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Brethren,
Well, as of this date it looks like 2021 is going to be just as exciting, scary, challenging, costly and unpredictable as 2020. The above feelings are only the tip of the iceberg, since we all face different situations depending on things like age, work status, health issues of not just ourselves but other family members, having to stay home because kids are not in school, losing your job or having hours/ tips drastically cut. I myself manage a liquor retail store and get personally close to about 250 people a day. If I get elected to the Masters Chair again, I hope to be able to bring some fun presentations to our monthly meeting. I have a tour of both a distillery as well as a brewery and winery being put together. This should be a lot of fun, because it will include “Free Samples” of the products. Could not do this in an Open Lodge, so need to take advantage of these situations and have them work for us. You will be getting an R.S.V.P. invitation to each of these meetings. Free sample will be sent to all who say they will attend. And yes, I am working on getting Free and Accepted Mason’s into the Thanksgiving Day parade. This will probably take another year or two, but hopefully the smallest state in the union can have a big impact on the future of Masonry. See you in 2021. Brett Marggraff Senior Warden Franklin Lodge #20
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Wardens and Brethren,
I hope all had a safe and happy Thanksgiving, and continue to be safe through the holiday season. Since our last meeting, Grand Master has decided to close temples for the foreseeable future, a decision that must have been difficult, but necessary to make. So this means until further notice, Franklin Lodge will be meeting virtually, which also could mean our annual communication may be done virtually as well. This also means Franklin will not be having its annual holiday party, which was one of my favorite events here at the Lodge. For December's meeting, this will be primarily a business meeting. To be honest, it's been tough to plan programs during this mostly virtual Masonic year. So, before I go any further, I want to thank all that stepped forward and spoke to Franklin Lodge, even in these times, we have some fantastic speakers and topics. One of my goals was to have Masonic orientated programs, and for the most part they have been. This will be continuing this month, as W:. Dan Rzewuski stepped forward and offered to do a presentation on the Scottish Rite. Happy Holidays, Ralph Brunson Master Franklin Lodge #20 Wardens and Brethren,
I hope this finds you and your family safe and healthy. I apologize for the lateness of this notice, but I was waiting for information as far as how we will be proceeding. November’s meeting was scheduled to be the Most Worshipful Grand Master’s visitation to the Southern district. But due to recent rising cases of Covid-19, our Grand Master has closed the Temples after due consideration of Governor Raimondo’s plea to the State. A decision that I’m sure was not easy to make. So where does this leave us for our meeting for November? As of this writing, a decision has not been made from Grand Lodge on the visitation. If I were to guess, it would either be a virtual visitation, or it will be postponed. So, at this time, we are kind of in limbo until I hear from Grand Lodge, which should be within the next few days, and at that time, I’ll send out another communication via email. If we do host the Grand Master, we have a tremendous program put together by our own W:. Joe Giancaspro, entitled “The Psychological Significance of the Master Mason Degree” This program and topic has already generated a lot of buzz, and a virtual visitation will allow more brethren to enjoy and participate in this topic. Again, please keep an eye out for an email with how we will be proceeding, and I hope to see a full lodge or computer screen in the future. Stay safe, Stay healthy, and Stay on the Level Ralph Brunson Master Franklin Lodge #20 Wardens and Brethren,
It felt good to return to work in September and if feels better that we are going to be meeting in person again for October. Since our last meeting Franklin has gained two new Master Masons, thanks to our Grand Master’s degree classes in September. I want to extend my congratulations to Brothers Zack Stanton and Zack Bowman. Brothers Bowman and Stanton went from Entered Apprentice to Master Mason in just a couple weeks. They still have work ahead of them, but as challenging as 2020 has been, its been amazing to see them continue their Masonic journey. This month Franklin will be having a program presented by its newest member, RW Mike Northup. It was just a few weeks ago RW Mike was voted for affiliation to Franklin Lodge and since then, he has not only agreed to present to us, he has not missed a rehearsal night with us, stepping in where needed, and offering his thoughts and opinions to his new lodge. RW Mike’s program is entitled “The Ancient Masonic Bond: The Mentor, the Candidate, and the Catechism. A Plea for the Full Form Proficiency.” This should be a great thought-provoking discussion, so please join us if within the length of your cable tow. Finally, a few weeks ago I was informed that our Special Lady Nancy Penhallow is requesting a Masonic Service for her husband Bill. Worshipful Brother Bill passed away earlier this year and she had asked for a Masonic service then, but due to covid 19, those plans were put on hold. I have had couple great conversations with Nancy over the last couple weeks. Nancy spoke highly of how much the craft has meant to him and the family and how much Bill would have wanted to have a Masonic Service. So, we will be holding a Masonic Service for our departed Brother this month, on Sunday October 25th at 1pm here at Franklin Lodge. I hope to see the lodge full to support Nancy and the Penhallow family. May the blessings of heaven rest upon us, Ralph Brunson Master Franklin Lodge #20 Wardens and Brethren,
