Redlands Masonic Lodge #300, F&AM

**New Years Message from Grand Master Arthur H. Weiss** As we wind down this season of holiday observances, we come to the end of another year. Normally, this i...s a time for celebrating what has come before and looking forward to what comes next. It is traditional for us to pause and take stock of where we areto assess the progress we’ve made during the past 12 months and to promise ourselves, by means of New Year’s resolutions, that the next 12 months will be filled with positive actions that will fuel self-improvement as we strive to reach our perfect ashlar. But, because of COVID-19, this year ends on a much different note. Our world, our country, and our brethren continue to deal with the medical and economic fallout of this pandemic. For many, this has not been the happiest of holiday seasons and the start of the New Year does not seem as bright as we had wished. We pray for the health and safety of our members, our communities, our first responders, and our front-line medical workers as this year comes to a close. Yet, as we look upwards into the infinite starry night sky and trust in our Great Architect, there is cause for great hope as we enter 2021. Our fraternity continues to support its members through the Distressed Worthy Brother Relief Fund, the most successful call for help in our 170-year history. The staffs of both Masonic Outreach Services and the Masonic Center for Youth and Families continue to provide compassionate service to our members and their families. The staff of the Masonic Homes of California works tirelessly to care for our most vulnerable seniors. And we all have cause for celebration as vaccines for this pandemic have now been approved for use and our residents and staff will soon be inoculated, providing additional protection from the virus and reducing some of the intense fear that we have all felt for their health and safety. This New Year, I have only one resolution: to remain positive and push this jurisdiction forward into its bright and glorious future. I am committed to re-opening as soon as prudence dictates. I am committed to implementing our 2025 Fraternity Plan. I am committed to increasing Masonic family unity. I hope you will embrace these same resolutions and these same commitments as we move forward together in the next evolution of our beloved craft. Barbara and I wish you a most happy and joyous New Year. Sincerely and fraternally, Arthur H. Weiss Grand Master

There's more to being a Master Mason than just the title. #dobetter #freemasonry

Merry Christmas from Redlands Masonic Lodge #300, F. & A.M.!

The planets are so freaking crazy! You can imagine the wonderment when Galileo first pronounced there were craters in the Moon, prompting the Inquisitor to stat...e quixotically, I have no doubt that if I looked thru your telescope I would see your craters, Galileo. Because you put them there! Saturn blows my mind. Every. Time.

Welcome to #TravelSafelyTuesday! Each week, Amity showcases a Masonic destination somewhere in the world. This week we travel to the birthplace of modern Freema...sonry: London, England. Deep inside the Andaz Hotel, on Liverpool Street in Bishopsgate, is one of Freemasonry’s hidden mysteries: a Masonic Temple that was long forgotten inside a derelict and discarded hotel. Built in 1884 next to London’s Liverpool Street train station, the Great Eastern Hotel was one of the city’s original railway hotels. Usually impressive in size, these hotels were designed as a symbolic demonstration of rail transport’s wealth. The Great Eastern was no different: the luxurious hotel enjoyed the privilege of owning its own track inside the train station for daily provisions delivery, which included sea water for the hotel’s salt water baths. As the tourism industry boomed, however, hotels of all sizes sprang up across the city and cars gradually replaced trains as the primary mode of transport. The Great Eastern soon fell behind the times, and languished for decades as a dusty old mansion. But her story was not finished: almost a century after its opening, the Hotel was revived and brought to new life. During the restoration, engineers noticed a few discrepancies in the blueprints. Then, like a scene from National Treasure, they removed a wall to find a wood-paneled antechamber. Imagine their surprise when, on the other side of a studded double door, they found a Masonic Temple! Built in 1912, the forgotten temple is a pure jewel of luxury. Neoclassic in style, the windowless room is known as the Grecian Temple. The opulent room includes an organ, hand-carved mahogany chairs, bronze candelabras on claw feet, and 12 different types of marble used in the floor, columns, and walls. The ceiling, a blue and gold dome, bears a five-pointed blazing star. Today, the Andaz Hotel rents out the Temple for dining and private events. If you ever travel to London, be sure to check out the Temple... and if you need a place to stay, the Andaz would love to have you check in. After all, it’s not everyday you can say that you spent the night in the same building as a Lodge room!

Last week, Grand Master Arthur Weiss issued two important new decisions related to Masonic meetings and events during #COVID19. One is an update to the suspensi...on of in-person Masonic meetings and events; the other offers guidance for lodges on moving forward with virtual stated meetings and elections. READ MORE: freemason.org/octoberupdate #MasonsofCA

Who doesn’t love a good cornerstone laying? On October 13, 1792, the cornerstone was laid for the White House. The Museum & Library has a great collection of ph...otographs and objects related to cornerstone laying ceremonies and Freemasonry in the United States. To commemorate the 228 year anniversary of this momentous occasion, we share this photograph that shows officers of the Grand Lodge of Massachusettsobserved by President and Freemason Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919)laying the cornerstone of the Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown, Massachusetts, in August of 1907. Visit our online collections to see more! https://bit.ly/353GRou

L.A. Harbor Lodge would like to congratulate Most Worshipful Brother Arthur Weiss on his installation as the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of California, F&AM. MW Weiss was installed this morning at the 171st Annunal Communication of the Grand Lodge.

