Cathedrals Built by Masons

 

I had the opportunity to meet the Author Russell Herner of “Cathedrals Built by Masons” at the North Central Grand York Rite Conference October 26, 2019, in Sioux Falls South Dakota. Where he gave a very passionate presentation covering the contents of his book. 

For over thirty years Russell made fifteen trips to England and Europe. Russell first became fascinated with Cathedrals on his first trip in 1969 to England Salisbury Cathedral. He said “I first walked in, and Wow how did they do this? and it just intrigued me. How could they build these Cathedrals 800, 900 years ago”?

Russell started giving out some mind-boggling fact of the Cathedrals:

The longest Cathedral is the Canterbury Cathedral in England. It is more than a tenth of mile long or about as long as a city block.

The tallest Cathedral is the Ulm Minster in Germany. The steeple reaches 530 feet.

The Metz Cathedral in Lorraine France has 70,000 square feet of stained-glass windows. That’s more than 1.5 acres of glass.

Russell had on display a variety of stone masons chisels, gouges, clawed bolsters, stone claws, smoothing planes, saws and setting mauls. He also had a fine collection of carpenter’s tools. Many of the tools dated back to the 1600s. It was fun to see and hold them as Russell explained how the craftsmen used them. Im sure each tool had a story if they could of talked.

He also demonstrated how an operative mason would place the layout of the building on the site using two principals; How to establish the Cathedrals sacred orientation towards the East based on the rising sun and establishing the alter stone. And how a operative mason would lay out the design of the cathedral floor using the Pythagorean Theorem Triangle.  

At the conclusion of Russel’s presentation, he had copies of his book for sale. I must admit that I had an opportunity to reconnoiter it earlier in the day. I loved the book for it is printed on chrome paper, and it’s a larger format. The book is 240 pages with 259 beautiful colored photos that will take you on a photographic tour capturing the splendor of thirty cathedrals in England, France, Germany and Washington D.C.

I had just returned from England where I had visited many of the Cathedrals that I saw in the book. The photos in the book truly captures the beauty of the carved stone arches, the clustered columns, flying buttress, spires, vaulted ceilings, and oh the magnificent stained-glass windows.

He tells us the wonderful story of the monumental task of how the Master Builders designed and constructed these glorious cathedrals during the Middle Ages. While illuminating the quality and the highly technical skills exhibited by the stonemason.

The book “Cathedrals Built by Masons” is the culmination of more than fifty years of research and fifteen trips by Russell Herner. For me this book is more than just another book of pretty pictures what makes it special for me is that Russell is a Past Master of Roby Lodge #534 in Monroeville Ohio, and he tells the story of the Operative Mason demonstrating many of the known ancient construction methods and revealing what the stone mason regarded as the mysteries and secrets of the trade. And Russel contends how our Speculative freemasonry descends from them and devotes much researched material to make his case.

I must apologize for this late posting. Today I went to use Cathedrals Built by Masons for a Lodge Education lecture as I have done many times since 2019. I went to my blog to refresh myself with the photo I had taken of Russell. I realized that I had not posted review. For this my most sincere apologies.

It’s a great book that I always come back to for reference, and for the wonderful photos of some of the Cathedrals I have visited.

 

 

 

Red Wing Lodge #8 Cleans UP

 

On April 24, 2022, the cold gale force winds didn’t hamper the enthusiastic spirt of the members of Red Wing Lodge #8. We were armed with gloves, bags, and a strong sense of purpose to picking up litter on a two mile stretch of highway 61 that approaches the city of Red Wing.

Last year Red Wing Lodge joined thousands of other volunteers who participated in Minnesota Department of Transportation Adopt a Highway Program.

Last year’s volunteers from across our state collected 40,000 bags of litter, saving Minnesota taxpayers 7 million dollars.nd we show pride in our community that’s why we did it.

