The Lebanon Light. June Greetings Brethren,

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The Lebanon Light June 2016 Greetings Brethren, We now arrive at the doorsteps of June and look forward to a wonderful summer season.

Our traditional procedure is to suspend our stated meetings in July and August to go dark.

degree work. At our June stated meeting, we will continue our deliberation on lodge finances with an emphasis on our annual dues.

Please participate in the discussion so that we can reach consensus on the appropriate course of action for Lebanon Masonic Lodge.

1 The Lebanon Light June 2016 Greetings Brethren, We now arrive at the doorsteps of June and look forward to a wonderful summer season. Vegetation is in full bloom, the rivers are running and life seems more gentle. Our traditional procedure is to suspend our stated meetings in July and August to go dark. We will observe that tradition this year as well, but we will reserve Thursdays and Saturdays while dark for special meetings / degree work. At our June stated meeting, we will continue our deliberation on lodge finances with an emphasis on our annual dues. Our Finance Committee will be bringing a recommendation with rationale regarding our dues. Please participate in the discussion so that we can reach consensus on the appropriate course of action for Lebanon Masonic Lodge. Although we are going dark, we will undoubtedly have degree work this summer. If you have signed a petition, please make a commitment to attend the degrees for your candidate. That s how we continue to maintain a robust fraternity and serve our community. Fraternally, WM Jeff Cooper

Starlight Dear Sisters and Brothers, The days go by quickly and it feels like summer is about to arrive. I want to update you on what has happened in our chapter over the last month.

I m sure you are not surprised to learn that our Treasurer, Joyce Barrett and Secretary, Nancy Ledford do a great job with our books and all of your current officers know their work.

2 Starlight Dear Sisters and Brothers, The days go by quickly and it feels like summer is about to arrive. I want to update you on what has happened in our chapter over the last month. We had our inspection on May 10, 2016 and the inspection went very well. I m sure you are not surprised to learn that our Treasurer, Joyce Barrett and Secretary, Nancy Ledford do a great job with our books and all of your current officers know their work. We did initiate two new candidates, Mischelle Merrill and Barbara Root and I am sure they both will be a real asset to our chapter. We were honored by having our Associate Grand Matron, Michelle Howell with us, Past Grand Matron, Barbara Pelfrey as well as our Deputy Grand Matron, Phyllis Walker who was our inspecting officer and a Grand Representative, Lenore Burton. There was a total of 23 members and 33 visitors present for a total of 56. We did have a little excitement for lack of a better word. The elevator stopped working, and we had to get a couple of people out, Grand Officers were brought up the back steps to the second floor, I will say that I will never forget my first ever inspection as a Worthy Matron. On May 17, we held our regular stated meeting and were visited for a Friendship night by Hillsboro Chapter. There were 12 members of the Hillsboro Chapter in attendance. I am including a picture below of our sisters and brothers that visited from their chapter.

3 I hope to see a large turnout at our upcoming meeting on June 21. We will be going over our annual reports as well as electing officers for the 2016/2017 year. Our District is having a fundraiser by taking a group to La Comedia to see the Wizard of OZ on July 9. Tickets are $45.00 each. Reservations have to be in by June 5. Please call me, Joyce Horner, , Linda Young, or Nancy Ledford Upcoming dates: Charities Egg-Stravaganza June 4 2:30 OES Home Mt. Vernon Lebanon Chapter Harmony Circle June 14, :00 This is the meeting before our election. Everyone is invited to attend to discuss. Lebanon Chapter Stated Meeting June 21, :30, Dinner prior to the meeting LaComedia Wizard of Oz July 9 10:30 Eastern Star Harmony Circle Join us Tuesday, June 14 th at 7:00 We will be discussing upcoming elections! Dress is casual. Jeans are acceptable.

Why Join the Royal Arch? The Royal Arch is the culmination of "pure ancient masonry".

Man however, is not simply a practical being but has an essential spiritual aspect to his nature.

Thus the Royal Arch leads the candidate from the practical to the spiritual and completes "pure ancient masonry", a fascinating journey of self- knowledge and self-discovery beginning with the

