter how clear are your facts, or how convincing your arguments, still he will turn an incredulous ear to your reasoning. Though you anxiously cry out, Oh, Baal, hear us, and even cut yourself with knives and lancets to bespeak his attention, there will be neither voice nor any answer, nor any that regardeth. You may as well endeavour to extinguish the sun by pelting it with snowballs, or to cut rocks in pieces with a razor, as to make any genial impression on the mind of a professed cowan.
XXVI: What is the reason Bro. ____ makes so little progress in Masonry? -Indolence. Why did Bro. ____ fail to establish a good character as the Master of his Lodge? -Because he was not an industrious person. Do you inquire why Bro. ____ never passed to the Second Degree? -I answer, because he was constitutionally idle. Indolence is the prolific parent of numerous other vices. Bad habits may be subdued, selfishness may be reformed, and passion held in check, but indolence is rarely, if ever, conquered.
XXX. Silence, secrecy, and calmness of temper, are the unmistakable marks of a genuine Mason. If you hear any one make an incessant boast of his knowledge, you may set him down as an empty chatterer. Noise is not wisdom. Those who ostentatiously proclaim their own merits may for a time enjoy the satisfaction of deceit, yet in the end their pretensions are sure to be unmasked.
XXXII. Do you hear a man boast of his abilities, his attainments, his dignity, or his position in life? Intrust him not with your secrets.
XXXIV. When in the Lodge, beware of contentions brethren. Truth is as little an object with them as brotherly love. They will wrangle against truth as freely as against error, whether defeated or victorious, they will still argue and quarrel, question and dispute, until they have banished every right-minded Brother from the Lodge.
LVII: How many disputes arise out of trifles! And how greatly would they be diminished if every one would deliberately ask himself this question -- whether is it better to sacrifice a point which is of no value, or to lose a friend more precious than rubies?
LIX: Before you pronounce a man to be a good Mason, let him pass the Chair. That is the test which will infallibly display both virtues and failing, mental imbecility and moral strength. If he pass through his year of apparent honour, but real trial, creditably, he will have nobly earned the character of a worthy and intelligent Mason.
LXII: When a cowan critises the science, answer him not, but listen attentively to his words. They may perchance recall some point, part, or secret to your recollection, which has escaped your notice, for the castigations of the cowan are not without their use and benefit; "Like the toad -- ugly and venomous, Which wears a precious jewel in its head."
LXV: Esteem the Brother who takes a pleasure in acts of charity, and never babbles about it; take him to your bosom, and cherish him as a credit to Masonry and an honour to mankind.
LXIX: Be very cautious whom you recommend as a candidate for initiation; one false step on this point may be fatal. If you introduce a disputatious person, confusion will be produced, which may end in the dissolution of the Lodge. If you have a good Lodge, keep it select. Great numbers are not always beneficial.
LXXI: He is a wise Brother who knows how to conclude a speech when he has said all that is pertinent to the subject.
XCIII: The great secret for improving the memory, may be found in exercise, practice, and labour. Nothing is so much improved by care, or injured by neglect, as the memory.
XCVII: As the Lodge is opened with the rising sun, in the name of T.G.A.O.T.U. , and closed at its setting in peace, harmony, and brotherly love, so, if you have any animosity against a Brother Mason, let not the sun sink in the West without being witness to your reconciliation. Early explanations prevent long-continued enmities.
-----------------------------------
November 5, 1782 - March 3, 1867
One of the most distinguished and learned of English freemasons, George Oliver is remembered as a laborious antiquary and author on both masonic and ecclesiastical themes.
While his erroneous theories and fanciful speculations on the early history of Freemasonry must be rejected, his laborious researches and genuine scholarship requires that he be placed as the founder of what may well be called the literary school of Freemasonry.
Initiated: 1801
Saint Peter’s Lodge, Peterborough
Provincial Grand Steward: 1813
Provincial Deputy Grand Master, Lincolnshire: 1832
Past Deputy Grand Master, Massachusetts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, Albert Mackey.
I: Freemasonry is a beautiful system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols.
II: If you remain silent when Freemasonry is attacked, you condemn by your actions what your conscience approves.
III: As you are a Christian Mason, you must on all occasions study to perform the duties of Christian morality, which are comprehended under the triple category of God, your neighbour and yourself.
IV: The benefits to be derived from Masonry are well described by Ovid and Horace, when they say, -"Ingenuas didicisse fideliter artes emollit mores. Asperitatis et invidiae corrector et irae; " which may be translated thus: "To have learnt the liberal arts faithfully, softens the manners and operates as a fine corrector of ill-nature, envy, and anger.