 

 

Grand Lodge of Minnesota 2022-2023 Grand Master

 The Grand Lodge of Minnesota held its 169th Annual Communication on April 8th-9th at the Park Event Center in Waite Park, Minnesota.  

Tony R. Krall was elected as the169th Most Worshipful Grand Master. G. M. Krall is a very dedicated Mason, and we wish him a successful and most prosperous year. 

I was unable to attend due to a mishap that resulted in a sprained ankle.

Three Reasons Why Freemasonry is like a Gym Membership

Photo by Tom Hendrickson

 

Three Reasons Why Freemasonry is like a Gym Membership

1. You have to show up and apply yourself. 

2. The lessons of Freemasonry are a workout for your mind, heart and soul.

3. If you don't show up and apply yourself, it's just another expensive card in your wallet. 

The World is My Lodge and Getting to Know it

 

Photo thanks to NASA

The World is My Lodge and Getting to Know It

Tom Hendrickson-PGM and Lodge Education Officer Red Wing Lodge #8

 

 

“Knowledge must enlighten the mind and heart for the application of our ideals’ is one of the goals for the Lodge Education Officer.

Tonight, I would like to review a couple of our principles in contrast to the world in which we live today.

As Freemasons, we believe in the Fatherhood of God, and the Brotherhood of Man. We also believe that we are to conduct ourselves in the same manner in Lodge as well as outside of the Lodge. I have always believed that the world is my Lodge, and its inhabitants are my Brothers. And for me to be a better man, I should learn more about my fellow men, to help me understand more about this planet that I reside upon.

Like many of you, I like to travel, and I enjoy meeting and talking with people who reside in the places I have visited. Traveling has certainly broadened my views and understanding of the world. However, I think a quote from our departed Brother and Master Mason Mark Twain, from Polar Star Lodge #79 of St. Louis, Missouri, is very appropriate.

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s life.” (From his book Innocents abroad)

The last two years travel has been severely limited due to COVID and the associated lockdowns. During this time, our travel adventures may have been confined to a weekly outing to the grocery store or maybe a trip to Walmart or Target. Now with the current war in the Ukraine, and the fears that the conflict will spill into Europe and surrounding countries, it may be that we will be staying close to home for some time to come.

I would propose that since we may not be imminently packing our bags, getting roadmaps, airline tickets or renewing passports, I suggest we become armchair explorers to expand our horizons.

As a child, I explored many states and countries, never leaving my home by reading.  Reading can be a great way to explore or the next best way to learn about people, places and other cultures. Reading can open your eyes to new perspectives and places without the hassles or hazards of traveling there.

One of my favorite things is reading which is something that has been a constant in my life. Reading is a natural way to help all of us make daily advancement to becoming a better man. That’s what Freemasonry is all about right? Becoming a better man.

First, reading creates cognitive engagement in the brain that improves vocabulary, thinking skills, concentration, speaking skills, and creativity. It also increases our knowledge and reduces stress. By developing these skills, we can move our attention on to other improvements.

For many of us boomers, when we were boys and teenagers, I think most of us read about the great celebrated explorers who ventured off to the far, exotic and unexplored parts of the world that captivated our attention and filled our imaginations. Their stories of suffering, hardship and survival kept us spellbound.

I, like many of you, had my favorite adventurers. Lewis and Clark and Zebulon Pike were my American explorers of choice, but I also had a strong fascination with the artic and Antarctic explorers, Amundson, Scott, Perry, Byrd, and Shackleton.

I thought that what to me was the golden age of exploration, had passed, all the great adventures had been done and all those blank spaces have been mapped. Heck, you can see any place in the world on Google Maps, so what could be left to explore?  With eco-tourism you can make a day trip to the South Pole, and I would guess that there are thirty people sitting on Hilary Step waiting their turn to climb to the summit of Mt. Everest. Even Pongo Pongo has a nice swimming beach and cold beer today.

There are modern day explorers, and I am sure there are some good one, but many of the accounts I read fell flat. I’m sure there are other excellent adventurers I just have found them yet.

