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April 2007
FROM THE EAST
Charles H.
Tupper, Master
he winter is over and now
comes the most beautiful season of the year - Spring! I look out my windows
and down my street and see all the flowering trees and bushes. I remember
the sticks and bare ground that I saw there just a few short days ago. I am
reminded of some words in our Entered Apprentice Degree: “Though constantly
harassed, more to furnish the luxuries than the necessaries of life, she
never refuses her accustomed yield – spreading his pathway with flowers and
his table with plenty.”
My wife and I
take walks each day and we always stop to smell a flower and look at the
beauty of this time of year. It is refreshing and brings a sense of
renewal.
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While the earth is enjoying new life, we have brothers who have it
less easy. Their road is a rough and rugged one and they feel as
though they have been beset by ruffians. Their pathways seem spread
with potholes and brambles. It is up to us, as brothers, to
encourage them and help them through these times. Most of the time
this help amounts to a kind word or a listening ear. Sometimes,
however, it takes a bit more. Sometimes we must lend a helping hand
for a season or two to see a Brother through a trying time. We must
always remember our obligations as Masons to never let such a time
pass by without doing all we can to help. |
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The April
Stated Communication will bring us a violin extravaganza brought to all of
us by Brother David Karpilow. Brother Karpilow is a violin instructor and
has long wished to bring a little of his sunshine into our Lodge. This
month he will do so. He is bringing with him a violin maker who will show
us how these are made and David will play his instrument for us.
We are
making a change in Musicians and Brother Adam Creighton from Greenwood Lodge
No. 253 will be our Lodge Musician for the rest of this year and, hopefully,
for many years to come. We all know him as he has played for us a few times
since he joined Greenwood. He is now a Fellowcraft Mason and will be taking
his third degree soon. I will be there on that important occasion and I
hope you will also. We should show him our support as he is being very
generous with his time to our Lodge.
We will
enjoy a steak dinner before the show and the Stated Communication will flow
right along. See you all at the Stated.
April means Baseball is
Back!
Baseball’s Hall of
Fame contains eleven Freemasons….. Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson, Tris
Speaker, “Pie” Tranor, Mickey Cochran, Eddie Collins, Jimmie Foxx, Lefty
Grove, Walter Johnson, Herb Pennock and Rogers Hornsby.
Go Mariners!
(And Go St. John’s
Littler League Rookies, Minors, and Majors!)
PARKING AT ST. JOHN’S
A word of caution: The parking lot next to
the Lodge building belongs to the Diva Espresso coffee shop next door.
We can’t park there.
St. John School only a half-block west off N.
80th opens their parking at
6pm once the day-care children
are dismissed. State law requires keeping cars out before that hour for
the safety of the children.
 St.
John School is a ministry of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Parish.
CALENDAR
·
April 12 (7pm): Master
Mason degree
·
April 18 (6:15pm) 7:30pm:
St. John’s
9 (dinner) Stated
David Karpilow violinist
·
April 26
(7pm): Officers meeting
·
April 27:
Quarterly meeting of Masonic Service Bureau
·
May 6
(8:30am-10:30am): FABulous Family Brunch – Ivar’s Salmon House Immediate
Families, prospective members and their families
·
May 9 (5pm):
Board of Trustees
·
May 10 (7pm):
degree
·
May 11 (6pm):
Districts 4&5 Celebration of Masonry (Ballard Masonic Center)
re-scheduled
·
May 16 (6:15pm)
7:30pm: St. John’s
9 (dinner) Stated;
JGW Candidates and GL
Resolutions
SOUND OF MUSIC TO FILL THE AIR AT
APRIL STATED
The art of the violin maker and the art of the
violinist, both of whom are craftsmen who have worked in the quarries to
hone their special skills, will be demonstrated on the evening of our April
18 stated communication.
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Violin
making is an often forgotten or overlooked art, yet indispensable to the
expression and preservation of great works of music. Since its earliest
beginnings, the violin has been an embodiment of the highest ideals of art.
Violin making is more than a craft, and entails much more than the mere
construction of a violin. Many areas of expertise must be mastered. The
maker performs the skills of wood sculptor, architect, and engineer.
Mr. Herman Bischofberger is just such a skilled
craftsman. He and our “resident” violinist Bro. David Karpilow will be
exhibiting their skills to the brethren of St. John’s this evening. Mr.