V: To subdue the passions has been the universal aim of all mankind. All have placed their hopes upon it; and hence sprang the first idea of the Γνωθι Σηαυτον, which was inscribed on the portal of heathen temples, that it might prove a stimulus to virtue, of which it was the first lesson, and lead to the desirable consummation, in which all excellence was blended, of subduing the passions.
VI: If you intend to pursue the study of Masonry to any beneficial result, it is indispensable that you attend the Lodge regularly. This is your apprenticeship, and without it you will never become a bright Mason. There is no royal road to science.
VII: A Lodge is not to be understood simply as a place where Masons assemble for the dispatch of business, but of the aggregate body of its members. The latter is, strictly speaking, the Lodge; the former is only the Lodge-room.
VIII: An incompetent person in the chair of the Lodge, is like a hawk on the wing, from which all the inferior birds hasten to escape, and leave him the sole tenant of the sky. In the same manner, such a Master will cause the Lodge to be deserted by its best Members, and be left alone in his glory.
IX: If you mean to attend your Lodge, be there at the hour mentioned in the summons. Whoever is late, disturbs the Brethren, and interrupts the business of the Lodge.
X: When seated, recollect your situation. If you are an Officer, do your duty, and nothing more. If you are simply a Brother, your business is to hear, and not to speak. An officious interference is unbecoming in a Mason: it may do harm, and cannot, by any possibility, be productive of good.
XI: Be always obedient to the Chair. Obedience is a virtue of the greatest importance to your own character as a Mason, and to the general welfare of the Lodge. Without obedience Wisdom would be inoperative, Strength would lose its power, and Beauty its grace; and confusion and discord would soon banish the occupants of the holy ground.
XII: Never by any chance or persuasion suffer yourself to be inveigled into a party hostile to the Officers in charge of the Lodge. If you do, you will be a marked man, and your progress in Masonry will be rendered doubtful, if not altogether prevented.
XIII: During the period when serious business occupies the attention of the Brethren, you must not leave your seat, or engage in conversation with your neighbours, not even in whispers; neither should you move the chair or bench on which you are seated, or make any other noise to disturb the Master or his Officers in the orderly execution of their respective duties. Silence is the leading characteristic of a well-regulated Lodge. I have known many good Lodges spoiled for want of a due attention to these trifling particulars.
XXV: Never enter into a dispute with a cowan. Like the deaf adder he will stop his ears, and refuse to hear the voice of the charmer, charm he never so wisely. No matter how clear are your facts, or how convincing your arguments, still he will turn an incredulous ear to your reasoning. Though you anxiously cry out, Oh, Baal, hear us, and even cut yourself with knives and lancets to bespeak his attention, there will be neither voice nor any answer, nor any that regardeth. You may as well endeavour to extinguish the sun by pelting it with snowballs, or to cut rocks in pieces with a razor, as to make any genial impression on the mind of a professed cowan.
XXVI: What is the reason Bro. ____ makes so little progress in Masonry? -Indolence. Why did Bro. ____ fail to establish a good character as the Master of his Lodge? -Because he was not an industrious person. Do you inquire why Bro. ____ never passed to the Second Degree? -I answer, because he was constitutionally idle. Indolence is the prolific parent of numerous other vices. Bad habits may be subdued, selfishness may be reformed, and passion held in check, but indolence is rarely, if ever, conquered.
XXX. Silence, secrecy, and calmness of temper, are the unmistakable marks of a genuine Mason. If you hear any one make an incessant boast of his knowledge, you may set him down as an empty chatterer. Noise is not wisdom. Those who ostentatiously proclaim their own merits may for a time enjoy the satisfaction of deceit, yet in the end their pretensions are sure to be unmasked.
XXXII. Do you hear a man boast of his abilities, his attainments, his dignity, or his position in life? Intrust him not with your secrets.
XXXIV. When in the Lodge, beware of contentions brethren. Truth is as little an object with them as brotherly love. They will wrangle against truth as freely as against error, whether defeated or victorious, they will still argue and quarrel, question and dispute, until they have banished every right-minded Brother from the Lodge.
LVII: How many disputes arise out of trifles! And how greatly would they be diminished if every one would deliberately ask himself this question -- whether is it better to sacrifice a point which is of no value, or to lose a friend more precious than rubies?