Last year I discovered Levison Wood who has a fresh angle, and a new approach to exploring. Levison is a British Parachute Regiment Officer who spent four years in combat in Afghanistan. His tough military training provides him with the ability to navigate and when paired with his passion for exploring exotic places provides the reader with an exciting adventure.

When Leveson was transitioning out of the active military, he wanted to find a way to earn a living that would also fulfill his passions for writing, photography, and travel.

His envisioned projects that would need to be big and bold enough to write about, but it would have to be something that no one else had done before. His military career had provided physical conditioning and had prepared him for adventure. Levison’s first adventure, he decided to walk the length of the Nile River.

Walking the Nile was his first book that encompasses his adventures over the nine months that it took for him to walk the 4,250 miles.

For his second book, Walking the Himalayas, he walked 1700 miles in six months.

Walking the Americas, 1,800 miles, Eight Countries and one Incredible journey from Mexico to Columbia, was his 3^rd book.  

His fourth book Arabia: A Journey Through the Heart of the Middle East. A 5,000-mile circumnavigation of the Arabian Peninsula.

I think you get a sense of his adventurous spirt by the titles of some of his books.  I think his writing strength is that his books are not just a travel diary.  He shares the stories he learned of the geography, history, civilizations, cultures, and the current day situations that he is walking through. He includes the viewpoints of his local guides and the local people he encounters during his journeys. This helps the reader comprehend and understand the lives of the residents. He informs the reader yet is thoughtful and entertaining.  His books do not bore you to tears, but instead I find myself wanting to read more and more.

I have brought these four books with me tonight, and they will be in the library for you to look at.  

Levison Wood’s approach to travel is very different compared to most others. He does not utilize helicopters, Range Rovers, and a support team of fifty. He simply takes a traveling companion, finds a local translator and walks with a backpack. When they find a local village along the way they purchase food or whatever is available. The daily fare ranges from fish, rice, dried goat and even rats. They sleep in a hammock to avoid snakes and many times rely on the hospitality and kindness of the people they encounter along their path.

One thing that really brought his books alive for me is that even though Wood’s travels have been in the 21^st Century, he experienced the hardships and suffering of many of those explorers from years ago. He journeyed thru jungles, rainforests, swamps, burning hot deserts, and into the freezing temperatures of the high mountain terrains. He was faced with the possibility of catching any number of tropical illnesses from insects or water borne illnesses. Then there was the wide assortment of poisonous snakes, spiders, fire ants, crocodiles, hippopotamus and other such predatory animals. But also, he faced the complexity of attempting to traverse modern day wars, conflicts, human and narcotic traffickers, your normal run of the mill kidnappers, and robbers.

But also important is the human element of his writing. While walking the Nile Wood’s traveling companion was overtaken by heat exhaustion and Wood desperately tried to save his life, but his traveling companion dies. There were a multitude of hazards he faced, but this was particularly difficult for Wood yet he made the decision to go on and complete his journey.

While perhaps my travels do not compare in intensity to Wood’s, I have always viewed traveling as an opportunity to look beyond my immediate world and learn about the other 7 billion people who also inhabit this earth.  I love to look and learn of their cultures and what they value, to learn their history and views of the world. I have also learned that while we may have different faiths, different cultures, and very different ways of life, we have much more in common than we expect and share many of the same concerns regarding our families and our world.  Yet, we can come together, have dinner, and celebrate the brotherhood of man.

Though I live in Minnesota, in my little corner of the world, I can travel the entire world via reading and will travel in person again, I know.  While there are times, I may think we live in an uncivil and thoughtless world, the people that I have met traveling have proved me wrong.  They have provided any number of heart-warming experiences that always restore my faith in humankind.

I never leave home without my Masonic Dues Card, and it also has been my passport to many other wonderful experiences.

The world is vast and full of differing styles, perspectives, people, customs and conflicts.  Wood’s books bring these to life for me in my subzero cosmopolitan Minnesota home, but I have learned a lot from my armchair travels with him.