While much of The Masonic Temple in Philadelphia's stained-glass is purely decorative, the second-floor window - particularly the top portion shown here - is al...so symbolic. Benjamin H. Shoemaker designed and constructed the entire window during the building's initial construction in the late 1800s. Some of the most commonly-known Masonic symbols are represented within. See more

Just Saying! Thank you for sharing.

Welcome to #TravelSafelyTuesday! Each week, Amity showcases a Masonic Lodge somewhere in the world. This week we visit a modern engineering marvel: the Panama C...anal. Freemasonry in the Panama Canal Zone had its beginnings in 1898, when Sojourners Lodge No. 874 was founded in Colon, Panamá, under the Grand Lodge of Scotland. In 1904, when the United States began construction of the Panama Canal, Sojourners Lodge began to attract Americans both as affiliate members and as candidates for the Degrees. Over a number of years the character of the membership changed, until it was mostly American. In July of 1912, the members of Sojourners Lodge assessed the situation of their Lodge. The long distance between Panama and Scotland made routine communications a lengthy process, and the largely American membership desired closer ties with their homeland. Ultimately, 330 Brothers voted in favor of surrendering the Lodge’s charter under the Grand Lodge of Scotland. The Lodge petitioned the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts (Massachusetts Freemasonry) for recognition, which was granted by the Grand Master and announced to the Grand Lodge on September 11, 1912 -- 108 years ago this week. On January 13, 1913, MW Everett C. Benton, Grand Master, opened a Special Communication of the Grand Lodge for the purpose of constituting Sojourners Lodge (note: Lodges in MA do not use numbers) and installing its officers. It was a celebrated affair, with Masons present from 40 states, two dependencies and four foreign countries. The District Grand Lodge of the Panama Canal Zone (Panama Canal Masons) grew steadily, and now consists of seven Lodges: four in Panama and three in Chile. They enjoy a strong fraternal relationship with La Gran Logia de Panamá, with whom they share jurisdiction. If you’re ever in Panama, be sure to visit the Massachusetts Masonic Hall in Vista Hermosa. The Brethren would love to offer their hospitality to their sojourning Brothers! For more about the District and its Lodges, join them next Friday (18 September) at their virtual open house; details are available on their Facebook page (link above).

THIS SATURDAY at 9 p.m. PST, join Grand Master John E. Trauner as he returns to host this weekend’s virtual Masonic toast on Facebook Live! Simply visit the Masons of California Facebook page and look for our live presentation then! #MasonsofCA #TimetoToast

Friend to Friend Masonic Memorial The Friend to Friend Masonic Memorial is a monument located in the annex of the Gettysburg National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pe...nnsylvania. Built by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, it commemorates Confederate Brigadier General Lewis Addison Armistead entrusting Union Captain Henry H. Bingham with his personal effects, most notably a pocket watch, on the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, during Pickett’s Charge. Pickett’s Charge was an assault upon the Union Army center on the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg. The charge, the high tide of the Confederate States of America, was repulsed. Confederate General Armistead, under George Pickett’s command, personally led his men up the hill to the Union position. Armistead was shot twice. Severely wounded, and fearing that his personal effects would be stolen by Union soldiers, he gave a Masonic sign asking for assistance. Union Captain Bingham, an aide to Major General Winfield Scott Hancock, a personal friend of Armistead, then came to his aid as he lay wounded: Armistead, Bingham, and Hancock were all Freemasons. After ensuring Armistead that his possessions would be sent to his family, particularly his pocket watch, Bingham took Armistead to a field hospital, where Armistead died two days later on the George Spangler farm. The monument’s sculptor was Ron Tunison of Cairo, New York, who was himself a Freemason. The sculpture is made of polychrome bronze.

Col. Jimmy Doolittle may be best known for his daring raid during the Second World War. But, his affiliation to Freemasonry started during the time of World War... I. He was was a member of Hollenbeck Lodge No. 319 in Los Angeles, California. In an interesting set of events, Doolittle was balloted on during a special meeting of Hollenbeck Lodge for which they received special dispensation. At the time of his election to receive the degrees of Freemasonry he was stationed in Louisiana. Again with special dispensation from the Grand Lodge of California and the Grand Lodge of Louisiana, Doolittle was given all three degrees on August 16th, 1918 in Lake Charles Lodge No. 16. A recent storm had wrecked the Lake Charles Masonic Temple and the degrees were actually conferred in the local Elks Temple, loaned for the purpose. All of the special circumstances were to accommodate Doolittle's military service and deployments. Doolittle was also a 33 Scottish Rite mason and a Shriner. See more