2015 UGL NSW & ACT Grand Installation

LJR's Regular Meeting - 9 May 2015

Numbers exceeding fifty, including the Brethren, their Ladies, family and friends, not forgetting

the “tiny tots”, were in attendance at the Castle Hill Masonic Centre on Saturday night the

Ninth of May for Lodge Jose Rizal’s Forty First meeting, where, in a very impressive manner,

Bro Timothy Glanville was passed to the second degree. 

With Worshipful Bro. Mario Baylon Jnr. “In the Chair”, WBro Manuel Santos as I. P. M., WBro

Vince Flores as Director of Ceremonies and WBro Fred Sese as Tyler, the Lodge tyled at little

after six o’clock and the minutes and correspondence were quickly presented by the Lodge

Secretary, RWBro Fidel Pamplona and accepted by the Brethren. Likewise the accounts and

money matters were presented by the Lodge Treasurer, WBro Manuel Santos and passed

for payment without comment. 

All visitors were then admitted and in view of three Installations taking place within the area on

the same night, the Worshipful Master thanked all for their unswerving support and attendance.

With Lodge Jose Rizal being almost certain to be awarded Accreditation at the June Grand

Lodge Communication [June 10], RWBro Pamplona urged all members of the Lodge to be in

attendance to show acknowledgement and appreciation on the night. 

The Worshipful Master, WBro Mario Baylon, Jnr announced the Affiliation Acceptance of Bro.

Gerardo  Musa, Jnr., who, after all formalities were successfully completed, was duly admitted

into the Lodge Room and made most welcome with loud acclamation. 

The work of the evening, which was to pass Bro Glanville to the second degree, then commenced

with the Junior Deacon, Bro Roberto Urqueza, presenting the candidate to the Worshipful

Master for the Preliminary Examination. Bro Glanville, obviously being well tutored by

his mentors, Bro Rajeev Kalra and Bro Myles Eusebio, had no problems with the examination

and spoke in a loud and confident voice, the examination over and after all Entered Apprentices

were retired, the Worshipful Master gave Bro Glanville further instruction before he was

retired under the capable hand of the Senior Deacon, Bro Roderick Buenavista and the Lodge

was opened in the Second Degree. 

An alarm was then sounded and the candidate was re admitted and duly passed to the second

degree. The work conducted at Lodge Jose Rizal is without exception, always a joy to watch

and a pleasure to listen to and the evening of May the Ninth 2015 was no exception, with all

the work, with exception of the signs and secrets, carried out by Master Masons and on completion

of the ceremony, showing much wisdom, the Worshipful Master asked the Candidate's

Mentors to come forward and congratulate Bro Glanville, which they did with much enthusiasm.

With the newly passed Brother taking his seat in the South East Corner, the Lodge was returned

to the First Degree and further business was discussed and announcements made.

It was agreed that the June meeting should be an informal evening in the form of a social

gathering with no regalia in the Lodge Room and inquiries were to be made to acquire an interesting speaker for the night, the next main meeting scheduled is on the fourth of July. 

There being no further business, the Worshipful Master closed the Lodge and all retired to the

South to join the Ladies, family and friends at the festive board. 

After Grace was recited by the Lodge Chaplain, Bro Julio Roson, the Worshipful Master proposed

The Loyal Toast before all totally enjoyed a delicious food, for which Lodge Jose Rizal is renowned,
 prepared and presented as only the “Ladies of the Lodge” can do.  

Bro Myles Eusebio then proposed a toast to The Newly Passed Brother and in his response, Bro Glanville, with much sincerity, thanked all, his sponsors in particular, for their support and encouragement he had received along the way in his Masonic Journey thus far. 

Bro Roderick Buenavista then proposed a toast to “Our Ladies and Our Visitors”, concluding

the toast with the “Lodge Jose Rizal” Visitors Honours which are always given with much sincerity

and meaning:

                             “We Hold You in Our Hearts”

                                "We Embrace as a Family”

                                  "We Honour Your Friendship"

The toast was responded to by the Worshipful Master elect of Lodge Woronora, Bro Emmanuel Konitopoulos who, in congratulating the Candidate and thanking Lodge Jose Rizal for such and enjoyable evening, invited all to his forth coming Installation on 27th of June. 2015. 