5 Why Join the Royal Arch? The Royal Arch is the culmination of "pure ancient masonry". The Craft gives its members eminently practical rules by which they can live their lives in the service of both God; however they worship Him, and the community as a whole. Man however, is not simply a practical being but has an essential spiritual aspect to his nature. This is taken up in the Royal Arch, in which the candidate, without trespassing on the bounds of religion, is led to contemplate the nature of God and his personal relationship with Him. Thus the Royal Arch leads the candidate from the practical to the spiritual and completes "pure ancient masonry", a fascinating journey of self- knowledge and self-discovery beginning with the Entered Apprentice degree and culminating in the First Principal's chair of the Chapter. Royal Arch Clothing The Royal Arch Mason's clothing includes robes, aprons, sashes, collars, chains and jewels. The 1766 rules of the Excellent Grand and Royal Chapter say that the Excellent Grand Principals will wear proper Robes, Caps, Jewels, but no Apron. All the Companions wear Aprons (unless they are authorized to wear Robes), and the Aprons shall be all of one sort and fashion. The 1766 Chapter of Compact ruled that the aprons should be "indented with crimson with a visible T-over-H properly displayed as well as the indented Ribbon or Sash of this Order". The robes worn by the Three Principals are traditional, and not of any specific period of time, and they are coming from the ancient and world-wide custom of persons in authority such as judges, priests, scholastics, etc. The colors of the Royal Arch, 'blue, purple and scarlet' are taken from Exodus Ch25 V4 and Ch26 V1 but there have been some variations with time. Before the Union of the Grand Chapters, the Three Principals all wore respectively robes of scarlet, Mazarin blue and light grey colour. Nowadays the First Principal wears a scarlet robe - the emblem of imperial dignity; the Second a purple robe - the emblem of union; and the Third a blue robe - the emblem of universal friendship and benevolence. In Ireland Principals do not wear robes and in Scotland they are optional.

6 The surplices of white linen worn by the Sojourners date back from at least 1778 when the first Grand Chapter first approved them. The Scribe's surplice comes from the same period and is derived from the Alb, a longer linen vestment from Greek and Latin origin worn by Christian priests since the third century AD. It symbolizes the renewal of man in justice and in the holiness of truth. The headdress was once part of the clothing of the Grand Principal as described in the 1796 rules of the Grand Chapter; this custom survives in many Chapters in the USA. Many other ordinary Chapters used also headdresses, but today it is rarely seen in English Chapters. The headdress was not originally a miter in the style of those worn by bishops. The original Royal Arch apron was in fact the apron used by the Craft, with or without the addition of symbolic decorations. This was mainly the case of the "Ancients" since the "Moderns" had adopted, already in 1766, an apron similar to those used to day. As the Craft objected to the Royal Arch Masons of the "Ancients" system wearing their typical aprons with all the symbols in the Lodges, the Grand Chapter decided to prohibit its use there until a solution was approved by the Grand Lodge, but this never happened. Of course the Royal Arch Masons still wore their aprons in their Chapters. Today a Companion's apron in the English Royal Arch is made of white lambskin, from 14 to 16 inches wide, and 12 to 14 inches deep with a triangular overlap. It has an indented crimson and purple border no more than 2 inches wide, except along the top. In the center of the overlap is a triangle of white skin within a gilt border and, within the triangle, the emblem has three taus united in gold embroidery. In addition two gold, or metal gilt, tassels are suspended from beneath the overlap by ribbons. In the aprons of Past and Present Principals, the silk triangle on the overlap, and the backing on ribbons, are crimson. The aprons of Provincial and District Grand Officers, etc., have the gilt emblems of office or rank in the center, within a double circle, in which is inserted the name of the Province or District, London or Overseas, according to the case. Backing and ribbons are of dark blue. The aprons of Grand Officers and Grand Superintendents have a double indented crimson and purple border 4 inches wide, with the emblem of office embroidered in gilt in the center within two branches of laurel; the backing and ribbons are also dark blue. English Grand Chapter now requires all Companions to wear a sash over the left shoulder passing obliquely to the right side. The Grand Chapter's laws of 1778 ordered "the Ribbon or sash of the Order to be worn on the left shoulder". The Ribbon, or Sash, was considered to be the decoration of a court official of the chamberlain type, or the stole of a priest that had been worn on the left shoulder for a long time and, "symbolically, represented the yoke of Christ". In the early chapter the sash was sometime worn on the right shoulder because they believed that, originally, the sash was a sword-belt that had to be this way to allow the sword to be easily grasped by the right hand. They, of course, had in mind the ancient Craftsmen who rebuilt the Temple with the sword at their side, and the trowel in hand. If this tradition is accepted, then we are dealing with a knightly degree probably of French origin. There is also a strong suspicion that those wearing the sash on their right shoulder were "Moderns" Masons, while the "Ancients" wore it on the left one.

