It was best said by RW Stew Aronson, “Installations are not just the time we change the Lodge Officers but are a time for Lodge renewal. Certainly the leadership changes but this is the time we “renew” our commitment to the Lodge, the community and the Craft in general.”

The new incoming Master, Jerry Parziale has been one of the most active and faithful members of the Lodge but for various reasons it was not his time to take the Oriental Chair.

Today it was.

With the assistance of RW’s Stew Aronson, Dave Spiller, Bill Sawyer, Mike Pettengill, Bob Sutherland, Wor. Don Willoughby and MW’s David Lamprey and Jerry Sawyer the new Master assumed his position.

Gideon Lodge like so many, ran into situations common to all; do we sell the building; do we merge with another Lodge; how do we attract new Brethren; how do we keep them active, etc. Working together they have found the secret and raised eight new Masons in the last two years, many of whom have taken Officer positions. The renewal of spirit has caught on in Kingston and was evident to the many family and friends who witnessed this ancient ceremony.

Shown are RW Aronson and the new Master, Worshipful Gerald Parziale.

Well done, Gideon Lodge. You have a bright future.

Masonry runs in the Puleo family and that was evident “over in Dover” for the installation of the Lodges 70th Master recently. The family history dates back to Grandfather Richard J. Puleo, Sr. who was the Potentate at Bektash Temple in the early 1990’s. This continued with Rick Puleo, Jr. who is a Past Master of Mt. Lebanon Lodge #32, in Laconia and concluded recently with the installation of Wor.
Vincent R. Puleo. (since the new Master is engaged, who knows when the next generation might be added)

WM “Vincent” Puleo had his Jewel and Charge given by Wor. “Dad” Puleo and witnessed by many friends and family in a packed Lodge of standing room only.

Assisting in the installation was MW C. Wayne Libby, Jr., RW’s William S. Sawyer, John F. Gordon, Michael V. Pettengill, and Worshipful’s Michael R. Steward, Donald S. Meserve, Richard J. Puleo, Jr. and Brothers John T. Pond, Jr. and John Moulton, Grand Organist from our neighboring state of Maine.

The Lodge is named after MW Moses Paul who was Grand Master in 1858 and 1859. During his term GM Paul instituted the office of Grand Lecturer and set the stage for the semi-annual GL Communications.

The first picture is with the new Master, his fiancé Rachel Clennon, his mom Ruth Puleo and Grandmom Priscilla Puleo.

The second picture shows that all new Masters need the Tile adjusted and the third is the Gavel given by WM Puleo’s fiancé and Wor. “Dad” Paleo.

And a good time was had by all.

Gilbert Hugh Palmer was installed as Worshipful Master of St. John’s Lodge #1 in a continuous line of
Masons that started in 1736 and continues to present.

WM Palmer’s family Masonic history goes all the way back to his Great-grandfather in an unbroken line.

An interesting point from WM Palmer is that from the Marshal, to the four Stewards, both of the
Deacons and both Wardens are all “newbies” and have not served as Past Masters. This will put the
Lodge in a great position for many years. He noted that we rely on Past Masters for advice but having
the line full of fairly new Brethren is a plus. New ideas coupled with the old traditions, make a valuable
mixture.

Members of the installation team included, RW William S. Sawyer, RW John F. Gordon, RW Michael V.
Pettengill, Wor. Michael L. Steward, Wor. Glen R. Gordon, RW Robert L. Sutherland, Jr., RW Ronald E.
Metcalf and Bro. Nelson K. Ward. Also present was Robert E. Buffum, the dean of Past Masters of the
Lodge having served in 1965.

After the installation, the collation was provided by “master chef” PM Phil Fraser of the Sister Lodge St.
Andrews who also meet at the Portsmouth Temple

In the program was a statement that sets the tone: “Freemasonry and St. John’s Lodge have a rich
and valued history to which our Officers will look for inspiration and guidance as we move through
the coming year, being ever mindful that we are but the stewards of our venerable institution for a
short time. With the ongoing commitment to brotherhood, friendship and community, we hope to
strengthen our Lodges for those that will follow us in the years to come.”

