Candidates Night at The Brownstone

Brothers from our lodge attended Candidates Night at The Brownstone in Paterson, NJ on Tuesday, March 29, 2011.  Candidates Night is an opportunity for brethren running for Grand Lodge offices to introduce themselves and explain a little about their qualifications for those said offices. It is also an opportunity for fun and fellowship! It was another great evening out with our fellow lodge brothers!

Brothers having a great time at Candidates Night

'Stellar Theology and Masonic Astronomy'

On Monday, March 21st, Nutley Lodge continued its Lamp of Knowledge Lecture Series when it hosted W.B. Rashied Bey from the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the State on New York. Brother Bey, a well-versed and learned Mason, is a Past Master from Cornerstone Lodge No. 37 under that jurisdiction. His presentation, entitled 'Stellar Theology and Masonic Astronomy', centered upon astronomy's influence on Freemasonry. The meeting coincided with the vernal equinox which occurred almosr exactly 24 hours prior to this day.

Br. Rashied Bey speaks to the Brethren

His presentation was very eye-opening to the brethren who attended. Once Br. Bey finished his presentation, a Question and Answer session followed.  It indeed was a thought-provoking presentation as several brethren had very good and very thought out questions for our special guest. Afterward, the lodge presented Br. Bey with a Masonic Education Award for his wonderful presentation, a book on masonic symbolism, and a 2011 lodge pin!

The award presented to Br. Bey

This evening was indeed a very singular occurrence in our lodge and a very special thanks go to W.B. Rashied Bey for making it happen. Thank you brother!

Annual Lodge Trip!

The annual lodge trip this year took us to Boston, MA. The weekend of March 18-20, several brethren from our lodge traveled to Beantown to visit masonic and historic sites. The pictures below speak for themselves.

The first stop on the tour was the Shiners Hospital for Children

We took a tour of the hospital thanks to Br. Walsh,

a Shriner and member of the staff

We then walked around and saw sites like the Massachusetts State House

Most Worshipful Brother Paul Revere's Grave

and Br. Benjamin Franklin's parents grave

We then headed over to the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum and Library in Lexington, MA where we were given a private tour of the museum's archives not open to the public. It was very impressive!

Really cool stained glass!

A 15 star flag was on display in the museum

Brothers Villalta and Abbate stand in front of a statue of

Worshipful Brother George Washington in front of the museum

Official Visit of the District Deputy Grand Master

Our lodge welcomed R.W. Frederick I. Waldron, District Deputy Grand Master of the Great 8th Masonic District on an Official Visit on Monday, March 7, 2011. The work for the evening was the exemplification of the 2nd Section of the M.M. Degree. Our officers had been preparing for this Official Visit by rehearsing many a night. The District Deputy Grand Master and the District Ritual Instructor for the evening commended our officers for a very fine degree and excellent exemplification of ritual. Great job to our officers and many thanks to our lodge ritual instructor, R.W. Ed Honchen, for directing and preparing the officers for their parts.

The Worshipful Master presented R.W. Waldron with an Award of Excellence for his dedication, commitment, and for respresenting the 8th Masonic District with dignity and grace as his term of office expires in April. Another fine evening for Nutley Lodge!

The Worshipful Master presents R.W. Waldron with an Award of Excellence

for his service to The Great 8th Masonic District

Fellowcraft Degree - Feb. 21, 2011

".....and if industry and zeal attend your labors, you may gather beneath the veil of our mysteries, additional treasures of science and knowlodge."

Some of those veils were parted open to brethren who were passed to the Degree of Fellowcraft, the second degree of craft masonry, on the evening of Monday, February 21st. Pictured above are three brethren from our lodge and one from Alpha Lodge. The Fellowcraft Degree is symbolic of the advancement of the mind. As an Entered Apprentice Mason, we are taught the beginnings of Freemasonry, and the manner in which to use our working tools. In this degree, science and intellect are emphasized to teach young Brothers to conduct themselves in a manner that impacts the whole of humanity in a positive way. The symbolism of this degree allows us to further our understanding of the sciences, continue to see the influences on our character and the perfection of our nature. As we explore the meaning and teachings of the some of the tools and other symbols experienced throughout the Degree of Fellowcraft, we can all see how our minds are challenged. This began with ascending the Winding Stairway (pictured below).

This symbol is one of Masonry's most important symbols

The Working Tools of this degree were presented by Br. Bill Lobay who did a fine job. W.B. Anthony Santiago conferred the lecture and Geometry, which was pretty impressive considering how much memorization that is! Kudos to W.B. Santiago! Congratulations to our newly passed brethren!!!

'Exploring the Chamber of Reflection'

On Monday, February 7, 2011, one of our very own, W.B. Henry G. Abel III, enlightened the brethren of Nutley Lodge and traveling brothers alike with a presentation entitled 'Exploring the Chamber of Reflection'. W.B. Abel is the Senior Deacon of the American Lodge of Research (ALR) in NYC, of which he most certainly will become Worshipful Master of in a few years. The prestigous ALR is THE premier lodge of Masonic research in the United States of America.

His lecture, aided with a powerpoint program, focused on many of the aspects, elements, and esoteric and exoteric meanings of 'The Chamber'. This is a topic composed of several complex elements of which countless additonal lectures can be written on. We will not go into the specifics of the presentation in this public forum, but rest assured that it was one of the most exciting and thought provoking presentations that Nutley Lodge has seen in a long time. If you missed this, you truly missed out! Kudos to W.B. Abel for presenting the brethren with much needed light that!!!

The Worshipful Master (right) presents W.B. Abel with an award for his excellent presentation

Annual Lodge SUPERBOWL Party!!!

On SUPERBOWL Sunday, February 6, 2011, Nutley Lodge hosted its Annual Superbowl Party! We had so many delicious foods prepared for the evening. A desktop computer was raffled off among other things! The lucky winner was one of our senior Past Masters, none other then R.W. Ed Honchen himself!!! He also won the final jackpot of the Superbowl boxes leading some to speculate that it was a fix! Much fellowship and fun was enjoyed by the people that did attend the party. The Worshipful Master tried his hand at playing cards with the 'veterans' of the card games. No mercy was given to him, Master or not! A much deserved thank you goes to Br. Domenick Abbate for preparing all the food. The spread was truly a marvel, a certified FEAST! Thank you to the brethren that supported their lodge by attending this evening!

Left: Brothers enjoying a 'freindly' game of cards

Desktop PC won by R.W. Ed Honchen