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2009 Grand Masters Family Day at West Point Schedule/Information (pdf file)
2009 Annual Communication of Grand Lodge
The 228th Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York was Opened and Tiled at Masonic Hall, 71 West 23rd Street, New York City, May 4 - 5, 2009. The Deputy Grand Master presided; he and the Grand Secretary stated that they were acting in accordance with the wishes of our recuperating Grand Master. The current Grand Officers were re-elected for a second year: all but our Grand Master were re-installed; he will be re-installed on St. John's Day. The official Be It Known letter provides full details; it may be found in the Grand Secretary's area below.
GRAND MASTER’S INDEPENDENCE DAY MESSAGE TO THE CRAFT
M.'.W.'. Edward Gilbert's latest message states in part ".... Consider volunteering at a VA Hospital, even if is just a few hours a month. It will be so meaningful and so appreciated. It is indeed a fitting way to say “thanks” to our military and veterans. ....." Read the full message here.
The Grand Master's messages to the Craft are all on-line:
- Independence Day Message 2009
- St. John's Day 20009 (address at investiture ceremony) "Get PDF file" "Get WORD document"
- Father's Day Message 2009
- Memorial Day Message 2009
- Mother's Day Message 2009
- Easter & Passover 2009
- February , 2009
- Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2009
- Holiday 2008
- St. John's Day 2008 (address at investiture ceremony)
- Previous Grand Master's Messages to the Craft
Grand Secretary's Messages
R.'.W.'. Gilbert Savitzky's messages intended for a wide audience will be posted here:
- BE IT KNOWN 2008
- BE IT KNOWN 2009
- read Be It Known 2009 on-line at ScribD -- may be faster for users with slow Internet connections
Welcome
Our doors are always open! We practice the principles that make our country great — at Masonic lodges, all men are equal, regardless of income, race, or religion. There are over 13,000 lodges in the U.S. You’ll find one in most small towns, and large cities usually have several. You can travel almost any place in the world and find the warm hand of brotherhood extended to you. Find a lodge close to you at this page: Lodge Locater
Who We Are
We are the Masons. We believe in helping others. We believe there is more to life than pleasure and money. We respect the opinions of others. And we all want to grow and develop as human beings. Masons are moral, honest men who work together to improve themselves and their communities. Our motto is “Friendship, Morality, and Brotherly Love.”
Masonry and You
Are there things you want to accomplish in your life? Are there ways you want to enrich yourself? Do you enjoy being with people you like and respect? As a Mason, you’ll find friendship and fraternity. You’ll develop life skills like self-confidence, leadership, and effective communication. You’ll learn to work as part of a team — and to better yourself as you help others. Think about becoming one today.
What We Do For Others
Our main focus is on community service. We organize blood drives, volunteer at local schools, and run the New York Masonic Safety Identification Program - (NYMSIP) program that reaches 15,000 children each year. We operate the Masonic Medical Research Laboratory in Utica, NY. And New York State Masons also sponsor training sessions for school districts to help them identify children at risk for substance abuse.
History
Masonry is the oldest fraternity in the world, although no one can claim to know its exact origins. There is evidence that the Masonry we know today probably grew out of the guilds of stonemasons who built the castles and cathedrals of the Middle Ages. In the U.S., many of the Founding Fathers were Masons, including Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. From presidents, astronauts, and sports heroes to carpenters, CEOs, and bus drivers, millions of Masons have made our country what it is today. As Masons, history, tradition, and pride are central concepts in our lives.
Grand Lodge Building (New York City)
You are welcomed to schedule a tour of New York State Grand Lodge building, Masonic Hall, on West 23rd Street in New York City by e-mailing the tour guides at TourGuides@nymasons.org. Please be sure to include the date of your visit and time you would like to join us. More information may also be found here.
You can also conduct a virtual tour by clicking to here.
This Web Site
We use this site not only to publish official pronouncements from Grand Lodge (labeled as such with prior approval from the Grand Master and Grand Secretary) but also to provide general information about Masonry to the public, to update the Brethren on Grand Lodge matters, to help our committee members and program volunteers coordinate their activities, to aid our District and Lodge officers in promoting their events and to offer a general forum for sharing information of interest to our Masonic family. If you have comments or technical questions about the site, e-mail the webmaster or if you have material for us to post (please, not huge monolithic files nor grainy scans of hardcopy) please submit it via the cognizant committee chairman or officer.
Contact Grand Lodge / Request Information
If you are trying to reach Grand Lodge itself, for any purpose not related to our web site, such as to request information , our Constitutional point of contact is our