The Raffle was then drawn with the usual fun, frivolity and good will always associated with

Lodge Jose Rizal, before Bro Paolo Beringuel proposed the Junior Warden’s toast and whilst

some, with long distance to travel, ventured out into the cold Autumn night and made their way

to their respective homes, others stayed on and partied well into the night in the true festive

spirit of Lodge Jose Rizal. 

Such was the May meeting of one of the most progressive Lodges in the Fraternity and definitely

the most hospitable. We wish them well in their quest for accreditation which will set a

standard that will remain for many, many, years to come, for other Lodges to pursue.

              "To our Next Happy Meeting at lodge Jose Rizal No 1045”

From The Region 2 & District 25 Newsletter: 

By RWBro Bruce Quirk, PAGM

Lodge Committees 2014-2015

Management Committee

WM - W Bro Mario Baylon Jr

SW - Bro Micvi Fidel

JW - Bro Paolo Beringuel

Lodge Officers

Trustees

RW Bro Fidel Pamplona, PSGW

RW Bro Manny Maniago, PAGM

VW Bro Rudy Romerosa, PDGDC

W Bro Mario Baylon Jr

W Bro Manny Santos

Ritual, Mentoring & Education Committee

DC - W Bro Kris Albano

Assistant DC - VW Bro Rudy Romerosa, PDGDC

Senior Warden - Bro Micvi Fidel

Education Officer - RW Bro Rey Porras, PSGW

Membership Officers- RW Bro Manny Maniago, PAGM
W Bro Vicente Flores

and other qualified members

Nominations/Benevolence Committee

WM - W Bro Mario Baylon Jr

SW - Bro Micvi Fidel

JW - Bro Paolo Beringuel

Secretary - RW Bro Fidel Pamplona, PSGW

Treasurer - W Bro Manny Santos

and Trustees

masoniCare [Caring] Committee

masoniCare Officer - W Bro Romy Nieto

masoniCare Officer - W Bro Pritam Singh

Secretary - RW Bro Fidel Pamplona, PSGW

Treasurer - W Bro Manny Santos 

& other interested Officers & Members

Auditors

 W Bro Roland Martinez

Bro Paolo Beringuel

Lodge Jose Rizal’s 14th March 2015 Meeting

By RWB Bruce Quirk, PAGM

         Attendance was down slightly for Lodge Jose Rizal’s March meeting, held at the Castle Hill Masonic Centre on the Fourteenth of March, where the Brethren were so much further enlightened by a lecture on the First Degree ceremony, drawn largely from the “Sectional Lectures” ritual and delivered by several Brethren; the lecture put together and presented to the Lodge by RWBro Brian Potter, PJGW.

       With Mario Baylon Jnr. “In the Chair”, the lodge tyled at six ‘clock and after some private business was discussed and dealt with, all visitors were admitted, including the Worshipful Master of Lodge Kilwinning No 13, RWBro Antoine Georges, making the number in the Lodge Room approaching forty, which included one entered apprentice, Bro Timothy Glanville, initiated at the January meeting.

      The lecture commenced with the Worshipful Master communicating the first part with the Senior Warden, the second part and with the Junior Warden, the third part to the Director of Ceremonies, VWBro Rudy Romerosa;  then with the presenter RWBro Brian Potter and progressively dissected the First degree ceremony and the various Charges and Explanations from start to finish, a very enlightening presentation, a credit to all who took part, with special mention to the one who compiled the presentation, RWBro Potter.

      The presentation over, the Worshipful Master asked the Director of ceremonies to present WBro Remigio Nieto and the Secretary, RWBro Fidel Pamplona duly presented him with his masoniCare badge and literature. The masoniCare badge is a new Grand Lodge innovation.

    The Worshipful Master then called for any announcements and in rising, the Worshipful Master Elect of Lodge Burnside, Bro Michael Reid, invited all to his Installation Ceremony, WBro Fraser Smith the Installing Master. The Worshipful Master Elect of Lodge Woronora, Bro Emmanuel Konitopoulous, then rose and invited all to his Installation to be held at the Oatley Masonic Centre on the twenty seventh of June, a large crowd is expected.

