Paul Revere Lodge
279 Prospect St. Brockton, MA 02301
Welcome NOVEMBER 2011
When Wor. Lucien B. Keith ascended the steps to the East of Paul Revere Lodge A.F. & A.M. on Feb. 4, 1856, little did he realize that the small town then known as North Bridgewater would eventually become the city of Brockton, a city that would grow, prosper, and be witness to so many events including 2 World Wars, the introduction of electricity, miraculous strides in medicine, and trips to outer space. Many of the pioneers that helped to create this city in that era were Masons, most of which were members of Paul Revere Lodge.
In the last 150-years, Paul Revere Lodge has occupied four different locations to conduct business and Ritual. From 1856-1881, their quarters were in the Kingman Block, from 1881-1900, they met in the area known at that time as City Block, from 1900-1962, they met on Center St., across from where the W.B. Mason building is now located and from 1962 to this day, in their current quarters on Prospect St., which was formerly known as the Hamilton Estate.
Although some Lodges in Massachusetts have struggled to find new members over the past twenty-five years, Paul Revere Lodge has been very fortunate to have men steadily join throughout the years. Since our 125th anniversary in 1981, Paul Revere Lodge has been able to have 237 new members sign the by-laws.
Paul Revere Lodge’s membership at its highest point was 923 members in 1926; at that time it was the seventh largest Lodge in the state. At its 50th anniversary in 1906, membership was 504; at its 100th anniversary in 1956, it was 723, and at our 150th anniversary, we stood at 366 members.
In the past 25 years, members of Paul Revere Lodge, have served the Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts to distinguish themselves and bring honor to Paul Revere Lodge. Two have been appointed District Deputy Grand Master of the 29th Masonic District; Rt. Wor. Theodore H. Weide, (1985-1986) and Rt. Wor. Bruce K. Pratt, (1997-1998) and one has been appointed Deputy Grand Master of the 17th Masonic District; Rt. Wor. Richard O. Cusick (2006-2007). Paul Revere Lodge also had the honor of having Rt. Wor. Bruce K. Pratt elected in the year 2000, to serve the Grand Lodge as the Senior Grand Warden and Wor. Raymond Allen joined him as his Grand Persuivant.
Paul Revere Lodge has had programs that have continued to flourish throughout these past 25 years; such as the Red Cross Blood Drive Program, which is held six times per year on Prospect St. Through the work of many volunteers this program has grown and continued to be one of the top Masonic Blood Drives in the state. After the devastating Hurricane Katrina, our blood drive was able to collect a record 165 pints of blood for the victims. Many of our blood donors have been coming to our drives for many years and still enjoy the full breakfasts and the chance to see some old friends.
Since 1970, Paul Revere Lodge along with the seven other Lodges in our district, have been involved with the Brockton VA Hospital and their Chapel Services Program. Once every eight weeks each Lodge takes a turn escorting patients from their respective wards to Protestant services at the Hospital’s Chapel from 11 to 12 pm.
Lodge Officer Photo
Lodge Officers
Front Row from Left: Bro. Tom Burke - Senior Warden, Wor. Brent LaFrancis - Worshipful Master, Bro. Ray Harvey - Junior Deacon. Second Row from Left: Bro. Gilberto Soares - Senior Steward, Bro. H. Eldon Ransom - Asst. Treasurer, Bro. David Tenore - Asst. Steward, Bro. Peter Del Sette - Chaplain, Wor. David Goodrich - Secretary, Bro. Dennis Greeley - Junior Steward, Bro. Bryce Hatch - Senior Deacon. Third Row from Left: Bro. Martin Desjardins - Asst. Inside Sentinel, Bro. Davis Scudder - Organist, Bro. Scott Protentis - Inside Sentinel, Wor. Douglas Massey - Asst. Marshal, Wor. James Hardy - Marshal. Rear: Bro. Donald Bisset - Piper
Secretary's Corner
FROM THE SECRETARY’S CORNER
Take Due Notice
SQUARE AND COMPASS DAY
Thank you to the following members of Paul Revere Lodge who participated in Square and Compass Day. Brothers, Wor. Doug Massey, Tony Giardini, Danny Burke, Dennis Greeley, Scott Protentis, Ted Hague, Wor. James Hardy, Don Bissett, Gil Soares, Bryce Hatch, Scott Dacey and Mark Raithel. The day was quiet but, our members brought in 3 friends for an informational meeting.
BITS AND PIECES
BITS &PIECES
The Sun and the Moon
This spiritual connection between symbols is illustrated also by the emblems of the Sun and the Moon, which have a far deeper significance than appears on the surface of Masonry. The Sun in our monitorial handbooks typifies the call to Labor, which is balanced by the complementary conception of repose, the two notions being united in the idea of refreshment. It represents also the progress of human life through infancy, through manhood, to old age, and the coming of a better day.
Fraternally, Peter A. Del Sette, Lodge Historian
A WORLD OF MASONRY - This Month: ITALY
The first lodge was set up in Florence in 1731 and seven years later on 28th April 1738 the Catholic Church published In Eminenti, the first papal bull against Freemasonry. The various Italian States refused to register it. Grande Oriente d’Italia was founded in June of 1805 to Milan, and was set under the regency of Eugene Beauharnais. It was the epoch of the Napoleonic Freemasonry, more courtesan than loyalist and heavily neoclassic. With the fall of the French empire Italian Freemasonry fell in a deep crisis. Some groups went on working under traditional principles, especially in Sicily, but this was not enough to assure the necessary cove rage to develop and to produce a sketch of essential unitary Freemasonry at the end of the ‘Risorgimento’.
At the beginning of the First World War, Freemasonry was openly in favor of the war against the Absburgic Empire, either for ideological reasons – Austria was a Catholic country – or to complete the national independence, by annexing Trent and Trieste.
The merit gained throughout the war did not spare Freemasonry from the hate of Fascism. In February 1923 the Gran Consiglio del Fascismo declared the incompatibility between Masonic affiliation and adherence to the Fascist Party. A wave of violence immediately repressed about 400 Italian Lodges, scattering 20.000 Associates.
Immediately after the end of the Second World War, the rebirth of the Italian Freemasonry was characterized by a phantasmagoria of groups seeking after foreign recognitions so to certify their regularity. Most of the regular Grand Lodges progressively recognized the Grande Oriente d’Italia; the American Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite recognized the Rite at the obedience of Grande Oriente d’Italia.
In 1993 a tremendous episode broke the routine life of Grande Oriente d’Italia. The Grand Master Giu liano Di Bernardo resigned and abandoned his house in the new centre of the Grande Oriente d’Italia, taking away various documents. He motivated his initiative with presumed conspiracies against the laws of the State affected by nonexistent covered Lodges, and denouncing false irregularities allegedly committed by some Lodges. Immediately before going out of Grande Oriente d’Italia with few hundred followers he set up the Gran Loggia Regolare d’Italia, which was recognized by UGLE Nd a short time later, also by the National Grand Lodge of France, by the Grand Lodge of Ireland and by the Grand Lodge of Scotland.
Today the Craft counts around 18000 members in over 600 Lodges and has fraternal relations with over 200 foreign Communions in the five continents.
GRAND LODGE OF ITALY MEETS
GRAND MASTER OF ITALY
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