Shown here are WM Palmer, along with his wife Helen and their lovely daughters.

After the installation, the collation was provided by “master chef” PM Phil Fraser of the Sister Lodge St. Andrews who also meet at the Portsmouth Temple with the assistance of brothers from The Scythe of Time Chapter of The Widow’s Sons – Dennis A. Tuttle, Noah Blanchard, Sean Fogarty, Michael Hagman and AJ Hopey.

Report from North Star Lodge.

Lancaster held their Annual Olde Tyme Christmas Celebration on Thursday December 01, 2011, and the members of North Star Lodge again persevered through the reception of an excellent amount of guests who toured our Lodge. Several of my fellow Lodge Officers kept taking turns offering private tours around the quarters. These fellows would return to the main door tired and winded, but jumped back up to take the next group through a private tour. Worshipful Brother John B. Nay, a 60 year Veteran and Past Master, was seen everywhere offering his help when needed and obviously enjoyed the ordeal. The first request made to guests would be–would you sign our guest register? After that they toured, joined the Ladies in the dining area and enjoyed some of our pot luck dinner. Many were there for the food, but some actually showed some interest in the Lodge. A few actually asked for information on how to join. They were handed proper materials and given contact information. After the main rush was over, we closed the Lodge doors and held an hour long meeting. All business was completed, surprisingly. The Chaplain counted 90 names on our guests register for the evening. And that didn’t count the ones that ran by too fast to catch. We were pleased with such a turnout for the little Town. December seems to be the month for us to strike gold with the Open House theme. It has been going on for 6 years now, I believe. At least Freemasonry is coming visible in the public’s eye.

To view some pictures of the event go to http://s1203.photobucket.com/albums/bb399/ dasheridan49/Open%20House%20December%202011/#!cpZZ2QQtppZZ24 Submitted by: Dennis A. Sheridan, RW PDDGM District Five of NH Worshipful Master of North Star Lodge No. 8, F & AM of Lancaster, NH

By RON COLE
Special to the Democrat
Wednesday, November 30, 2011

DOVER — Tuesday evening a 2,000-year-old organization showed its relevance. In a ceremony held at their Pearl Street Dover home, the Moses Paul Masonic Lodge #96 played homage to veterans and longtime members, including a 70-year club member.

Honoring those present and past, local Masons held a simple and moving service.

Using a small table which occupied a “place of dignity and honor” in their meeting hall the group, led by Junior Warden Stephen Wawrzkiewicz, recognized all veterans — both POWs and MIA and those who have served their country.

Set for one, the table signified the fact that some are missing from their ranks. Other symbols included a red rose for the bloodshed, and an empty chair showing they are not among us. The Junior Warden described these symbols and voiced simply “remember” as a single bell sounded and echoed throughout the filled hall.

Other portions of the service included personal recognition of 12 veterans in attendance who served their country in times from William Hill in 1944 to John Gordon as recent as 2003.

Kris Furtney, Grand Master of the Lodge presided over the evening, announcing that the ceremony “serves two purposes, first to honor MIAs and POWs and also those who are currently serving as members of the uniformed services and second to honor those lodge members who have served.

Another part of the evening was spent honoring members of long standing in the lodge, with 25-year recognition given to Harold Oulton, John David and David Bailey.

Frank Freeland, John Moore, Donald Purdy and Jean LaBrack were presented with pins signifying 40 years of membership, leading into Ronald Rand and Leigh Ivey being honored for 50 years as local lodge members.

One of the most significant portions of the evening was the recognition given to John Andrew Taylor, who was lauded for his 70 years with the Moses Paul Lodge.

“Almost half the life of the lodge he has been a member,” said David Akridge, noting the organization was founded in 1890.

Special guest for the evening was New Hampshire Grand Master Paul Leary. Leary was key in the honoring of the different men, and spoke specifically of the uniqueness of a 70-year member. “I have only seen a few in the past year,” he said, noting that 21 is the age requirement to join, making anyone 70 years a member more than 90 years old.

Deputy Secretary Jim Miller was presented with the Distinguished Service Medal, and in a complete surprise to him some 14 members of his family came to the award ceremony. Miller was visibly shaken by the honor.