Bischofberger, a second generation luthier,
has been creating beautiful violins for fifty years. Bro. Karpilow, 90
years “young,” is a retired engineer and a member of St. John’s. He has
traveled the world over as a concert violinist, and continues to sit at
first violin in the Cascade Symphony orchestra of Edmonds.
They will be assisted by Mrs. Toni Bouvet at the
piano. |
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Worshipful Master Charles Tupper invites all
Masons and their guests to come out to see and hear what beautiful music can
be produced with the combined skills of the violinist and the instrument’s
maker. Dinner will be served at 6:15, with this program of interest
following. Please make your reservations with the Secretary at 206
623-0261 or by clicking
this link
and telling him how many are coming.
INVITATION TO MAY
DISTRICT MEETING
Spring has
arrived, and right around the corner is our re-scheduled Districts 4 & 5
Celebration, with special guest Grand Master MWBro. Charles McQuery. The
event will be held May 11 at the Ballard Masonic Center starting at 6:30pm.
This promises to be a great evening of food, fun, and fellowship as well as
some outstanding entertainment. Some tickets may still be available at $25;
the net proceeds to be donated to the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra to
support their educational programs and to the Ballard Food Bank. Following
the dinner, the program will be open to all without charge.
Snow caused
a cancellation of the original January date.
KING COUNTY MASONIC
LIBRARY
The King County Masonic Library Association at its most recent quarterly
meeting was presented with a resolution for a first reading to bequeath its
books to the Grand Lodge Library, distribute its assets ($60,000+), and to
dissolve the Association. Action on the resolution is expected at the May
22 meeting.
The Library, which was established in part by St. John’s Lodge in 1892, has
around 1,635 volumes. With the permanent closure and sale of the Masonic
Temple on Harvard and Pine where the library last resided, the books
initially spent time in storage until recent years when they were
transferred to the Grand Lodge Library and Museum in Tacoma. The
Association has continued to meet, pay for the repair of damaged books, and
to serve as a concerned guardian of the library resource.
Action at March Stated Communication
At last month’s stated
communication, those present approved two changes to our by-laws and granted
$25,000 to help repair the flood damage to our Masonic Park in Granite
Falls. Sixty-nine joined together at Table Lodge.
ST. JOHN’S WEB INCREASINGLY
POPULAR
Our webmaster (and Worshipful Master) Charlie
Tupper has been adding stuff to our website www.seattlemasons.org in an
effort to increase its public popularity and get more prospects looking at
it. A recent addition of TV links has been quite popular. With the
popularity of Dan Brown's books, Freemasonry is getting an unprecedented
amount of publicity in “exposé” television. Most of the shows are well
researched and well done. Some of the characterizations are far-fetched and
most of the shows are sensationalist but that's what sells TV today.
Most of these programs are now available for
viewing on the Internet.
With this in mind we have assembled a page of
links for your viewing enjoyment. Just click on any link found on the
Television shows links page and you can watch the complete original show.
The St. John's website is really looking good and
has been instrumental in inspiring those non-masons with an interest in
Freemasonry to contact us. Charlie spends a LOT of time in making our
website an attractive place to learn about the Craft. It is also used by
local Masons who are not members of our Lodge to find out what's happening
around our jurisdiction.
Take a look!
P
Invitation
FABULOUS FAMILY APPRECIATION BRUNCH RETURNS IN MAY
Act Today!!!
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St. John's Lodge extends a cordial invitation to you and
your family to be its guests on Sunday, May 6, for our 12th
annual FABulous Family Appreciation Brunch at Ivar’s Salmon House from
8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Ivar’s Salmon House is known throughout the
Northwest and beyond for its fine cuisine and alder-smoked salmon. St.
John’s members have also discovered their FABulous breakfast buffet! |
For our Brothers, as the name implies, all immediate members of
your family are invited. We encourage the kids to join us. Don’t forget Mom!
 For
the Widow of our departed Brother, we invite you and your family members to
share in this springtime celebration. We encourage the grandchildren to join
us.
St. John’s will be picking up the tab except for alcoholic
beverages.
Reservations are mandatory and are limited. Enclosed is a
reservation card. Please print your name and that of your guests on the
pre-addressed card and mail it to Jim Russell, secretary, postmarked by April
26. Or use this link to
e-mail stjohns9@seattlemasons.org to make your reservation. Late
reservations after April 26th cannot be honored.
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