The World is My Lodge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To Answer all due Signs and Summons

 

As I am a Veteran of the U.S. Army, many years ago I joined by my local American Legion. To join I physically went to the American Legion building -some of you may remember those days before everything in life was done electronically.  As I approached the door of the legion building, I noticed a sign on the door that said, “Members Only”. As I stopped at the door, suddenly the door buzzed, I pulled on the door which opened, and I was inside. For three o’clock in the afternoon I observed that the bar and restaurant were pretty busy.  

I approached the bar and the bartender asked me “what’ll you have”?  I replied that I was interested in joining the legion. He replied, “You a Vet”? I nodded and he handed me a membership application. As I stood at the bar completing the form, I asked him what day the legion has their meetings and what activities do they do. He replied, “Well we have a lot of great drink specials, and the restaurant has great food that’s pretty cheap”. I asked when meetings were held? He replied that he did not know, but I could come back in the evenings, and maybe I could catch one. I handed him my now completed application and his reply was “great that’s $29.95 and you get to drink free today”. “Thanks for your Service.”    

Soon after I received a membership card in the mail, and I began receiving a monthly magazine. For several decades I would periodically stop in to see if I could catch a meeting and determine what night they met. I never did stop by on the evening of a meeting; however, I did learn I could get a double scotch and great steak dinner for ten bucks.  

My past visits to the Eagles, Elks, and Moose were very similar. Great drink specials, good food, no meetings required.  

Freemasonry it totally different than the organizations I have just described. Freemasonry isn’t just about being a casual or passive onlooker. Being a good Mason is being an active Mason.  I believe that many Masons have forgotten our principles and believe that being a good Mason is paying their yearly dues.  After all, they receive that membership card and newsletter upon payment, like other organizations.   

I argue that the intent of Freemasonry is to be more than just another membership card in your wallet or just another newsletter or magazine to put on your coffee table to impress your friends.  

I think we can all agree that other fraternal, service, and social organizations participate in good works.   

Using the words of our dear Brother Andrew Hammer of the Masonic Restoration Society:  

“It is the intent of Freemasonry that the fraternity is, above all else, an initiatic order whose main purpose is to teach good men to subdue their passions, become masters over themselves, and grow in life to be better men.  

It is the intent of Freemasonry that members of Masonic Lodges should be actively engaged in Freemasonry. Historically, attendance at Masonic meetings and functions was mandatory, with fines paid for absences not excused by the lodge. Active participation in the business and purposes of Masonry by a large majority of those who belong is essential to the growth and vitality of a lodge, and in carrying out its role in improving society.

 

It is the intent of Freemasonry that Masons come together to seek fellowship and fraternity in a common pursuit of virtue and moral improvement. This has historically best been accomplished in small and intimate gatherings of fraternal association. Lodges should be large enough to be efficient, but small enough for all the brethren of the lodge to closely know each other. Fraternal ties must always be stronger than social ties. Masonic relationships are expected to be forged between members in the same way a brother grows close to a sibling.

 

It is the intent of Freemasonry that, through the exercise of genuine brotherly love, men become better enabled to regard humankind as one family. Charity, being the chief of all social virtues, encumbers Masons to aid, support and protect each other, relieve the distress and misfortune of family members, and consciously contribute to the betterment of society at large.

 

It is the intent of Freemasonry that Lodges should make regular time for feasting, communal dining, and embracing the social enjoyment of their members. Holding a formal dining event after meetings has long been a traditional element of Masonic evenings. Table Lodges and Feasts of St. John offer opportunities to observe this important Masonic tradition with the larger Masonic community. The fellowship of men is best embraced in the convivial environs of sociability.

