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Pennsylvania Masonic News
A Fraternal Sanctuary: How One Man Found Help through Brotherly Love
Brother Jose Concepcion, Lodge No. 408, Meadville, was born and raised in inner city Philadelphia, surrounded by gangs, drugs, crime and frequent shootings. “The stuff they show in action movies is a fairy tale compared to what I saw and have been through. There really weren’t any positive role models besides my family,” he said. Brother Jose has always loved history and arts. One of his sanctuaries in the city was the Masonic Temple, where [...]
William Slater II, R.W. Grand Master (2004-2005)
When he assumed the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania’s highest post in 2004 at age 45, Brother William Slater II, Lodge No. 45, Pittsburgh, was the youngest to have led the fraternity since Brother Benjamin Franklin, who was 28. Today, he and Stephanie, his lady of 12 years, split their time among their favorite places: Jupiter, Fla.; Conneaut Lake, Pa., and his hometown of Pittsburgh. Brother Bill is the owner and President of Slater Family Services [...]
Serving Children in Western PA
In March, the Masonic Villages’ Board of Directors approved moving forward with a Masonic Children’s Home on the Masonic Village at Sewickley campus if sufficient funds are raised. Since 1913, Pennsylvania Freemasons have provided a safe haven and changed the lives of more than 2,100 children at the Masonic Children’s Home on the campus of the Masonic Village at Elizabethtown, Pa. Since then, children have come to the Masonic Children’s Home with many varied needs: [...]
200th Birthday of the Masonic Temple Library
Those of our readers with long memories may ask, “How can we celebrate 200 years in 2017, when we just celebrated 100 years in 1971?” This time, we celebrate the organization, in 1817, of the original committee charged with putting the cherished, but “back-burner” idea into action. The Second Degree of Freemasonry enjoins us to be lovers of the liberal arts and lovers of learning. This is why, as early as 1787, the idea of [...]
Marvin A. Cunningham, R.W. Grand Master (2002-2003)
R.W. Grand Master (2002-2003) R.W. Past Grand Master Marvin A. Cunningham, Sr., is enjoying life in the Back Mountain with his wife, Rosalie, at the Masonic Village at Dallas. They were among the first residents to move into the community’s first villa homes 11 years ago. While they no longer travel as much as they used to, they feel they have everything they need, right where they are: good friends, delicious food conveniently served at the clubhouse, and amenities galore … [...]
Brothers of the Outdoors
The February 2017 issue of the Pennsylvania Freemason magazine will celebrates food, family, and fraternity in light of 300 years of Freemasonry around the globe. Look for it in your mailboxes soon! In this article, Bro. Teddy Sizemore, Grand Pursuivant, provides a great example of how the fraternity ties families closer together. The photo shows Bro. Dennis Wagner, Sunbury Lodge No. 22 (left), and Bro. Sizemore (right.) I first met Dennis Wagner in 2014, when [...]
Robert L. Dluge, Jr., R.W. Grand Master (2000-2001)
At an age when many eye retirement, Brother Robert L. Dluge, Jr., R.W. Past Grand Master, is busy as ever with family, work, community service and of course, Freemasonry. Brother Bob and his wife, Debra, are the proud parents of three daughters with demanding careers and growing families. Dawn and Jennifer are physician’s assistants, and Stephanie is a teacher. They’ve blessed their parents with five grandchildren between the ages of 1 – 11 who keep [...]
Edward O. Weisser, R.W. Grand Master (1996-1997)
At age 80, Brother Edward O. Weisser, R.W. Past Grand Master, has no plans for slowing down anytime soon. He still enjoys skiing and hunting, as well as clamming and fishing with his family in Ocean City, N.J., where he owns a summer home. Active in Langhorne United Methodist Church, Brother Ed also spends a lot of time with his Brethren. He continues to confer Masonic degrees when asked (he recently gave his 134th 3rd [...]
Bro. John W. Geary – A Life of Public Service
The November 2016 issue of the Pennsylvania Freemason magazine honors those who have served our country in military and civil service. Featured here is a short biography of one Pennsylvania Mason who epitomizes a life of public service. The issue will be delivered to mail boxes during the first week of November. Brother John White Geary is probably one of the most important and influential Pennsylvanians to have ever knelt at the altar of Freemasonry. [...]
Masonic Widow’s Guild Program Announced
The Masonic Villages recently launched a Widows’ Guild program to recognize and assist all widows of Pennsylvania Masons. The program is being rolled out at limited group events throughout Pennsylvania and certain locations of the United States. Widows who attend these events will receive a Masonic Blue Slipper Pin and personalized membership card to the Widows’ Guild. On the back side of the membership card is the toll-free telephone number for the Masonic Outreach [...]
Why do we use a Lodge seal?
The word “seal” appears in the “Ahiman Rezon” more than 80 times (not counting the index). That means seals are talked about on one out of every three pages in the Constitution of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. For many, seals seem like quaint anachronisms of an age prior to electronic communication. For others, they represent a cultured experience that is longed for. Obviously, seals are important to our Grand Lodge and to our Fraternity, [...]
Applying the 24 Inch Gauge
The August 2016 issue of the Pennsylvania Freemason magazine deals with time management and the Masonic symbolism of the 24 inch gauge. The issue will be delivered to mail boxes during the first month of August. Masonic ceremonies are designed to make a Brother think. Many of the rituals of Freemasonry make reference, either directly or indirectly, to man’s mortality and our shared time on this Earth. Every person has a finite number of years, [...]
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