Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Shriner Hospitals a Shrine of Mircles


by Noble Robert W. Pinkerton (Zenobia Shriners, Northwest Ohio), (1925-1994), courtesy of Masonic Poets Society.
I’d like to tell a story

It’s a happy episode
of a miracle that happened
to a family down the road.

They lived a block or two away.

It doesn’t matter where.
A man, his wife, and three young kids
with one in a wheelchair.

They’d go for walks and wave to us.

We’d smile and say “Hello.”
Why one was in a wheelchair,
for years, we did not know.

Another neighbour said the boy

was born with bones deformed.
They took him to a clinic where
some tests had been performed.

The doctors who examined him

said, “There are indications,
your boy may some day walk if he
has certain operations.”

Said one who diagnosed him

when the boy was only four,
“It may cost ninety thousand,
if we help him...maybe more.”

When they were told about the cost,

they knew it couldn’t be.
Those people struggled just to feed
and clothe their family.

“Why, it would take a miracle,”

said his father, “Who could spend
the money for such treatments,
that would cause his bones to mend?”

“Our hopes were all for nothing,”

cried his mother in despair,
“It looks like he will spend his life
inside that old wheelchair.”

Now a man his father worked with

was a member of the Shrine.
He said, “We’d like to help him,
And it won’t cost you a dime.”

“The hospitals,” he told him,

“that the Shriners operate,
are well equipped and proven;
So, why don’t we set a date?”

Within a month their child

was examined and accepted,
then sent for consultation
where the Shriners were connected.

With surgery and treatments

and the many years of care,
the best of specialists worked with
the famous doctors there.

His every cost was paid for;

his meals and transportation,
as well as for his parents,
there were free accommodations.

Today, that boy is seventeen.

Ten years of therapy
and at the cost of Shriners,
he now walks like you and me.

He plays with kids outside our door.

He runs and rides his bike.
I’m awed as I remember what
before, his life was like.

And he’s just one of thousands

of that burned or crippled hoard
of children who need treatments
their parents can’t afford.

The Shriners gave a new life

to this crippled boy, but then,
I know it was a miracle
from G-d through hands of men.

I’ve always known that Shriners

seemed to have a lot of fun,
but I had never realized
the noble work they’ve done.

And since I was a witness

to this miracle divine,
I pray each night for blessings
on this boy … and on the Shrine.

Friday, September 11, 2015

Minneapolis Scottish Feast of Tishri Celebration

                  
                               Hurry and get your Reservations                                                             

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

An Introduction to York Rite Freemasonry



I thought you may find this interesting
The following video is an introduction to the three bodies of York Rite Freemasonry: the Royal Arch, the Cryptic Council and the Knights Templar. Produced for the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Indiana. Created by Christopher Hodapp, author of Freemasons For Dummies and the Templar Code For Dummies.

Thursday, September 3, 2015

California Masonic Symposium

                                                 

                                                              Evolution of the Masonic Ritual




The 15th Annual California Masonic Symposium, held Sept. 19 in San Francisco and Sept. 20 in Pasadena, offers Master Masons* a fascinating opportunity to explore the history of the Masonic ritual – from the first evidence of the “Mason word” to the practices used by lodges today.                     REGISTER TODAY

This year’s speakers are:
• Robert G. Davis. The 2008 Henry Wilson Coil lecturer and a fellow of the Institute for Masonic Studies and the Scottish Rite Research Society, Davis is also a member of the steering committee of the Masonic Information Center of the United States. He is secretary of the Guthrie Oklahoma Scottish Rite, a past master of three Oklahoma lodges, and the author of "The Mason's Words: History and Evolution of the American Masonic Ritual" and "Understanding Manhood in America."
• Arturo de Hoyos. The 2015 Henry Wilson Coil lecturer, Davis is the grand archivist and grand historian of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Supreme Council, 33°, Southern Jurisdiction. He is a renowned authority on the history and rituals of the Scottish Rite and most other Masonic organizations. A past master of McAllen Lodge No. 1110 in Texas, he will be initiated as a fellow of the Institute for Masonic Studies during the Symposium.
The speakers’ presentations will be complemented by panel discussions, moderated by Past Grand Masters John L. Cooper III and R. Stephen Doan.
Each session will conclude with a live exemplification of how a man was made a Mason in the manner suggested through the “Edinburgh Register House Manuscript” of 1696 and other early sources.
Don’t miss this this opportunity to immerse yourself in the history of Masonic ritual, while connecting with Masonic scholars near you.