LIX: Before you pronounce a man to be a good Mason, let him pass the Chair. That is the test which will infallibly display both virtues and failing, mental imbecility and moral strength. If he pass through his year of apparent honour, but real trial, creditably, he will have nobly earned the character of a worthy and intelligent Mason.
LXII: When a cowan critises the science, answer him not, but listen attentively to his words. They may perchance recall some point, part, or secret to your recollection, which has escaped your notice, for the castigations of the cowan are not without their use and benefit; "Like the toad -- ugly and venomous, Which wears a precious jewel in its head."
LXV: Esteem the Brother who takes a pleasure in acts of charity, and never babbles about it; take him to your bosom, and cherish him as a credit to Masonry and an honour to mankind.
LXIX: Be very cautious whom you recommend as a candidate for initiation; one false step on this point may be fatal. If you introduce a disputatious person, confusion will be produced, which may end in the dissolution of the Lodge. If you have a good Lodge, keep it select. Great numbers are not always beneficial.
LXXI: He is a wise Brother who knows how to conclude a speech when he has said all that is pertinent to the subject.
XCIII: The great secret for improving the memory, may be found in exercise, practice, and labour. Nothing is so much improved by care, or injured by neglect, as the memory.
XCVII: As the Lodge is opened with the rising sun, in the name of T.G.A.O.T.U. , and closed at its setting in peace, harmony, and brotherly love, so, if you have any animosity against a Brother Mason, let not the sun sink in the West without being witness to your reconciliation. Early explanations prevent long-continued enmities.
-----------------------------------
November 5, 1782 - March 3, 1867
One of the most distinguished and learned of English freemasons, George Oliver is remembered as a laborious antiquary and author on both masonic and ecclesiastical themes.
While his erroneous theories and fanciful speculations on the early history of Freemasonry must be rejected, his laborious researches and genuine scholarship requires that he be placed as the founder of what may well be called the literary school of Freemasonry.
Initiated: 1801
Saint Peter’s Lodge, Peterborough
Provincial Grand Steward: 1813
Provincial Deputy Grand Master, Lincolnshire: 1832
Past Deputy Grand Master, Massachusetts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, Albert Mackey.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Junior Warden's Corner: Well Done March Group!
Brethren and Sisters,
I would like to express my appreciation to the "MARCH GROUP" for a job well done at the FESTIVE BOARD during our stated meeting last Saturday, 13 March 2010. There is no doubt the brethren present were very pleased with the sumptuous food that your group have prepared for the evening.
Special thank you to your wives [Sis Irene, Sis Remy, Sis Chona] and other ladies [Sis Mila, Sis Eugene] who in one way or another helped and assisted in cooking, serving and washing the dishes. Also, I would like to thank the brethren for giving a helping hand putting away the tables and chairs, paving way for everyone to knock off early after a hectic day of preparation.
I trust that we will maintain helping each other to make job easier for everyone. I could not wait for the MAY GROUP (Bros Dobson, Elizes, Fidel, Flores & Ilaya) to show their "masterpiece" in cooking.
Sincerely & fraternally,
Rudy
------------------------------------
I would like to personally thank Bro Nomy Adriano, Bro Joel Cabides, Bro Butch Canicula, Bro Izzy De Guzman and Bro Manny Santos [who, despite his absence in the meeting helped in the preparation in the morning!] for helping out in the Festive Board. As always, we wouldn't have done all these without the support of the above ladies, our Junior Warden, WBro Rudy Romerosa, our WM, VWBro Manny Maniago and Bro Manny Placido for arranging the music and PA system.
Also thank you to all the brethren who attended and helped out in the Festive Board, it sure made the work easier because of your concerted effort. Rest assured we will also help out the next Festive Board group!
Regards,
Mario Jr
I would like to express my appreciation to the "MARCH GROUP" for a job well done at the FESTIVE BOARD during our stated meeting last Saturday, 13 March 2010. There is no doubt the brethren present were very pleased with the sumptuous food that your group have prepared for the evening.
Special thank you to your wives [Sis Irene, Sis Remy, Sis Chona] and other ladies [Sis Mila, Sis Eugene] who in one way or another helped and assisted in cooking, serving and washing the dishes. Also, I would like to thank the brethren for giving a helping hand putting away the tables and chairs, paving way for everyone to knock off early after a hectic day of preparation.
I trust that we will maintain helping each other to make job easier for everyone. I could not wait for the MAY GROUP (Bros Dobson, Elizes, Fidel, Flores & Ilaya) to show their "masterpiece" in cooking.
