My Year In The Grand West

On Friday, Jan 24, I travelled down the 403 to St Catharines to participate in the amalgamation of three lodges that were prepared to form Reunion Lodge 103, and they were assisted in doing so by many Grand Lodge officers, who were treated to a sold-out Robert Burns Dinner beforehand. The three lodges in Niagara A amalgamating were Temple Lodge, Maple Lodge and St Andrews Lodge. The ceremony was solemn and short, in fact, and I was happy to see the many brethren cast their votes for the new slate of officers eagerly and begin their work together. According to the District's website: Maple Leaf Lodge No. 103 owes its existence to the efforts of the brethren of St. George's Lodge No. 15, who sponsored its establishment with the purpose of promoting the expansion of Freemasonry in the Niagara area. As a result, Maple Leaf was instituted on July 28th, 1858. Among its Charter Members was a Brother James Seymour, who served as the first Junior Warden, and who was destined to rise...

On Friday, September 20, RWBro Kapitan and I had quite a road trip, and were able to share many stories, beginning in Bowmanville where we met and travelled together to Madoc in order to visit St Andrew's Lodge No 497 on the occasion of the Official Visit (his first of the year) of Frontenac District's DDGM, RWBro Bernie MacLean. There was no degree work this evening, but an incredibly well-researched and well-written piece of Masonic Education presented by VWBro Garnet Holmes, who is apparently famous among the district's brethren for delivering many such pieces. After lodge was closed, and after much friendly discussions were held, we went downstairs to the banquet room and enjoyed home-made chili and beef stew (and a draw, which I did not win) before getting back on the road. According to the DDGM, Frontenac Masonic District is made up of hundreds of Freemasons from 14 different Lodges covering an area from Napanee in the west through Kingston to Gananoque in the e...