JUST PART OF THE COMMUNITY

Despite many years in Freemasonry trying to encourage a more outward looking attitude, even I was surprised a few weeks ago to realise just how introverted we have become and how much damage that has done to us.

We have recently had a change of Vicar in our Parish and, because the previous one was at best, apathetic about the Craft, I sought discussions with the newly appointed Vicar, a lady, to find out her opinion.

As a result, she invited me to attend one of her clergy “Team Meetings” to talk about the Craft.  Now, where I live, the “Team” means the vicar, seven retired Vicars including one canon, three Lay Readers, one Lay Reader Emeritus and one Lay Reader due to be ordained in July 2006!

I took a ritual book, Book of Constitutions, my regalia, Annual Reports from all our four charities and the pictorial celebration of 275 years.

I explained that I would answer any questions, except those about our modes of recognition, but I told them why (i.e. that they are only used within the Lodge Room) and added that, if they really wanted to know them, they could probably be found on the internet.

A question and answer session went on for over one and a half hours and would have lasted longer had it not been for another meeting which followed mine. Perhaps not surprisingly the main themes were “secrecy”, prayers and the GAOTU, but a lot of other ground was also covered.

Since the meeting, the feedback has exceeded all my expectations and is, without exception, positive ranging from one Lay Reader who stopped me to say how interested she had been and that it had allayed her doubts “but why hasn’t someone done this a long time ago?” to a letter of congratulations for being “Daniel in the Lions Den” and dealing with it so well.

A final thought.  We were taught to be cautious, but that does not mean to hide our membership and refuse point blank to answer any questions.  To me it means being normal about my membership, just as I am about my membership of the Church, the Rotary Club, the badminton club etc. and sensible when answering questions about the Craft.

Bro Philip Harrison

Filey 

Masonic First to Aid the Community

At the first of a number of training sessions to take place throughout Yorkshire, 30 Freemasons received first aid training as part of a project aimed to provide essential lifesaving skills within the community.

The major First Aid training project which when completed, will have involved over 200 Freemasons from the Humber to the Tees commenced at the Freemasons Hall on Beverley Road in Hull on Saturday 25th March. It provided the basic skills necessary to save life in the event of a sudden collapse or major accident.

The training, being conducted by St John Ambulance - Humberside was initiated by Richard Anderson, Provincial Grand Master of the Masonic area covering the North and East Ridings of Yorkshire.

“This important and essential lifesaving training will be of benefit not only to Freemasons and their families, but also to the many different communities in which they work, live, and are involved in leisure activities”, said Richard prior to its introduction. “We are greatly indebted to St John Ambulance for the assistance they are giving and are fully supportive of their efforts to improve first aid knowledge within the community”

Although a first for Yorkshire, this project is, in fact, the second such project conducted by the local St John Ambulance who last year trained another 200 Freemasons in neighbouring Lincolnshire in similar skills.

Notes :-

St John Ambulance is the country’s largest First Aid Training Organisation, training over 500,000 people, annually, throughout the country.  Its 44,000 volunteers provide First Aid cover for public events ranging from sporting fixtures to pop concerts, village galas to motocross and most other places of public entertainment.

There are 300,000 Freemasons throughout the British Isles.  Freemasonry is probably the largest donor to charity after the National Lottery and has been for many years a supporter of the Children’s Hospice movement, vulnerable people, youth opportunities and medical research.

For further information contact:

Generous Gift from Grand Charity

Dove House Hospice recently received a donation from The Freemasons’ Grand Charity of £3750.The cheque was presented to the Hospice on behalf of the Grand Charity which has its head quarters in London by the Charity Steward Michael Graham and the Worshipful Master Ian Sugarman from the Lodge of St Andrew. The grant was one of the largest made to any hospice in the UK and is part of the Grand Charity’s annual assistance to Hospices on a national basis. In the period 1984 to 2004 the Freemasons Grand Charity has donated no less than £5,424,475 to the Hospice movement nationwide.

There was another surprise in store when a further £500 was presented to the Vice Chairman of Dove House, Vickie Jackson again from the Lodge of St Andrew at a social function the same day. Vickie told us “I was surprised and delighted with the wonderful donation. We are very grateful to our local freemasons for their continued help and support over the years. Their good work has helped us to care for so many patients and will allow us to continue our care into 2005.”

Additional Information

Dove House Hospice offers specialist palliative care to adults with life limiting illnesses. There is no charge for any of the services provided and anyone from Hull and across the East Riding can be referred to the Hospice for care. All our care is specifically tailored to meet the individual needs of each patient and their families.

This specialist care is given through a Day Therapy Unit, an in-patient unit with 20 beds, social work teams, as well as an education department. This community service survives, in the main, on voluntary funding from the local and business communities and over £2.5m is required every year to maintain and develop its specialist care services.

For further information please contact Clare Woodard, Fundraising Manager, Dove House Hospice, 01482 784343 ext 235

Dove House Hospice, Chamberlain Road, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, HU8 8DH. Tel: 01482 784343 Fax: 01482 701433 Register Charity Number 509511

Email: hospice@dovehouse.org.uk

Web: www.dovehouse.org.uk

News from St Leonard’s Hospice

MASONS GIVE HOSPICE £4,000

St Leonard’s Hospice received two cheques, totalling £4,000, towards its funds from Freemasons’ Charities on Tuesday 24 January 2006.

The Charity of the Grand Lodge of England donated £3,000, while York’s Albert Victor Lodge, No 2328, presented £1,000 from its own benevolent fund. The presentation was made to Hospice Fundraising Manager Janet Morley at the Albert Victor Lodge in St Saviourgate by the Lodge’s Worshipful Master Tony Carr.

Mr Carr said that the Albert Victor Lodge decided to donate £1,000 to St Leonard’s Hospice as part of their charitable giving before they were asked to present the Grand Charity’s £3,000 cheque.  He said that the cheques bring the Lodge’s giving to the Hospice to £4,000, while the Grand Charity has given more than £40,000 to St Leonard’s over the last 20 years.

Also attending the presentation is Terence Crossley, Charity Steward of the Provincial Grand Charity, which covers the North and East Ridings of Yorkshire. The Provincial Grand Charity has made donations to all the Hospices within its area. Nationally, Masonic charities are second only to the National Lottery in their giving to charities – even before local donations are taken into account over the last 20 years £6 million has been donated to hospices around the country.

Janet Morley says, ‘Everyone at St Leonard’s Hospice is very grateful to the Albert Victor Lodge and to the Freemasons’ Grand Charity for these wonderful donations. It is regular giving like this that certainly helps us towards meeting the Hospice’s annual running costs of more than £2 million and enables us to continue to provide our services without charge to local people.’

For more information please contact David Winpenny on 01765 607641