     In closing business, the Lodge Secretary, RWBro Fidel Pamplona, then stood and moved a motion that, the Australian Friends of the Philippines Charity Night coincides with LJR’s meeting on 11 July and the Grand Installation is to be held on the same night as the Lodge Jose Rizal’s rehearsal/fellowship meeting on 8 August, Lodge Jose Rizal should move their two meeting nights to the Saturday night of the first week of those two months, so members can fully participate and support on both occasions, the motions accepted. Continuing on, RWBro Secretary spoke of the cost of printing the Jose Rizal notice paper and announced that regrettably, the size of the notice paper, eight pages, would have to be reduced to a double page on A4 size. As the notice paper is in full colour and contains many photos and highly surpasses the standard of any other Lodge notice paper, several members and visitors alike, rose and in an effort to retain the high standard, told of various printers that could print the Notice Paper at an acceptable price and committed themselves to make further inquiries.

      In closing and with a huge smile, the Lodge Secretary told the Brethren of Lodge Jose Rizal, that their quest for accreditation was now almost certain and the long sought after announcement of achievement would probably be made at the June Quarter Communication. There being no further business the Worshipful Master again thanked all for their attendance and closed the Lodge. All then retired to join the Ladies and Family at the festive board where, after the Lodge Chaplain, Bro Julio Roson, recited Grace and the Worshipful Master proposed “The Loyal Toast”, all enjoyed a delicious meal prepared and presented as only the Ladies of Lodge Jose Rizal can do.

      In proposing a toast to The Presenter, RWBro Rey Porras told of the enormous contribution RWBro Brian Potter had given the Freemasonry, RWBro Potter being a rather quiet and unassuming man, his contribution sometimes is overlooked.

      In response to the toast and in complimenting all who had taken part in the night’s delivery, RWBro Potter told of his pleasure in producing the presentation and how it was his aim to present the explanation in its fullest capacity at some future time, a night not to be missed.

      Bro Micvi Fidel then proposed a rather lengthy toast to Our Visitors and Our Ladies, which was responded to by Bro Emmanuel Konitopoulous who, in thanking Lodge Jose Rizal for such an enjoyable evening, again invited all to his Installation.

      The Worshipful Master’s wife, Irene, then drew the first lucky raffle prize after which the Junior Warden, Bro Paolo Beringuel, proposed the Junior Wardens Toast

      Such was the Fortieth Meeting of Lodge Jose Rizal, whilst arguably the most progressive Lodge within the Fraternity, is definitely the most harmonious, a Lodge destined for well-deserved accreditation and an example for other Lodges to follow, may it long, long continue.

“Our Next Happy Meeting at Lodge Jose Rizal No 1045”

Which meets at the Castle Hill Masonic Centre bi-monthly where a great night of family, friends, fun and unsurpassed Freemasonry is assured. Next Meeting ninth of May.

From The Region 2 & District 25 Newsletter: Lodge Jose Rizal’s 14^th March 2015 Meeting

ANZAC Centenary Message

I have no medals to pin, no war wounds to show and no service uniform to wear… I am one of the lucky ones of my generation who did not serve in the military. This Centenary of the ANZACs [and every ANZAC day], it is but proper and right to pay respects to those who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we, the future generation would not have to sacrifice and may live in the freedom they died for. What I have is a grateful  heart and thanks to this; my adoptive nation, from a citizen of this nation…

"… remember that prosperity can be only for the free, that freedom is the sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it.” [Pericles]

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them.” [The Ode, by Laurence Binyon].

“Lest we forget.”

Mario Baylon Jr, WM

Ladies Night 2015

Dear Brethren & Ladies,

While last month was not one of our Regular Meetings, it was nevertheless a very important Fellowship Meeting of sorts in our Masonic calendar - it was our ‘traditional’ Ladies Night.

Wikipedia defines tradition as “… a belief or behaviour passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past.”

While our Ladies Night is not just a symbolic recognition of the contribution of our Ladies, it is a very special significance of the acknowledged contribution and support of our partners in our various Lodge activities. For some of us; whilst our Ladies are not actively coming with us to the Lodge, they allow us the time to go to our Lodge meetings and activities.

