Black Mountain Lodge No.845 F&AM
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Calendar of Events May 2008
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Black Mountain Lodge Beacon May 2008
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Brethren,
Mother’s Day celebrates motherhood in general for the wonderful contributions of mothers in our society. It was the result of the campaign done by Anna Marie Jarvis (1864-1948), a young Appalachian homemaker who, two years after the death of her mother on May 9, 1905, devoted her life to establish Mother’s Day in the United States. Today, it is a holiday celebrated not only in the United Stated but also in almost all parts of the world although in various days of the year.
The first Mother’s Day was celebrated in Grafton, West Virginia, by Anna Marie Jarvis to commemorate the anniversary of her mother’s death. Thus, Grafton is recognized as the birthplace of Mother’s Day. Through her great determination and unceasing effort, and with the financial support from a Philadelphia clothing merchant John Wanamaker, her campaign resulted in the first official recognition of Mother’s Day in 1910 then a proclamation designating the 2nd Sunday in May as Mother’s Day was signed by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson on May 14, 1914. The original Mother’s Day Proclamation was as follows:
Arise then...women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts!
Whether your baptism be of water or of tears!
Say firmly:
"We will not have questions answered by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage,
For caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country,
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."
From the voice of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with
Our own. It says: "Disarm! Disarm!
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."
Blood does not wipe our dishonor,
Nor violence indicates possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil
At the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home
For a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace...
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God -
In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of nationality,
May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient
And the earliest period consistent with its objects,
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions,
The great and general interests of peace.
In commemorating the event this year, Black Mountain Lodge No. 845 will have a Mother’s Day celebration during the Stated Dinner on May 13, 2008, Tuesday 6:00 p.m. at the Scottish Rite Center. Our Stated Meeting is a sit-down dinner catered by Ranch Catering and it only costs $12.00 per person. All members of the Lodge are sincerely encouraged to celebrate this moment with their wives as a token of appreciation for their continuous support and understanding while “traveling in foreign countries”. Brothers from other Lodges are also cordially invited to bring their beloved wives to join us.
Please contact our Junior Warden – Brother Bernie Gapuz at :. for reservation. You may also call my cell phone number :. R.S.V.P no later than May 9, 2008.
*webmasters note: (not allowed to put phone numbers on our public website, please send email via our yahoo private email list, email the webmaster, or contact our Secretary for phone numbers).
By Worshipful Master Fil C. Garcia
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From the South....
Brethren,
The Junior Wardens’ retreat (Leadership training) broadens my perspective in masonry. It is a weekend of wholesome training wherein every mason whose purpose to be a better man should undergo. It is a great opportunity meeting several Grand Lodge Officers, leaders of various California Masonic Foundations, junior wardens of California Masonic lodges. Above all, the retreat prepares me to be an effective master of the lodge through knowing, loving, and serving God, offering goodwill to my neighbors, and understanding my brothers.
In the following weeks, I will impart information I gathered. These materials will be a tool to formulate a vision of the lodge. This vision, with the participation of the master, past masters, officers and active members of the lodge will not only look good on paper but will also be the reason of our Masonic existence. Such feat is so great but there’s nothing so ambitious about that when we as members of our lodge come together, set aside our indifference and let coherence evolve.
Our cohesive involvement will send strong positive message to our inactive brothers which will induce them to be active again. Reach out to our distant brothers, out of state and halfway around the world like our brothers in the United States Armed Forces. Let us bridge the gap through the internet, make them believe they are important members of our lodge. Let us involve our family, widows, candidates, prospective master masons, communicate with them the reasons why masonry is our way of life.
It is my intention in the following weeks to initiate forums to share our ideas to formulate a down to earth, attainable vision of the lodge. We will take time in our stated meetings, special meetings and special occasions to talk about our vision. This is not a mission impossible when we keep an open mind, in fact, this we should do to be a better man.
Planning is an essential aspect in every endeavor and with this undertaking I need all the support I can get. Thank you for reading this and I will entertain all feedbacks.
By the Plumb,
Bro Bernie Gapuz
Junior Warden