New Royal Arch Chapter in Minnesota

Iron Range Royal Arch Chapter #70

This is a photo of the newest Royal Arch Chartered in Minnesota . Iron Range #70.
How did they do that you may ask? The Leadership of the Grand Royal Arch of Minnesota, and the Companions did something very different. They" Dared to Change" and think out of the box.

Over the years the demographics of Northern Minnesota has changed greatly due to the declining  industries of iron ore mining, and timber. The Chapters, Councils and Commanderies also declined and many closed or were merged with others.

One of the Spark Plugs of this new Chapter is Phil Bodle. In his search for more Masonic Light he joined the Royal Arch Chapter, Cryptic Council and Commandery in Duluth. He drove more than 60 miles to attend meetings. Phil was in the Progressive Line of Hibbing Lodge at the time.During this time he educated the members of his lodge of the York Rite. He became Master of his Lodge and thats when things got serious.

He got the attention of the Grand High Priest David Emery and that's when the thinking caps came on. After many visits and much conversation that the idea of creating a Traveling Chapter or Regional Chapter came into development.

Iron Range Lodge #70 will service a thirty mile radius  with members in Hibbing, Eveleth and Grand Rapids Minnesota. Their Charter will move on a scheduled basis. This will allow more exposure to more Blue Lodges in the region, and more Brothers exposed to the York Rite for further light in Freemasonry. 

This story will be continued in the next few months with a interviews of everyone who made it happen. Also a follow up with Phil on how things are going and what plans he has instore.

November 23, 2019 is a Red Letter Day for the Minnesota Royal Arch!

Minnesota York Rite and the Word" Change"

Minnehaha York Rite and the word “Change”

Tom Hendrickson-PGM

Change is a word that brings discomfort, irritation, torment and pain to some Masons. To other Masons, change is a word that brings to mind freshness, new fashioned notions, the unusual or the out of the ordinary comes to mind.

We at Ark Royal Arch Chapter, Omega Council, and Minneapolis Mounted Commandery (otherwise known as the Minnehaha York Rite) are embarking on making a major change in the way that we meet and in the activities that we do.

We will no longer hold twelve monthly standard business meetings with full ritualist openings and closing. No longer will there be twelve monthly readings of bills and who hasn’t paid their dues.

Our formal meetings will be held four times a year with all the usual Masonic traditions. The other eight months we will be meeting, but that time spent will be doing things. We currently are in the process of deciding what those activities will be. Some ideas that have been mentioned so far are: visiting other York Rite Bodies in the state such as Owatonna or St. Peter and having dinner at one of their local known eateries. Another idea is visiting the Masonic Home and bringing refreshments and as well as fellowship with some of our Brothers. Other ideas are playing Bocce Ball, horseback riding or even throwing axes at a local establishment. Of course, we will always have engaging opportunities to learn more about Freemasonry.

I have been told that sometimes Masonic Meetings have the same feeling as being trapped in a high school detention hall. However, you want to describe it, a bad meeting is a waste of time. Time is our greatest gift, so why waste it.

We held a Waffle breakfast last month and that embarked us on this new way of thinking. We had not held a fund raiser for a very long time and this was a new to us. It was a lot of work but we had a lot of fun doing it.

You may wish to watch the Calendar to see what we are up and if you are so inclined, you may want to join us. Your Minnehaha York Rite is a path to further enlightenment but also a path to worthwhile activities and perhaps having some fun in the process. 

Since writing this story there has been a additional development:

The York Rite of Owatonna, Minnesota (which is pictured above) has also been making changes in the way that they meet, and are currently undergoing changes in  their activities very similar to Minnehaha York Rite.