12 Mar 2022

A Night of Firsts

Submitted by Wayne Rumley
Mick, Anth, Paul (WM) and Jon.

We had another great meeting on Thursday, 10th March.  For the third month running we performed a First Degree ceremony and welcomed a new member to our Lodge.  Pictured with the Worshipful Master, we have Mick (February), Anth (March), Paul (the Worshipful Master), and Jon (January).  

The enthusiasm shown by all three is really promising, and we look forward to many years of friendship to come.  

We're fortunate to still have a number of potential candidates and we're now scratching our heads to create a plan to get them in; some have been waiting a while.

 

Anth's initiation to the Craft was not the only first that night.  We also had a father and son combination in the positions of Treasurer and Secretary.  Shaun officially holds the office of Treasurer having taken on the role in December, and Kyle, who is our Assistant Secretary, stepped up as Acting Secretary in the absence of our regular officer.  

Kyle and Shaun
Kyle and Shaun, hard at work.

What made this unique is that they are both still Fellowcraft Freemasons.  Kyle joined the Lodge in October 2018, and it was he that proposed his Dad, who joined in April 2019.  Due to the influx of candidates Kyle had to wait patiently for a year before taking his second degree.  Shaun waited 11 months.  I need not mention the past two years, but, suffice it to say, they have both been more patient still in waiting for their third steps.  That patience is soon to be rewarded.  Kyle will become a Master Mason at our meeting in April, and Shaun follows him in May.

Kyle and Shaun
Making their Mark as Fellowcrafts.

We continued the night of firsts by introducing a new 'tradition' to our Festive Board. For the first time ever we sung the Entered Apprentice song. It is performed by many Lodges but, until now, not us. We all agreed it added to the occasion.

For anyone that has visited Palatine, you will know how proud we are of our amazing history, and lets face it, we have 265 years of it! That said, our history is nothing without our present and our future, and we cannot wait to embrace that future and see what delights it brings.

Until the next time.

RWR