As Master Furtney described it, the Moses Paul Lodge is a participant in many areas of the community, contributing to the Dover Share Fund and Dover High School scholarships among many other endeavors.

Grand Master Leary in closing referred to the importance of family to the members in attendance, reminding them to say “thank you to your family, without their support, we wouldn’t be able to do our good work.”

Over the past several months, you may have heard some Brothers talking about a new lodge being formed in New Hampshire, with terms like T.O. or Traditional.  These terms may have some certain implications and some associated “bad-press” with them, so I have decided to prepare a piece on what several Masons from around our jurisdiction are trying to do.In the spring of 2010, I contacted a handful of Brothers from around New Hampshire whom I knew to be searching for ‘more’ in Masonry and asked them to start looking at the website of the Masonic Restoration Foundation (www.traditionalobservance.com).  This organization, an education based non-profit, was formed in the early 2000s to help reignite the spark in Freemasonry that many feel has been lost.  Over the spring and early summer, this group of Masons decided to take the next step and “meet” on the level to begin discussing Masonry.  Over the summer and fall of 2010 it was decided that we should organize as a club with the goal of trying to form a new lodge in the future.  We organized a brief set of bylaws, adhered to some Masonic principles and began charging small amounts of dues to help build a treasury for what we hoped would be a new lodge.  2011 has been a whirlwind for us; word got out, our numbers grew, we have had great Masonic discussions, we had the former president of the MRF come and give a presentation on Traditional Observance Masonry, and have tried to keep Brethren from around the jurisdiction involved.  In August, four of our club members went to Alexandria, VA to attend the Masonic Restoration Foundation’s Annual Symposium and were left awe-struck by the experience; contacts were made, authors were met, luminaries from Freemasonry spoke (Bob Davis of Oklahoma, Julian Rees of the United Grand Lodge of England, and Mark Tabbert, author of American Freemasons)…the event spurred the club members on further, to the point where there is talk of New Hampshire hosting such a symposium in the future.  Over the past couple of months, the club has elected officers, drafted bylaws, begun work on a lodge manual, received the recommendation of the local lodge that would share its temple and begun the dispensation process.Now, for a brief explanation: imagine if you will, Voltaire, Benjamin Franklin and George Washington all sitting in lodge together.  These were men of the Enlightenment, worldly men who studied and wrote.  Do you think they sat and debated lodge finances and the infrastructure of the building?  Or do you think they talked of the ideas of the Enlightenment, the true tenets of Brotherly Love, Relief & Truth, and other philosophical and esoteric subjects?  I, and many others, believe it was the latter.  Masonry has lost those principles which set it apart from all the other ‘service clubs’ and the MRF is a grassroots organization designed to help promote education and offer different and historical views Masonry.  This type of “grassroots” effort is well known to us in New Hampshire; the home of grassroots politics, where most of us have shaken the hand of the next President of the United States…

A Traditional Observance Lodge is a lodge that is focused on the initiatic experience of a candidate.  Utilizing methods such as a chamber of reflection, the candidate is left with a deep and meaningful experience of what should be a life-changing moment on his entrance into our fraternity.  A T.O. Lodge focuses on education and introspection; before a candidate can advance to the next degree, not only must he recite his lesson in full, but present a paper on a topic of his choosing, usually discussing the degree and its importance to him.  Papers and presentations are the norm for meetings, as are silence, musical pieces and introspective meditation; we should all strive for enlightenment not only as a time period of the past, but as a recurring state of mind.  An Agape (or Festive Board) takes place after every meeting, where discussion and pure Masonic love is shared by all attending.  A T.O. Lodge requires the officers and members to dress formally with white gloves, signifying our pure intentions in the Craft.  New Hampshire ritual will be used in our lodge, with some best practices from sister jurisdictions being available outside of our normal ritual.  Very important is the dues of a T.O. Lodge; purposely high because of the many aspects that the members get from it will be well worth the cost (books, aprons, discussions, meals, guest speakers, etc.)- our lodge would require dues of $360 annually.