From the feedback  I heard from the from the Ladies, I believe they enjoyed the night so much they wanted more Ladies Night!

Again, I wish to thank the Ladies for their contribution and support, as well as giving us the opportunity to say thank you to the countless things they do for us.  Thank you too to the Brethren for showing your gratitude to our Ladies and for making the night a successful one.

Sincerely and Fraternally,

Bro Mar

Lodge Jose Rizal on its Fifth Year – 2014-2015

       I would like to begin by thanking everyone who have supported and made our last Installation a successful one.   I hope you, your Ladies and guests have enjoyed the ceremony as well as the installation banquet. From my view it was a great start to a new year for Lodge Jose Rizal, a happy occasion full of enthusiasm and positive feelings.

       Lodge Jose Rizal is a very young Lodge compared to other Lodges in the jurisdiction. Our survivability depends on our members and officers to carry on the mission of Freemasonry in general; and the mission of LJR in particular. Obviously we want to see the Lodge’s legacy in 10, 20, 30 and 50 years [even at 100 years!] from now.

       We are very lucky to have some of the most experienced, knowledgeable, motivated and driven senior members. They have an ‘LJR culture’, a legacy that they want to pass onto to our younger and newer members. While we are a successful Lodge we cannot rest on our so-called laurels and past successes. There is always room for more improvements and adjustments to our time-proven manner in the way we do our business. This is the secret to survivability, to adapt to change and continuous improvement.

       Our RWBro Secretary Fidel had given me a booklet entitled “101+ Ways to Improve Interest & Attendance in Your Masonic Lodge”. I began reading it and have found it to be of much interest and jibes with most of my plans in directing our focus on Masonic Education,  Charity work and the publication of our much awaited souvenir program. Here are the highlights and my comments which I would like to share with you:

1.      Focus on Fellowship – This is a definite aspect that we need to improve on. Not just fellowship outside the Lodge, but as well as the way we entertain our first time visitors during and after Lodge meetings. I would like to see our Stewards to work in groups with other Brethren, under the leadership of our Bro JW to make sure that every visitor and our own members are greeted, entertained and introduced to other Brethren and their Ladies. We also plan to have more fellowships and ‘for the boys’ only events to improve our relationships with each other and serve as a team building exercise; especially now that we are continually growing and gaining new members.

2.      Time Management – Again, we can improve this by making sure the business end of our meetings are kept to a minimum, without affecting the quality of the outcomes of our real business: our fine ritual work. We are not going to allot less time, but will focus more time to better mentor our candidates and make time and make plan to retain the interest of our members, which in the long run would save us time in following up their absences from our regular and management meetings.  This is aside from the usual time we spend on the administrative end of running our finances, festive boards, charity work, etc. The more free time we have, the more time we have for No 1 – fellowship. 

3.      Plan for a Perfect Evening or event – Obviously we need to plan more to create the results we want. To paraphrase a quote: “Victory loves preparation” so does “Success loves preparation”! Detailed planning with everyone involved but with a specific outcome or outcomes, an action plan and specifying who is responsible for what. We have been doing this with success at our Degree work, with both the WM, Secretary, and DC and Assistant DC appointing who would be doing the Work, the Charges, etc.; as well as assigning those who are doing the Toasts in the South. But we will doing more – “we will plan to succeed”! 

4.      Get the Ladies on Your Side – I believe we have pioneered and utilised this to a great extent. We have the full support of our Ladies, but will make sure that they are not the only ones toiling in the kitchen. Our Stewards and other Brethren [plus the usual hired help] will work hand in hand with out Ladies to make sure that we have a successful Festive Board and social event.  

