Greetings, Sir Knights! Masonic Week has come and gone, and unfortunately, some work issues came up at the last minute and prevented me from attending. Sometimes, I think it would be easier to schedule attendance if I lived further away. From all the reports on Facebook and conversations I had with many attendees, it appears it wa another successful week. I look forward to be there next year (which will be easier to attend completely since it won’t include my twenty-fifth wedding anniversary as one of the days!)
Last week, I suggested we have a nation-wide Masonic Week in conjunction with the festivities in the Washington, DC, area. I received a couple of emails about the idea, but the most interesting one was one that said, “How can we do that? No one would come to Virginia.”
I knew Masonic Week was popular, but I’ve never seen tens of thousands of Masons in attendance, which tells me there are either (a) a lot of folks hiding in super-secret meetings and dinners or (b) the vast majority of our brethren don’t come to Virginia for the week as it is. Also, as I look at the calendar, Masonic “Week” starts on a Thursday (Wednesday a travel day for many) and ends on a Sunday. That provides 3-4 days in advance to include even those who plan to travel to Virginia, as well as time for events and activities for folks who don’t travel.
While events like we have in Virginia are clearly possible to conduct all over on a smaller scale, when I suggested a national Masonic Week, I was really speaking more in the context of a week of national awareness, with events and activities in local communities across our great land to highlight our great Fraternity, the opportunities we offer individuals as well as our communities, and generally raise awareness of the Fraternity in general. Think about coordinated media campaigns throughout each state and territory with solid news and information being shared (avoiding overused phrases like “We make good men better” and “Beautiful and profound system of morality, veiled in allegories and illustrated by symbols”). Promote our many scholarship programs. Tell the stories of our many charities and foundations. Have open houses and child ID programs (Your grand lodge does have an active CHIP program, right?) Coordinate with a local TV station for a human interest story. Work with local radio stations for opportunities for interviews with your best speakers to talk about one of your strong charitable programs. Use the week as a reason to build up awareness for the Fraternity in your community, state, and region.
We have a great story to tell, and in the 21st Century, we are long past the time of hiding our light under a bushel basket. Our 18th century brethren would have parades from the home of the Grand Master to a local church to celebrate St John’s Day. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, we had Triennial Conclave parades with thousands of men in tight formation parading through the streets. We can do more to promote our Fraternity, and it is time for us to stop making excuses and get to doing that.
My friends and Brothers, fellow Poor Soldiers for Christ, if we are committed to growing our Order and promoting the opportunities and gifts that come with membership, let us join together and engage in the steps to make this happen. Maybe it’s a small step with “National Knights Templar Week” in 2025, and then we expand to the “National Masonic Week” in 2026 as part of our nation’s 250th birthday year (after all, our Masonic forefathers did have something to do with the birth of this great nation, right?)
What say you? I can’t do this all alone, but together we can all do a little to make a huge impact. Let’s go make things happen!
I appreciate your time and would also appreciate your support and vote to be the next Deputy Grand Master when we gather in Conclave in August 2024.