 

It is the intent of Freemasonry that its formal and tyled assemblies should be dedicated to the attainment of a deeper knowledge and understanding of Freemasonry by all members. To this end, the presentation of lectures, poetry, music; discussions of the arts, philosophy, and history; and the interpretation of symbols, allegories and myths of Masonic ritual all play an important role in furthering the aims and growth of a Masonic lodge and its members. Each tyled meeting should be devoted, at least in part, to the realization of this profound purpose.

 

Above all, the most important intention of a Freemason is self-improvement. The improvement of the individual is the most fundamental aspect of improving society.”

  

My Question to you today is: How can any of us follow these if we don’t show up?

 

Our Ancient Brothers understood the importance of attendance in Lodge. They understood that fellowship meant meeting in person.  Of course, before telephones, computers and all the current technology, they had fewer options, but the still the sacred connection of meeting and practicing the craft bonded them together.  At times in human history, attending a meeting may have been a life-threatening event, yet they still understood the necessity of coming together.  

 

Every Master Mason fully understands that a summons is a notice that a Masonic event is going to occur like a stated meeting, funeral, Corner Stone laying and that they have a significate interest in attending. It is the Masons responsibility to answer it.

 

This may seem a bold statement, but I know this as it is part of our Fellow Craft and Master Mason Obligation. As Masons, we promise to answer and obey dues summonses from a lodge.’

 

Remember this obligation? Remember this promise that was made?  

 

In ancient times, the Worshipful Master would notify the Secretary of the date and time of the Communication. The Secretary would then notify the Tyler. The Tyler would go to each Masons work or home, and inform them mouth to ear, or hand each a paper Summons.  

 

I have a copy of a Summons signed by Worshipful Master Paul Revere that you can look at.   

 

I have witnessed the effectiveness of a Masonic Summons in other parts of the world. I attended Lodge in London at Maritima Lodge #6444. The Lodge members there are very active, and many are retired or active Merchant Marines. These Brothers work on commercial trade ships that are moving and working throughout the world.  

 

There were close to thirty members in attendance at the meeting. The Worshipful Master asked the Secretary if there was any correspondence. The Secretary rose and he held in his hand a stack of paper an inch thick of letters and printed e mails from members who could not attend the meeting. Some of the members being on the high seas, and others were in ports in Greece, South Korea, Cape Town South Africa, Singapore to name a few.  

 

As the Secretary read each correspondence, the Brothers in attendance listened with great interest. It was evident there was strong sense of belonging, and that all members, no matter how far and scattered across the world they may be, they mattered to each other. One member was at home in England receiving cancer treatments, another was recovering and attending physical therapy for he had fallen twenty feet from a ladder on board ship that was experiencing rough seas, and yet another was home welcoming the birth of child.    

After reading all the correspondence the Secretary stated that all the members were either present or accounted for. 

 Today, with current technology, we can receive our Masonic Summons via e mail. It is very convenient and a much easier system. All we need to do is click a box and hit send.  But what have we lost in terms of engagement with technology?  I would argue quite a lot.  

 

The masons shared the tie that binds us all. It just seems to me that the binding has frayed a bit…..  

So, that Summons I receive is important.  It is not another pesky email, but a gentle reminder that I belong to the world’s oldest fraternity, if not the oldest men’s support group. That I belong to a Lodge where we pay careful attention to and practice what we consider the essential tenets of Freemasonry. We do everything as correctly as possible, and to the best of our ability, for us to be better men.  

The summons means that my participation is wanted and most importantly is needed.  That I am part of a fraternity that has withstood the test or wars, dictators, and strife, but has survived and thrived, because ultimately, we are Masons that care about one another.  

I made a promise many years ago, to answer all due signs and summons. A promise I still consider important and would ask that we all reflect on that promise.   

 

It should be noted

It did take me over 30 years to get to a place in life where I had the time to reach out to the State Headquarters to find out the contact person and what night my American Legion Met. 

I did eventually become the Commander of my Local Post for two firm terms. I firmly support the American Legion and their activities.  

 

 

 

Happy New Year 2022

 Wishing you a safe, healthily and prosperous New Year