5.      Communicate with Your Members – With most of us have access to emails and the internet; and with the Lodge activities on:  

a.      Two Blog sites http://joserizalnsw.blogspot.com.au/ for general postings of events and http://lodgejoserizal.blogspot.com.au/ for news, past events, Rizaliana and othe Masonic articles. Both moderated by me as your communications officer.

b.      Two Facebook pages, one for members & Ladies only [moderated by our Bro SW Micvi] and one for public social media [moderated by me]. Everyone is encouraged to upload and participate in these pages.

c.       An email Yahoogroups, private group messages for members only .

d.      A recent Google Calendar spearheaded and developed by our IPM, WBro Manny Placido; which in the future would add SMS direct to your mobile smart phones; whether iPhone or Android.

e.      Not to mention our Secretary’s Notice Paper, which is laboriously written, edited, printed and usually snail mailed to members.

I think there is no excuse in missing our news and upcoming activities. But communication denote a two-way interaction; hence we need more feedback through proper channels by speaking directly to your officers and by participating in management and regular meeting discussions. Your input is paramount to OUR success. Do not suffer in silence and just go away.

6.       Friend and Mentor – We will be implementing and improving our mentoring system [not spoon feeding], which will be spearheaded by our Lodge Education Officer, RWBro Rey Porras. While we have a non-structured mentoring system, which is almost done by the sponsors of a candidate and the senior members of the Lodge. We will have an accredited mentoring program [per UGL NSW & ACT] to fully prepare and educate our newly interested and would-be mentors. This will guarantee that the information passed onto the candidates and new members are correct, updated and in adherence with the Constitution and Codification, practices and Rituals of UGL NSW & ACT. What is worse than no information at all is information that is wrong. 

7.      Putting the Phones to Work – Again, there is no excuse not to use our mobile phones. Personal contact has proven and yielded greater results than mere passive communication; as proven by our various past officers and more recently by our former Bro JW, Bro Micvi. One on one human contact is very essential in drumming up support. I am sure our Bro JW, Bro Paolo will continue to utilise that personal contact; not when required but in the usual course of running the Festive Board and other fellowships. We have directed and decided at our last Management Meeting to split the function of Fraternal attendance coordination to our Bro SW; while Bro JW will continue to coordinate our Charity Sizzles, as well as the various groups assigned to the Festive Board. All will be assisted by our junior officers, Bro SW with the Senior & Junior Deacons; while Bro JW by our Stewards. I am hoping that other members will continue to help out as well, as best they could. 

8.      How Food Can Work for You -  Early on we knew and have discovered; as inherent in the Filipino culture, the importance of good food in every special occasion and gathering. We are a very hospitable Lodge, and we will continue to improve our way of serving good food after a hectic meeting. Our members and visitors deserve only the best at a modest and affordable cost. 

9.      Make Involvement Pay off – Again, I believe we have been doing this. With our system of progressive officers advancing to the next stage in an orderly fashion. We continue to give opportunities to new members to deliver charges and other Ritual work as required. Mentoring members on how to plan an event such as the Festive Board or coordinate a Fraternal visit and Charity work. These are no mean feats and always require dedication and involvement, and pay offs are also as satisfying and mostly gratifying to all those who involve themselves to a successful event. Again, to paraphrase an old saying: “What we put into Masonry is what we will get out of it.” We need to invest to get the best dividends. 

10.  Creating “Followship” – Out of the last nine previous steps, this is about leadership, the type of leadership I want to cultivate in our Lodge and members – leadership from the front and not merely delegating. We will lead by doing.

 

      Last Sunday afternoon before our management meeting, I promised a young man that I met at our last Charity Sizzle at Bunnings Castle Hill that I will attend his Initiation into DeMolay at Orchard Hills Masonic Centre. This event reminded me of one of the passages in the DeMolay ritual on the Installation of the Master Councilor – that the best and ablest leaders would not be effective without the full and dedicated support of his members; and the best members would fail without the proper leadership. In short, we are a TEAM, and together with our Ladies and family, we will try to achieve a better Lodge Jose Rizal as we found it. We will try to have a more friendlier and happier atmosphere and improve things that needed to be improved.

      Obviously our Masonic life is in extreme competition with our family, other social interests and work lives; and either we balance all these in perfect harmony or choose the ones we feel more important to us. Our challenge then is to make our Masonic lives more relevant to what we would like to become. We will create a better Lodge that can be a second home to all of us!

      Irene and myself wish you and your family all the best of the coming Christmas Season and have a great New Year!

Yours sincerely and fraternally

Bro Mar