From the West - September 2010

A couple of weeks ago, I plopped down on the couch in the lodge foyer and took a minute to think about life as a Freemason. Why should Brothers come to the lodge? What do we expect to gain from our fraternity? I came up with three things: Fellowship, Charity and Ritual. Our Fellowship is important; without it we are not a fraternity. If we come to the lodge and take the time to enjoy each other's company, then we can pursue similar interests together. That leads to number two, Charity. We all want to improve our communities. Whether we are Shriners helping children through hospitals, or contributing pennies to the Masonic home, we are eager to give to those in need. And we enjoy giving when we do it together. But our Fellowship and Charity are meaningless without the ancient and secret Rituals we follow to join in our lodges. These rituals, ancient and aesthetic, give us a common experience to draw from and provide elegant moral lessons.

So, this is what I want from my lodge: Fellowship, Charity and Ritual. What do you want? Collectively, we can pursue our interests. It's time to get to work. We are looking for new ways to use the technological marvels at our disposal to communicate and make your lodge more accessible. We are pursuing new ways to give back to the community and to interact socially. And as always, we have the pleasure of rich traditions to draw from. You can't download the degrees and become a Freemason. It takes a commitment of time. And with time, patience and perseverance all things may be accomplished.

Chris Chag, Senior Warden

0 comments - Posted by Ricardo Parente at 8:18 PM - Categories: 2. West

From the West - August 2010

As a father of young children I have the daily pleasure of watching their innocent play and simple pleasures. Nobody should ever be able to take away the precious laughter of a child, but it happens every day. As Masons living in Central Florida, we can focus on what we need to do in the towns where we live, work and raise our families.
Protecting children is something we must do.
Winter Park Lodge is establishing a Masonic Child ID program thanks to the generosity and leadership of Brother Ken Gregory. This program provides video and fingerprint records of children to their parents at no charge. Child abduction is a serious problem. 800,000 children are reported missing in the U.S. every year. The first hours are critical and frightened parents need help. We can make a difference. We can raise awareness and provide law enforcement with valuable tools. Publix and Home Depot have provided interest. The equipment is being purchased. The FBI has provided new software. Giving up a few hours on a Saturday could save a child's life. You may never if how your actions will help save a child's life. But isn't it worth the little amount of time? Please step forward and join us.

Chris Chag, Senior Warden

0 comments - Posted by Ricardo Parente at 12:07 PM - Categories: 2. West

From the West - July 2010

I am pleased to say that St. John's Day came off as a rousing success again this year. If you missed it, shame on you. The rest of us had a good time. I've had the privilege of being involved with the "skit" that we perform every year to help "welcome" the Junior Grand Warden of F.&A.M. of Florida. It's a lot of fun. I need to thank some people who helped out: Steve Holbrook at AM 580 WDBO for use of their recording studios; Bob Klusman of Spectra carpeting for the mast of our pirate ship; Brother John Halter for my fine costume; Brother Vincent Venero for his audio assistance, W. Aldis Grauds for his hard work on the set; and Brother Mike Griffin and R.W. Chet King for their brilliant thespian performances.  I can only hope the show was effective enough that whoever is elected to the Grand South next year is truly concerned at what Winter Park Lodge will pull out of its hat next summer. The entire performance was first conceived by Right Worshipful Robert Fiedler, and carried on by Right Worshipfuls Allen Fiedler and Mike Juett. Mike is still the commander of the ship (pun intended) and made the whole thing come together under his leadership and by raiding the SkyCraft warehouse.

St. John's Day is considered by many to be the most fun activity we do at Winter Park Lodge. BUT there is no rule written anywhere that it should be the only fun thing we do. Many years ago the question came up, 'what if we added a little something fun?' And the answer was, "Go For It!" After many years and a lot of hard work, a tradition is well established that brings a lot of Masons together, from all across Florida, for fun and fellowship that is hard to match.  So again, I ask you, what do you want to do at the lodge. It is your lodge, and the way to begin enjoying the fun and fellowship that we all seek at the Lodge, is to ask that first question, "Can we do this?" and get the answer that my father used to give me:

 "Go For It!" 

Chris Chag, Senior Warden

0 comments - Posted by Ricardo Parente at 12:10 AM - Categories: 2. West

DeMolay Barbecue

Brothers,

0 comments - Posted by Ricardo Parente at 5:25 PM - Categories: 2. West | Communications

From the West - June 2010

Grand Lodge has come and gone again. We have a new Grand Master in the state of Florida, and a new Junior Grand Warden (We’ll give him an epic welcome on St. John’s Day. Be sure to come see the roast. I mean festivities.)
Grand Lodge is always a time of change, not just for Grand Lodge officers, but for the direction of our fraternity. Every resolution at Grand Lodge begins as an idea, a discussion, or a topic that someone puts forward. It is likely, if not probable, that every resolution that came up was met with the phrase, “You can’t do that.” But someone did.
One of the most beautiful parts of our fraternity is the equality we share in meetings. All members of a lodge who are in good standing are entitled to speak and vote on every issue that comes up to the fraternity.
So I ask you, as a member in good standing, what idea do you want to put forward? Go back to the ideas and dreams that filled your head before you joined the fraternity. What did you want to find in the lodge? What did you hope to achieve? There are many who say they want to do more. There are also many who say nothing because they are afraid of hearing “You can’t do that.” But you can.
If you have an idea for the direction of the fraternity, is it better to sit in the dark muttering about the failures of the system and play the role of a card-carrying member who pays his dues and contributes nothing extra to the fraternity? Or is it best to bring your time, talents and passions to the floor and see how far they can go. Winter Park Lodge is about to turn one hundred years old.
If we want to see another century for our lodge we need strong brothers to support the lodge and build the foundations of Friendship, Morality, and Brotherly Love for our Brothers to come.

Chris Chag, Senior Warden

0 comments - Posted by Ricardo Parente at 12:00 AM - Categories: 2. West

Master Mason Degree

Brothers,

0 comments - Posted by Ricardo Parente at 11:52 PM - Categories: 2. West | Communications

From the West - May 2010

I have been taking the time to review the history of Winter Park Lodge and it is a rich and interesting history. It starts in 1915 when members of the faculty at Rollins College began to discuss a new Masonic lodge in the growing city of Winter Park. The mayor of Winter Park, W.C. Temple, a well-to-do lumber baron and former owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates supported these men and was one of the charter members of the lodge. He had advised another brother, Louis Hakes, who had come across a new type of orange on his Winter Park farmland and named the Temple orange in gratitude to Brother Temple. Proceeds from the sales of those oranges helped form our lodge. Our charter members originally wanted to name the lodge after Brother Temple, but there was already a Temple Lodge in Florida. Our second Worshipful Master, Homer Hope, suggested the name Winter Park Lodge.

As the lodge grew, the craft recognized a need for their own building. It was built on Comstock Avenue in 1925 and served the craft for more than sixty years. But when the building began to need repairs in the 1960's there began a long period of indecision and missed opportunities. My brothers Winter Park Lodge is one of the finest lodge buildings around. But we are still in a period of repair and restoration at our facility. I encourage you to come out and be active in the discussions about our future and your lodge. And I hope that you can bring your talents and desires to make the lodge, and our community better. Much like Brothers Temple and Hakes did a century ago.

Chris Chag, Senior Warden

0 comments - Posted by Ricardo Parente at 12:00 PM - Categories: 2. West