Sincerely & fraternally,
Rudy
------------------------------------
I would like to personally thank Bro Nomy Adriano, Bro Joel Cabides, Bro Butch Canicula, Bro Izzy De Guzman and Bro Manny Santos [who, despite his absence in the meeting helped in the preparation in the morning!] for helping out in the Festive Board. As always, we wouldn't have done all these without the support of the above ladies, our Junior Warden, WBro Rudy Romerosa, our WM, VWBro Manny Maniago and Bro Manny Placido for arranging the music and PA system.
Also thank you to all the brethren who attended and helped out in the Festive Board, it sure made the work easier because of your concerted effort. Rest assured we will also help out the next Festive Board group!
Regards,
Mario Jr
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Festive Board Committee Year 2010
As a result of last Sunday's Management meeting, our Junior Warden, WBro Rudy Romerosa formed a committee and groupings for the purpose of making everyone involved actively in the affairs of our Lodge.
Below is the group composition for the Festive Board for the year 2010. The group will be in charge of the following:
1. Coordinate with each group member the menu for the festive board.
2. Cook the menu for the festive board.
3. Set up the hall (tables and chairs).
4. Clean the hall after the festive board.
a) Place all tables in the trolley.
b) Stack all chairs.
c) Vacuum/sweep the floor.
d) Dispose all rubbish.
e) Wash all the dishes.
f) Clean the kitchen.
g) Switch off the fridge and aircon before knocking off.
h) Wash table clothes and hand it over to the next group in-charge of the festive board.
5. Prepare nibbles (finger food), drinks prior to the meeting.
6. Buy drinks (beer, wine, soft drinks and water).
MARCH GROUP:
1. BRO N ADRIANO
2. BRO M BAYLON JR
3. BRO J CABIDES
4. BRO E CANICULA
5. BRO I DE GUZMAN
MAY GROUP:
1. W BRO R DOBSON
2. BRO J ELIZES
3. BRO M FIDEL
4. W BRO V FLORES
5. BRO R ILAYA [off on holidays - need to swap with another brother]
JULY GROUP:
1. W BRO R MANARANG
2. BRO R MARTINEZ
3. W BRO H MATEO
4. BRO N OBRERO
5. BRO S PAJE
SEPTEMBER GROUP:
1. W BRO F PAMPLONA
2. RW BRO R PORRAS
3. BRO R PURIFICACION
4. BRO K REGALADO
5. BRO V REYES
NOVEMBER GROUP (INSTALLATION)
1. W BRO R ROMEROSA
2. BRO J ROSON
3. BRO A SAPUTIL
4. BRO A SESE
5. W BRO J STA MARIA
6. BRO URQUEZA
ENTERTAINMENT OFFICERS (SETTING UP THE PA SYSTEM AND MUSIC)
1. BRO M PLACIDO
2. BRO M SANTOS
NOTES:
1. EACH GROUP TO DESIGNATE THEIR OWN GROUP LEADER.
2. DESIGNATED GROUP LEADER TO LIAISE WITH THE JUNIOR WARDEN RE LOGISTICAL
SUPPORT.
3. THE GROUPINGS WILL BE REVIEWED EVERY YEAR FOLLOWING THE NOVEMBER
INSTALLATION.
4. EVERY BROTHER OF LJR IS EXPECTED TO EXTEND A HELPING HAND TO THE GROUP IN-CHARGE OF THE FESTIVE BOARD EVERY MEETING.
5. FOOD WARMERS ARE AVAILABLE IF NEEDED.
6. EVERY MEMBER OF LJR IS EXPECTED TO GET INVOLVE IN THE SMOOTH RUNNING OF THE LODGE.
Fraternally,
Rudy
Below is the group composition for the Festive Board for the year 2010. The group will be in charge of the following:
1. Coordinate with each group member the menu for the festive board.
2. Cook the menu for the festive board.
3. Set up the hall (tables and chairs).
4. Clean the hall after the festive board.
a) Place all tables in the trolley.
b) Stack all chairs.
c) Vacuum/sweep the floor.
d) Dispose all rubbish.
e) Wash all the dishes.
f) Clean the kitchen.
g) Switch off the fridge and aircon before knocking off.
h) Wash table clothes and hand it over to the next group in-charge of the festive board.
