Matamoras 374 F&AM

Brethren, It is absolutely amazing how quickly this Masonic year’s passing. It is hard to believe that we are already halfway through this year. First, congratulations to RWB Jess Raines, Past District Deputy Grand Master, of the 17th Masonic District and a member of Valley Lodge #145, Malta, Ohio, who has been appointed Junior Deacon of The Grand Lodge of Ohio, by MWB Kevin B. Todd! The 17th Masonic District inspection schedule was completed the end of March. We extend our congratulations to American Union #1 Lodge for capturing the Billy A. Calendine Memorial Traveling Gavel Award for having the most brothers in attendance during the inspection cycle. The second-place runner up was Valley Lodge. My personal “thank you” goes to the brethren who traveled with me to most of the inspections: RWB Edward Rinard, WB Larry Bonar, DEO, WB Fred Yanda, Sr., and WB John Hoff. Matamoros Masonic Lodge is on Facebook. This is an easy way to keep current with Lodge activities and see the calendar of events. Additionally, you can see photos of important events taking place in the Lodge. If you have a Facebook account, you may access the Lodge page by going to “Matamoras Masonic Lodge #374.” If you do not have a Facebook account, you may sign up for an account at Facebook.com and then access the page. You will also find links to other important Masonic Facebook pages. The page is currently under development and more will be added in the future. The Lodge has three events happening in May. Two events will be held May 12th: The Frontier Athletic Banquet Breakfast, which is our tribute and recognition of the student’s dedication and sacrifice to their athletic endeavors at Frontier High School, will begin at 9:00 a.m. Any brother wanting to help with the breakfast should be at the Lodge at 7:00 a.m. to help cook and set up. The first Scholarship Committee Awards Banquet, which is by invitation only, will recognize the first three recipients of the Lodge’s new scholarship awards, in the evening. The students being recognized are: Miss Mackenzie Haessly, Frontier High School, Mr. Jake Minder, Frontier High School, and Miss Renae Riley, River High School. Armed Forces Tribute Day is May 19th and the Lodge will be recognizing our Lodge and Matamoras community veterans and their spouses with a hamburger and hot dog luncheon from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you know a community veteran, please talk with him or her and encourage their participation. The Scholarship Committee welcomes support by the brethren. You may write a check to the “Matamoras Masonic Lodge Scholarship Fund” and your gift will be put into a separate account that directly supports the young people in our Lodge community. If you are a golfer, the Committee will be holding a golf scramble in the fall. Be looking for more information later as the date and place is set. Mark your calendars now for our picnic and pool party on July 29th. This was our best attended Lodge function last year. The picnic will begin at 5 p.m. and the pool will be open from 6 to 8 p.m. Hot dogs, hamburgers, drinks and table service will be provided by the Lodge, please bring a covered dish or dessert to share. Member’s children and grandchildren are encouraged to attend! If you haven’t been to a Lodge meeting recently, please make an appointment on your calendar for the second Monday of the month and plan on attending. We have two great Stewards who are preparing wonderful meals at 6:30 p.m., plus the added benefit of the fellowship that happens around the tables. The meeting begins promptly at 7:30 p.m. Fraternally,Terry L. Pringle, Master