I hope everyone has had a happy and safe summer. Now that summer is winding down, it is time to return to labor. With that, I am extremely happy to say we will be having a physical meeting for September. We will be ad hearing to social distancing guidelines, and we will have masks, for those who need one, as well as hand sanitizer on hand, as well as temperature checks when entering lodge. In the event that the government or Grand Lodge make changes to gathering regulations, there will be a virtual meeting, in which all who have an email address on file with Franklin Lodge will receive the link and invite. So please reach out to Brother Secretary or myself if we don’t have your email. Now I also understand that some brethren may not feel comfortable attending a physical lodge meeting at this time, and if that’s the case, I respect your decision to not attend, and you will be missed. September will be a business meeting. Lodge will open for the transaction of such business that may regularly come before it, and such other business as brought before the Lodge. As of this writing there are two main pieces of business. First is a vote of affiliation for RW Michael Northup and the second is a vote for re-admission of membership for Christopher Harrell. I truly look forward to meeting again. Its been nearly 6 months since Franklin Lodge last opened in due form and I honestly miss the fraternal bonds made with in our temple. May the Blessings of Heaven rest upon us, Ralph Brunson Master Franklin Lodge #20 Wardens and Brethren,
I hope everyone has been keeping safe and healthy. I was really hoping to have a physical lodge meeting for June, but as of this writing the sanctions set by the Governor and the Grand Master have not been lifted yet. Speaking of the Grand Master, it was quite interesting to view Most Worshipful Grand Master Gary Kaufman installed via zoom. I have all the faith in our Grand Master that he will lead us forward through these trying times just as MW Ken Poyten has. Most Worshipful Gary has set forth a set of guidelines in his Grand Master's Protocol which has a few new takeaways. I Sent it out via the Franklin Google Group and would advise all to give it a read though. Like every month, we will still be opening at the usual time of 7pm, I would encourage all to join the zoom meeting 10-15 minutes early. The work of the evening will be a brief discussion on the coming months of Franklin Lodge as well as a presentation by Masonic artist Ryan J. Flynn, called "The Path of the Craftsman” - The Middle Chamber lecture is one of the most misunderstood pieces of Masonic Ritual. When we look at it in a symbolic light, we can discover specific instructions on how to approach life in a manner that generates direction and growth. Together we will go through these philosophical lessons hinted at in the Middle Chamber lecture and discuss how we can apply these lessons into our own lives and grow as Masons. Due to the nature of this discussion of this presentation, it is restricted to FC and MM. May the Blessings of Heaven rest upon us, Ralph Brunson Master Franklin Lodge #20 Wardens and Brethren,
As we head into another month of social distancing, I hope all are healthy and safe. I honestly don’t really care for the term “social distancing”, during this time we really shouldn't be socially distant, just physically distant. Freemasonry doesn’t work without being social. Holding meetings virtually, calling, texting, emailing, and using one of the many forms of social media is a great way for us to still talk with the brethren. Those are just some of the forms that we can physically distance ourselves but still not be socially distant. Last month, we held our first zoom meeting, and first I want to thank all the brethren who attended. It was great to see the brethren again. It was my goal to run the meeting as close as a normal in lodge meeting goes and I think it went pretty well. This month we will be holding our stated communication virtually again via zoom. The zoom meeting information will be emailed out and attached to the monthly notice. I hope to see more brethren join us this month, and as a reminder we will be opening on our normal day and time, Tuesday May 12, 7pm. This month's program will be presented by RW Brother Michael Jarzabek, a member of several lodges including Ezekiel Bates Lodge in Massachusetts. His program is titled “The Mason with a Thousand Faces”. This talk is inspired by Joseph Campbell’s 1949 book, “The Hero with a Thousand Faces.” As such it is an exploration of: the various stages of the Hero’s Journey, its mythological roots, Masonic exemplifications, and the practical application of this useful art by the contemplative man. I hope to see everybody in lodge for what is going to be a great program and a great night of brotherhood. May the Blessings of Heaven rest upon us, Ralph Brunson Master Franklin Lodge #20 Wardens and Brethren,
First off, I hope everyone has been in good health and taking the proper precautions to stay healthy. Also, I know this can be a very stressful time for some in many different ways, so if there is anything that Franklin Lodge or I can do to help, I'm only a phone call, email, or text away. I can be reached at [email protected] or (401)644-4525 Now on to the business. Not too long ago I sent out an email to the Franklin lodge google group giving an update on how lodges are to proceed for the time being. If you do not get the messages from the Franklin group or would like to be added, now is the time to be added. Please reach out to myself or our Secretary WB. Dan Rzewuski if you need to be added. Franklin Lodge will be having a meeting this month, just not meeting physically at the lodge. Grand Master has set forth that lodges are to meet virtually. So, on our normal day and time, Tuesday April 14th at 7pm Franklin will meet via video conference, utilizing Zoom. For those getting this message via email just click https://zoom.us/j/476941810?pwd=bUloeHhCNytqMmFpTVc1UEhma0toQT09 or copy and paste into your browser and use password franklin. I would suggest joining 5-10 minutes before the start of the meeting. As a reminder from the email sent out, the top 5 officers are required for the virtual meetings, the WM, SW, JW, Tres, Sec, but I would love to be able to see as many brethren as possible on our virtual meeting. Honestly, I would never have thought we would be holding a virtual lodge meeting, so I think this will be a learning experience for all of us. If this is going to be continuing through the next couple months, I am going to be trying to work on some sort of program that can be presented over a video conference. May the Blessings of Heaven rest upon us, Ralph Brunson Master Franklin Lodge #20 Wardens and Brethren,
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February 2023
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