While these things may not seem like everyone’s cup of tea, statistics show that this is what many men who are seeking petitions are looking for in Masonry.  The goal of this T.O. Lodge is not to steal members, in fact, membership will be purposely low-72 in all, with no more than 3 to 4 candidates expected per year, negating the argument that we will be taking away candidates…after all, if a lodge is worried about losing one candidate to another lodge, it has bigger problems.

Our members will NOT leave their lodges, they will continue to be productive and helpful members of their mother lodge as long as they wish.  Visitors will always be welcome, but adherence to the dress code and formalities observed in the lodge are requested.  The goal is to be elite…but not elitist.  New Hampshire Freemasons are humble, honest and forthright Yankees, and that is what sets us apart from other jurisdictions.  Everything we will seek to do in the lodge will be for one distinct purpose; to leave an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of those who choose to become members.

The name that was chosen for our lodge is Phoenix; because as the mythical bird rose from the ashes of the fire that consumed its former self, so to do we believe that our lodge will help to make Masonry flourish again.

There will be approximately 20 members on our charter from across the many districts of our state, and the only direction we seek to go is up.

Our club meetings are open to attend ($10 donation requested); our next meeting will be on December 9 at the Tilton Masonic Temple at 7 PM; be warned however, if you plan on coming, be prepared to join in the conversation and have fun!
– Bro. Paul C. Smith, PM

(Sorry for the backdate on this.)It was a beautiful day, sun shining and temperatures at a balmy 83 degrees. Not typical for the Sandwich Fair where some years it would be blowing and flurries flying. The leaves on the trees, not yet fully turned, however some trees still retained their green leaves.

It was on this day Red Mountain Lodge opened in due and ancient form and participated in its first Sandwich Fair Parade. Preparations began weeks ago when Worshipful Master Richard Young asked for and obtained a dispensation from Grand Lodge to march in the parade. One week ago

Worshipful Master Richard Young, Past Master and Past District Deputy Grand Master James Greene and Senior Deacon Brother Benjamin Fullerton went to Nashua to the Consistory to gather props and costumes for the event. Brother

Fullerton was so kind as to lend us his pickup truck and flatbed trailer on which we constructed our float to enter into the parade. On the night before the parade, Brother Fullerton dropped the trailer off at the Sandwich Police Department parking lot and work began. W. M. Young,Past Masters James Greene and Richard Kelley, Brothers Scott Kinmond, Tom White and Ben Fullerton reconstructed a Lodge Room on the flat bed. As work progressed, power was lost because of an auto accident on route 25 in Moultonboro and our power tools lie still. Being in close proximity to Brother Greene’s abode, hand tools were obtained and the work continued. In a matter of hours, the project was complete. As a final touch, adorning the front of our
float was the new sign purchased for the front of the Lodge. With our work complete, we retired for the night.

On the day of the parade, we met according to plan. Brothers Fullerton and Kelley brought the float to the field and parked at the staging area. We then returned to Brother Greene’s home where W. M. Young, Brothers White, Kinmond and District Deputy Grand Master Flateau were dressing, along with eight members of Chocorua Lodge, one from Mt Prospect Lodge and two from Doric Lodge. W. M. Young stepped out as King Solomon, Brother Kinmond as
Benjamin Franklin and Brother Kelley as George Washington. The rest of our Brothers were dressed as Craftsmen.

The judging of the floats began at 11:45. All were in their places as the judges passed by and evaluated our work. In about an hour we learned of our fate. The first time Red Mountain Lodge No. 68 entered into the Sandwich Fair Parade, we received a first place blue ribbon for our efforts. Everyone rejoiced at our accomplishment. It was a fine day in the history of our Lodge.

As we left the staging area and entered the parade route, the spectators gave us a hearty applause and a wave. As we continued further we received more applause. Our floating Lodge Room was an impressive sight rolling down the road with such historic travelers on board. Throughout the parade route we received much applause from the many spectators. We were all overwhelmed by the response we received.

At the end of the day we retired to Brother Greene’s home to change and reflect on the day. All agreed that it was a good day for Red Mountain Lodge.