My Year In The Grand West

The Barton Lodge No 6 is celebrating a unique Masonic milestone this year, as they turn 225 years old, and if it were not for the COVID19 outbreak a few days after this meeting would have enjoyed a wonderful banquet, but on this evening the GJW and I were joined in lodge by the Grand Master, MWBro David Cameron, who had lived across the road from the candidate and watched him grow up, and who now watched him at his Initiation, proudly becoming a Mason. Congratulating the members this evening on joining "The 225 Club" were two members of The Ancient St John's Lodge No 3 who had both travelled from Kingston to enjoy the degree and education that was also provided. As written in an article entitled " Early History of Freemasonry in Upper Canada " by MWBro Freed, PGM, Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario, who says: "The Barton Lodge, No.6 on the register of the Grand Lodge of Canada, was the ninth of those warranted by William Jarvis. Its cha...

This was indeed an entertaining visit to Beach Lodge 639 - the home lodge of our GJW, RWBro Mark Kapitan - on the occasion of the Official Visit of RWBro Scott Laing, DDGM of Hamilton 'A'.  Following an excellent banquet, featuring roast beef, and an array of toasts, including a rousing and very traditional JW Toast given by our GJW, we were then ceremoniously ushered into the lodge room and witnessed a 2nd degree conferred most efficiently by the upstanding brethren, on behalf of Tuscon Lodge, who provided the candidate for the evening. There is a wonderfully written article to be found online with respect to the history of Beach Lodge, and here are a few quotes that are relevant to maintaining tradition, in terms of how we do it: 1) Growing up "down there" couldn't help but make you independent. We did it our way. As a community we no doubt raised the hackles of the powers that be in some quarters. So be it. The Beach, long ignored, now became a sought afte...

On Wednesday Feb 12, the GJW, RWBro Mark Kapitan and I met at the Aldershot Go Station and traveled together down the road to Ancaster, to visit the brethren of Meridian Lodge 687 on the occasion of the Official Visit of RWBro Jason McCulloch, DDGM Hamilton District "C". Upon opening in the 2nd, the lodge passed an excellent candidate and, prior to closing, also presented a 50 Year a Past Master pin to RWBro Roger Parliament, who on this evening also sat as IPM. Their lodge building used to be barracks back in the day and its walls - upstairs and downstairs - are filled with history. According to their website: "In 1950, West Hamilton and the suburbs of Ancaster experienced rapid growth. As a result, it was determined that the creation of a new Lodge was required to meet Masonic enrollment requests. In October 1956, a group of senior masons began a series of meetings which led to the first meeting of Meridian Lodge # 687, under dispensation, on February 13, 1957. Me...

This was a special day, not only on this Saturday Jan 25 were we to be treated to a Robert Burns Dinner, to be attended by the Grand Master, but in the afternoon beforehand we were also to be treated to a Scottish 3rd Degree, courtesy of Battlefield Lodge 61, held in the Scottish Rite Cathedral. The degree did not disappoint anyone that afternoon, whether the many numerous visitors or those from within the trio of Hamilton-based districts, and it was rather brilliant in fact. I highly recommend you to visit next year, and in the years to come, as I'm sure the tradition will continue. Some history... In 1795 the first Lodge to call Hamilton its home was The Barton Lodge which held its first meeting at Smith's Tavern in Hamilton. Then in 1799 the second Lodge in the Hamilton area was established at Forty Mile Creek (Grimsby) and was called Union Lodge. The original District was called The Gore District and stretched from Grimsby to Oakville. Immediately following the the end...

I was invited to visit Beach Lodge No 639 by my travelling sidekick, our GJW, RWBro Mark Kapitan, and on this evening at the temple in Stoney Creek the brethren were initiating a new member. It was an evening to sit back and enjoy the show. Beach Lodge has a storied history (as - come to think of it - most lodges do) and I presented the lapel pin to the candidate at the conclusion of the degree, and adorning the pin centrally beneath the S&C is a lighthouse, a reminder of their humble beginnings, meeting originally on the strip of beach adjacent to the waterfront. Very active in the district and vibrant, next month the lodge will initiate another Mason, albeit in their new home in Burlington. As was pointed out to me by the GJW, "The Strip was called Burlington Beach back then yet was still in the Hamilton Masonic Districts. We moved from the Beach Blvd in 1971 and went to the Building on Brant Street for 10 years having many PM's still involved from both moves. Then, ...

Beach Lodge held a wonderful reception at the Scottish Rite Cathedral in Hamilton for the Grand Junior Warden on this past Tuesday night and it was very well attended - and I was happily sitting in the West when the lodge went down to "refreshment" in order to admit the guests for the evening. There was a speech delivered regarding the three-fold history of the regalia presented, and also to the Masonic career of RWBro Mark Kapitan, highlighting not only his work with the College of Freemasonry, but also his rise in the various bodies he has joined and the respect the has gained across the jurisdiction since being initiated into the Craft. The Grand Master in his closing remarks mentioned the origins of our current Grand Lodge in England, which we traditionally understand was formed upon a meeting occurring at the Goose and Gridiron Pub on June 24th in 1717, based on a prior meeting held at the Apple Tree Tavern - yet this establishment apparently was not registered until ...

While driving down the QEW to Hamilton on the way to the Tuscan Lodge "Silver to Gold" centenary ceremony on Thursday, I passed by a car that had only just flipped over as the emergency vehicles were still arriving on the scene, a solemn reminder of how things can change in an instant. I did, however, arrive on time. After the ceremony had concluded, the Grand Master offered his insight with respect to change - and how a century ago, at the conclusion of WW1, society was changing. The men who joined lodges and especially those who created new ones, such as Tuscan Lodge No 551, certainly enjoyed the lessons of 'social and moral virtue' they were learning and happily passed along them to the next generation. The evening was dignified. Each of the officers proudly received their new gold-braided regalia respectively from their WM, WBro Harry Zulerons, who himself was quite awestruck by the proceedings, ably assisted by the Grand Chaplain, RWBro Dan Graham - while I...