Brethren, I want to express my sincere gratitude to all the people who have helped make this past Masonic year a great one for the Lodge! We’ve had some great fun and set some milestones, for the future, of which we can all be proud. The Master and officers could not have achieved all of our accomplishments without the faithful dedication of the brethren. Here are some of the events that your participation made a success: a breakfast was served for the brethren on January 15; our annual inspection was held February 4, and the officers are to be commended for their faithful dedication to the practices that were necessary to make this event successful; the Master attended the Grand Master’s dinner reception in Athens on February 12; we held our first friend’s night dinner on February 17, which resulted in four men petitioning the Lodge for their masonry degrees; the Order of the Eastern Star Masonic dinner was held March 17, with many brethren and their wives attending; the brethren sponsored the Frontier Athletic Banquet on April 30, were young men and women were invited to share a wonderful breakfast prepared by the brethren to recognize their success in the field of athletics; the Lodge family picnic and pool party was held July 31, with more than 40 people participating in a time of fellowship and fun; our second friend’s night dinner was held in early September; the Past Master’s steak dinner night was held September 7; we rounded out the year celebrating our Masonic veterans with a dinner given in honor of their devotion and sacrifice to our country, a time to share the years they served, their branch of service, and some great musical entertainment by our own WB Charles Merckle who played his trumpet with renditions of each military service’s song and patriotic music. We have some exciting things happening at Matamoros Lodge. Our records have been updated and we now have a list of members who have e-mail addresses. This allows the Lodge to communicate immediately with the membership, keeping it informed of activities occurring at the Lodge and continual updates of Lodge proceedings. All members names and telephone numbers have been entered into an automated calling program. This will allow the officers to immediately communicate with the membership in an emergency. A scholarship committee has been formed. The committee has raised more than $6000 and given the final draft of the scholarship form to the Master. Four scholarships will be awarded in the spring: two to Frontier High students and two to River High students. The scholarship committee has also come up with a “blizzard box” which will be given to senior citizens to tide them over in case of an emergency in the winter. I attended the annual Grand Lodge meeting in Cleveland. Here are some sobering realities facing our fraternity! Statewide membership is 101,929, an Ohio mason’s average age is 64 and last year the net loss in membership was 4,941 members. The Grand Lodge expects statewide membership to fall below 100,000 by next year’s annual communication! Matamoras Lodge is trying to gain new members through the “friend’s night” dinner and programs. However, for these events to be successful, reaching their full potential, we need the membership’s help by inviting people whom it feels would be an asset to the fraternity and masonry would be beneficial to the person. Without a concerted effort by the entire membership, Matamoras Lodge membership will continue its decline! Be looking for updates to the website with information about Lodge activities for the new masonic year, the 17th masonic district inspection schedule and the list of 2012 officers! Again, thank you for all you have done to make 2011 a successful year for New Matamoras masonry. I am looking forward to working with you in the coming to year, as we seek to accomplish great things together for the brethren and the fraternity! Sincerely,Terry L. Pringle, Master

Brethren,

The brethren and officers have been busy with degree work over the past two months! The Lodge currently has five brethren receiving their degrees; they range from entered apprentice to one brother who will be returning his master mason degree examination at the next monthly meeting on June 13th, at 7:30 p.m. This degree work was made possible by the Lodge’s “Friend’s Night” held in February where brethren and invited guests were treated to a meal. Then MWB Richard Wilson, Past Grand Master of Ohio, gave a brief introduction to Masonry. Some people were unable to attend the February gathering due to scheduling conflicts. So, a new “Friend’s Night” will be held on August 15th, 6:30 p.m. A meal will be provided those attending, along with a twenty minute DVD presentation on Masonry produced by the Grand Lodge of Ohio. Please make a list of people whom you feel would benefit from their participation in Masonry and would be a blessing to our fraternity. Make contact with them now and get the date on their calendar. Then let the Master know how many people you will be bringing to our gathering by August 8th.

The Grand Lodge of Ohio challenges each local Lodge to support Ohio Special Olympics. As major contributors to this charity, each year the Grand Lodge and brethren are given the opportunity to march in the opening ceremony. Brethren who have attended this ceremony have talked about deep appreciation they received from the participants. If you would like to experience this firsthand, Special Olympics’ opening ceremony will be held, Friday, June 24th.

The Lodge is sponsoring a picnic and pool party on July 31st for members and their family at the New Matamoras Pool from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Bring the kids and grandkids out for a fun night and ample opportunity to renew friendship and fellowship with the brethren. Hamburgers, hot dogs, buns, table service and drinks will be provided. Please bring a covered dish or dessert to share.

This is a call to all Past Masters to attend a special night to commemorate your leadership to the Lodge. Past Masters’ night will be September 7th, 6:00 p.m., with a steak or chicken dinner with all the trimmings. This year, let’s put on a degree with Past Masters’ filling the chairs. The degree and candidate will be chosen following the June meeting. If you will fill a chair, contact the Master and let him know. A formal invitation to all Past Masters will be sent by mail in August.

Help the brethren keep Masonry alive in New Matamoras by participating in your Lodge!

Terry L. Pringle, Master