5. Prepare nibbles (finger food), drinks prior to the meeting.
6. Buy drinks (beer, wine, soft drinks and water).
MARCH GROUP:
1. BRO N ADRIANO
2. BRO M BAYLON JR
3. BRO J CABIDES
4. BRO E CANICULA
5. BRO I DE GUZMAN
MAY GROUP:
1. W BRO R DOBSON
2. BRO J ELIZES
3. BRO M FIDEL
4. W BRO V FLORES
5. BRO R ILAYA [off on holidays - need to swap with another brother]
JULY GROUP:
1. W BRO R MANARANG
2. BRO R MARTINEZ
3. W BRO H MATEO
4. BRO N OBRERO
5. BRO S PAJE
SEPTEMBER GROUP:
1. W BRO F PAMPLONA
2. RW BRO R PORRAS
3. BRO R PURIFICACION
4. BRO K REGALADO
5. BRO V REYES
NOVEMBER GROUP (INSTALLATION)
1. W BRO R ROMEROSA
2. BRO J ROSON
3. BRO A SAPUTIL
4. BRO A SESE
5. W BRO J STA MARIA
6. BRO URQUEZA
ENTERTAINMENT OFFICERS (SETTING UP THE PA SYSTEM AND MUSIC)
1. BRO M PLACIDO
2. BRO M SANTOS
NOTES:
1. EACH GROUP TO DESIGNATE THEIR OWN GROUP LEADER.
2. DESIGNATED GROUP LEADER TO LIAISE WITH THE JUNIOR WARDEN RE LOGISTICAL
SUPPORT.
3. THE GROUPINGS WILL BE REVIEWED EVERY YEAR FOLLOWING THE NOVEMBER
INSTALLATION.
4. EVERY BROTHER OF LJR IS EXPECTED TO EXTEND A HELPING HAND TO THE GROUP IN-CHARGE OF THE FESTIVE BOARD EVERY MEETING.
5. FOOD WARMERS ARE AVAILABLE IF NEEDED.
6. EVERY MEMBER OF LJR IS EXPECTED TO GET INVOLVE IN THE SMOOTH RUNNING OF THE LODGE.
Fraternally,
Rudy
Monday, February 8, 2010
All Work Is Worthy
[Presented By: R.W. Bro. Douglas Franklin, Past DDGM, Ottawa District 1]
I feel privileged to be brought up believing that all work is worthy. From the most humble tasks to massive, earth-changing feats, all work should be valued. I can appreciate a spotless public washroom, and the attitude of those who take their cleaning work seriously. Like you, I can also appreciate well-crafted entertainment. I can even admire a well-written contract.
On becoming a Mason, I became impressed by the teamwork in a Lodge. Dozens of jobs to do, and dozens of Brethren to tell the Secretary how to do them!
We speak about a Lodge at work. Our Work—the ritual and rubrics—is still at the very heart of our Craft. We soon recognize that a successful Lodge engages many of its Brethren in degree work, through the regular progression of officers in the chairs, through members’ nights, step-up nights, and Past Masters’ nights. It is a plain truth in the life of a Lodge that the more the work is spread, the stronger the Lodge will be. A Lodge can certainly get by if every Brother taking part in a degree knows his work. But, a Lodge will flourish if Brethren learn more than is expected of them. For instance, all Master Masons should learn and deliver ritual work.
Sharing in Lodge work also means putting on festive boards and entertainment, convening special events and ladies nights, as well as fundraising. Some of the Brethren, who are not inclined to do degree work, shine in other areas. We should respect them for this, and thank them for their efforts. How often do we actually take a moment, and tell them we appreciate their work? We have heard it said, over and over, that anything you may feel disposed to give will be thankfully received and faithfully applied. My Brethren, I believe that this also applies when a Mason gives something perhaps even more precious today than his money—his time and efforts. Whatever it is, whether arranging a gala evening or auditing the Lodge books, requires particular skills and dedication.
How often do we say to a Brother, after an excellent delivery of ritual, “Good work!” or “Well done!”? Surely we can also express our thanks for a good meal, or say to a Brother who has given his best for his Lodge, “I appreciate what you are doing.” It only takes a moment, but it will be remembered for a long time.
I would like to share with you a true story of Masonic work—both humble and great at the same time.
I once visited a lodge in another jurisdiction, and noticed that a Past Grand Master was sitting as Junior Steward. Surely, I thought to myself, he’s just filling in for the evening. Wrong. I looked at the summons and saw that the Most Worshipful Brother was indeed Junior Steward. “Oh”, I said to myself, “A really high-class recycling job.” Wrong again. Our Junior Steward did his degree floor work and delivered his ritual part with grace and aplomb.