7 English Grand Chapter regulations of today require all Companions to wear a crimson-and-purple indented sash over the left shoulder, passing obliquely to the right, with silk fringe at the end, the emblem to be embroidered on a white background. In the aprons of Past and Present Principals the fringe is of gold or metal gilt, and the emblem is on a crimson background. Grand Officers and Grand Superintendents and all the Companions of senior rank wear the same aprons as the Principals of Chapters, save that the emblem is on a dark blue background. Certain officers (for instance the Grand Officers) wore collars, or chains, for a long period of time. During the last century the Grand Superintendents also wore collars and chains, and the privilege is now extended to many more officers. The Royal Arch Jewell may be worn in a Craft lodge but not the Royal Arch collar or chain. Collars, sashes and aprons belonging to Royal Arch Masonry cannot be worn in public. Upcoming Dates Blue Lodge - Meeting 1 st Thursday each month at 7:30. Dinner at 6:30 Stated Meeting June 2 nd Chapter Meeting 2 nd Monday each month at 7:30. Dinner at 6:30 (Royal Arch) Stated Meeting June 13 th Council - Meeting 3 rd Monday each month at 7:30. Dinner at 6:30 Stated Meeting June 20 th Commandery - Meeting 4 th Friday of each month at 7:30. Dinner at 6:30 Stated Meeting June 24 th

8 Council Origin of the Degrees As in many of the Masonic degrees, the origins of the degrees of Cryptic Masonry are shrouded in mystery. Yet, they have attained a substantial growth and one out of every two Royal Arch Masons is a Cryptic Mason. Nearly two hundred years ago, the degrees of Royal Master and Select Master appeared. Traveling Masonic lecturers throughout the East were conferring them upon Masons, while engaging in instructing in Craft (Lodge) and Capitular (Chapter) degrees. Even one Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite included the degree of Select Master as one of its "detached" degrees. But, these beautiful degrees were not to remain detached for any length of time. A Council was formed in New York City as Columbian Grand Council #1 in The state of Connecticut bore the first Grand Council in In Virginia and West Virginia the degrees developed in the Chapter of Royal Arch Masons where they still remain. In the 1870's a General Grand Council was formed for the United States of America. Today this General Grand Council numbers most of the Grand Councils in the United States, as well as many Councils and Grand Councils outside the North American Continent. The Work of Cryptic Masons Freemasonry seeks to improve the community by improving the individual. Therefore, Councils of Cryptic Masons are found working with Lodges, Chapters, and Commanderies giving more opportunities to improve one's skills in leadership, public speaking, interpersonal relationships, and administration. This empowers Masons to become better leaders in their career, church, and community. Councils also work with these and other Masonic groups in community service projects to demonstrate Masonic teachings as a way of life. The General Grand Council established the Cryptic Medical Research Foundation to give Cryptic Masons an opportunity to turn Masonic philosophy into a living practice. Currently, the Foundation is working with medical researchers to find agents to prevent atherosclerosis or more commonly known as hardening of the arteries. This work places thousands of dollars annually into the needed research to stop our nation's largest killer, atherosclerosis and heart disease. Cryptic Masonry Worldwide The Cryptic Rite is widespread, although governing bodies exist only in England, Scotland, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States. In England the Cryptic Degrees are controlled by a General Council of the Cryptic Degrees. In Scotland, the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter has jurisdiction over the Cryptic degrees.,

9 the Royal Ark Mariner degree, the Knight of the East and West; bodies of the Cryptic Rite are attached to Chapters. It is interesting to note that while Scotland received the first three degrees of the last series from American sources, the degree of Thrice Illustrious Master, taken over recently in this country, was of Scottish origin. In New Zealand, their organization is similar to that of the Scottish with the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of New Zealand having jurisdiction over Cryptic Masonry. The New Zealand Councils confer four degrees: Select Master, Royal Master, Most Excellent Master, and Super Excellent Master (awarded in that order). Did you know? Famous Masons June Birthdays William Harrison Jack Dempsey ; June 24, 1895 American professional boxer. Held World Heavyweight Champion title from 1919 to Considered one of the world s top boxers of all time. Billy Wilder; June 22, 1906 Filmmaker of more than 60 films spanning over 50 years. Movies include: Double Indemnity, Citizen Kane, The Apartment, The Maltese Falcon, Stalag 17, The Lost Weekend, Sunset Boulevard and Some Like it Hot. With The Apartment, Wilder became the first person to win Academy Awards as producer, director and screenwriter for the same film. Wilder earned the Best Director and Best Screenplay Academy Awards for The Lost Weekend. He received The American Film Institute (AFI) Life Achievement Award in In 1988, Wilder received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. In 1993, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts. George Herbert Walker Bush; June 12, st President of the United States. Bush was the 43 rd Vice President of the United States and President from Also was a member of the House of Representatives ( ), Ambassador to the United Nations ( ), Envoy to China ( ), and Director of the CIA ( ) John Elway; June 24, 1960 American football player. Played quarterback for the Denver Broncos from 1983 to Lead the Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowl wins (XXXII & XXXIII). Played in five Super Bowls and six AFC Championship games. Currently Executive VP/GM winning Super Bowl 50. Inducted to Football Hall of Fame in 1984.