At the close of Lodge, I wanted to introduce myself to the Junior Steward and compliment him on his work, but I was cut short, as he told me he had to be at the festive board that was about to start. The esteemed Brother would no doubt be at the head table. How wrong could I be! With his Senior Steward and other Brethren, he helped to serve the meal. “They must be short of help,” I said to myself. There he was, with a coffee pot in his hand, greeting his Brethren and serving them, with a smile.
Following the Junior Warden’s Toast, I finally had an opportunity to chat with the Most Worshipful Brother. His positive outlook and self-effacing sincerity were most refreshing. Yes, he agreed to serve as Junior Steward for a year, not because his Lodge had to recycle Past Grand Masters, but because his Brother, the one appointed to be in this office, was serving his country, in the Royal Canadian Navy, on duty in the Middle East. “I am also doing this,” he quietly told me, “to value his work. He is putting his life on the line as my Brother, the least I can do is a reasonable job for him in Lodge.”
Forever, I will carry this with me as a living Masonic example of my belief that, “All work is worthy.”
*Reprinted from The Newsletter of the Committee on Masonic Education, Vol 19 No 4.
I feel privileged to be brought up believing that all work is worthy. From the most humble tasks to massive, earth-changing feats, all work should be valued. I can appreciate a spotless public washroom, and the attitude of those who take their cleaning work seriously. Like you, I can also appreciate well-crafted entertainment. I can even admire a well-written contract.
On becoming a Mason, I became impressed by the teamwork in a Lodge. Dozens of jobs to do, and dozens of Brethren to tell the Secretary how to do them!
We speak about a Lodge at work. Our Work—the ritual and rubrics—is still at the very heart of our Craft. We soon recognize that a successful Lodge engages many of its Brethren in degree work, through the regular progression of officers in the chairs, through members’ nights, step-up nights, and Past Masters’ nights. It is a plain truth in the life of a Lodge that the more the work is spread, the stronger the Lodge will be. A Lodge can certainly get by if every Brother taking part in a degree knows his work. But, a Lodge will flourish if Brethren learn more than is expected of them. For instance, all Master Masons should learn and deliver ritual work.
Sharing in Lodge work also means putting on festive boards and entertainment, convening special events and ladies nights, as well as fundraising. Some of the Brethren, who are not inclined to do degree work, shine in other areas. We should respect them for this, and thank them for their efforts. How often do we actually take a moment, and tell them we appreciate their work? We have heard it said, over and over, that anything you may feel disposed to give will be thankfully received and faithfully applied. My Brethren, I believe that this also applies when a Mason gives something perhaps even more precious today than his money—his time and efforts. Whatever it is, whether arranging a gala evening or auditing the Lodge books, requires particular skills and dedication.
How often do we say to a Brother, after an excellent delivery of ritual, “Good work!” or “Well done!”? Surely we can also express our thanks for a good meal, or say to a Brother who has given his best for his Lodge, “I appreciate what you are doing.” It only takes a moment, but it will be remembered for a long time.
I would like to share with you a true story of Masonic work—both humble and great at the same time.
I once visited a lodge in another jurisdiction, and noticed that a Past Grand Master was sitting as Junior Steward. Surely, I thought to myself, he’s just filling in for the evening. Wrong. I looked at the summons and saw that the Most Worshipful Brother was indeed Junior Steward. “Oh”, I said to myself, “A really high-class recycling job.” Wrong again. Our Junior Steward did his degree floor work and delivered his ritual part with grace and aplomb.
At the close of Lodge, I wanted to introduce myself to the Junior Steward and compliment him on his work, but I was cut short, as he told me he had to be at the festive board that was about to start. The esteemed Brother would no doubt be at the head table. How wrong could I be! With his Senior Steward and other Brethren, he helped to serve the meal. “They must be short of help,” I said to myself. There he was, with a coffee pot in his hand, greeting his Brethren and serving them, with a smile.
Following the Junior Warden’s Toast, I finally had an opportunity to chat with the Most Worshipful Brother. His positive outlook and self-effacing sincerity were most refreshing. Yes, he agreed to serve as Junior Steward for a year, not because his Lodge had to recycle Past Grand Masters, but because his Brother, the one appointed to be in this office, was serving his country, in the Royal Canadian Navy, on duty in the Middle East. “I am also doing this,” he quietly told me, “to value his work. He is putting his life on the line as my Brother, the least I can do is a reasonable job for him in Lodge.”
Forever, I will carry this with me as a living Masonic example of my belief that, “All work is worthy.”
*Reprinted from The Newsletter of the Committee on Masonic Education, Vol 19 No 4.
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