Commandery Origin of the Knights Templar There are many historical accounts of the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Jesus Christ, or Knights of the Temple, more commonly referred to as Knights Templar.

10 Commandery Origin of the Knights Templar There are many historical accounts of the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Jesus Christ, or Knights of the Temple, more commonly referred to as Knights Templar. They were formed as a result of the Crusades doing battle with the Moslems and the capture of Jerusalem around Jerusalem fell and the Holy City belonged to the Crusaders and all Christendom rejoiced. Most libraries and bookstores have many volumes on the Crusades and the Knights Templar and these writings are easily understood. The Internet today has an almost endless amount of information on Knights Templar and those interested can become well informed of the different versions relating to their history. Men, women and children pressed forward on their pilgrimage to the sacred city only to find that although Jerusalem was in Christian hands, the Moslems still controlled Palestine. The highways and byways leading to Jerusalem were unprotected. The ferocity of the Moslems seemed to increase with the fall of the city, and mutilated bodies and bleached bones of pilgrims soon became a common site along the roadways. To add to the vulnerability of the pilgrims, thousands of the Crusaders, their primary objective accomplished, returned to their own lands leaving the countryside to the Moslems uncontested. This was the circumstance that set the stage for Templary. A small band of Crusaders remaining after the conquest recognized the plight of the pilgrims and bound themselves in a holy Brotherhood in arms, entering into a solemn agreement to aid one another in clearing the highways, and in protecting the pilgrims through the passes and defiles of the mountains to the Holy City In short, the Knights Templar were laymen who protected and defended Christians traveling to Jerusalem. These men took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, and were renowned for their fierceness and courage in battle. In 1118 A.D., nineteen years after the successful Crusade, these Poor Fellow Soldiers of Jesus Christ, as they termed themselves, were officially recognized and sanctioned and were given for their headquarters, a building on Mount Moriah, the site of the former Temple of King Solomon. Consequently, they became known as the Knights of the Temple, or Knights Templar. This was the era of chivalric ascendancy. Much as outstanding athletes receive the hero worship and admiration of the public today, so did those Knights of old capture the hearts and the wealth of the public of their period. Their fame spread like wildfire. Rulers hastened to be identified with Knights Templar and to present gold and property to the Order.

It is a matter of history that the warriors who fought for Christianity as Knights Templar had their vicissitudes with more downs than ups on the battlefield through the centuries.

11 It is a matter of history that the warriors who fought for Christianity as Knights Templar had their vicissitudes with more downs than ups on the battlefield through the centuries. However, their wealth and their prestige remained undiminished. on the contrary their treasury became too large to escape the notice of some financially embarrassed rulers, especially Philip the Fair, King of France. Philip the Fair with Pope Clement (who Philip pretty well influenced) arranged for Convocation of the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, Jacques DeMolay, and his officers at Paris. The Convocation was held, but Grand Master DeMolay and his officers never left, at least not with their lives. In 1314 Jacques DeMolay was burned at the stake for alleged heresy and dozens of other accusations; all Knight Templar wealth was seized and Templary "moved underground." The Order of Knights Templar Today The Order of Knights Templar today exists as the top ranking Masonic organization in the York Rite of Freemasonry. The Order today requires membership in a Chapter of Royal Arch Masons and in some jurisdictions, membership in a Council of Royal and Select Masters. The Knights Templar is a Christian-oriented fraternal organization based on the ancient organization that was founded in the 11th century. Today, the Knights Templar display their courage and goodwill in different ways than the ancient Templars. Members of the Order today organize fund-raising activities such as breakfasts, dinners, dances and flea markets for the support of Masonic-related youth groups, in addition to raising millions of dollars for charitable purposes. The Templar Membership Today Currently, Templar membership consists of people from all walks of life, including doctors, lawyers, clergy, businessmen and entertainment personalities, all of whom profess a belief in the Christian Religion. LOST AND FOUND LOST: Paperback book - It s All in Your Head by Dr. Hal Huggins Contact: Susan Bauman (513) If you do not wish to receive this newsletter in the future, please contact the newsletter administrator at cindyrf@zoomtown.com. Please indicate MASONIC NEWSLETTER in the subject line. Make certain you specify the address you wish to have removed from our distribution list.

Grand Council Royal and Select Masters Of Florida

Grand Council Royal and Select Masters Of Florida Mentor s Manual Version April 23, 2008 FORWARD The need of a mentor program for officers and members of Councils of Cryptic Masons of Florida has been