157th Grand Lodge of Minnesota Annual Communication
Kelly Inn, St. Cloud - St. Cloud Civic Center
March 26-27, 2010
Grand Master Thomas G. McCarthy & Deputy Grand Master John L. Cook Welcome You
Grand Master Thomas G. McCarthy urges all Minnesota Lodges to send their full quota of delegates to the 2010 meeting. While the Masters and Wardens are the voting delegates, any Master Mason in good standing is welcome to attend any and all events. Anyone wishing to attend meal events should contact the Grand Lodge office to receive the event registration form, phone 952-948-6700 or 800-245-6050 or by e-mail grandlodge@qwest.net. Invitations and personalized meal reservation forms will be mailed to all Lodge Masters, Wardens and Secretaries near the first of February.
We are pleased to be back at the Kelly Inn again this year as our headquarters hotel. Hotel reservations at our preferred room rate should be $82.00 plus tax. Reservations are to be made by calling the hotel directly, 320-253-0606. Be sure to ask for the Grand Lodge or Masons special rate when you call the hotel. ROOM RESREVATIONS MUST BE MADE BY February 25, 2010. Late reservations will be accepted on a space available basis, but may be at a higher room rate.
Delegates may begin securing their credentials at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, March 26th at the registration tables located in the lobby of the St. Cloud Civic Center Center, where the Grand Lodge business meetings and breakout sessions will take place. A public opening ceremony, open to ladies and other guests will take place at 9:00 a.m. on Friday. After clearing the hall, the Grand Lodge will then be opened (tentatively scheduled for 11:00 a.m) by the Officers of Sibley Lodge No. 209, Winthrop, Grand Master McCarthy’s home lodge.
Other Annual Communication highlights include the annual Friday night banquet, the chance to socialize and mingle with Masons from across the state and nation, reports of various Grand Lodge committees, and election and installation of new Grand Lodge officers on Saturday, March 27th. Grand Master McCarthy has promised that our 157th Annual Communication will be one that no active Minnesota Mason will want to miss.
The resolutions introduced will be discussed throughout the Annual Communication and voted on during the Saturday morning session. As of this writing, two resolutions have been submitted. One was published in the last issue of the Minnesota Mason Newspaper and the other may be found elsewhere in the current issue.
The open Installation of Officers is tentatively scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon. All members, their families and guests are invited to attend.
The annual Friday afternoon breakout sessions continue to be one of the most important parts of our Annual Communication. It is intended that the sessions will be interesting and informative. Grand Master McCarthy and the Grand Lodge officers places a high value on Masonic education and the breakout sessions are an excellent opportunity to exhibit that commitment. Most of the breakout sessions will be open to all Masons and guests.
The Grand Lodge of Minnesota is on YouTube.
The Grand Lodge of Minnesota has a number of videos on our YouTube site. Check them out!
Cornerstone Ceremony at the
University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital October 24, 2009
After what seemed like forty days and forty nights of rain, the skies cleared on October 24th for one of the largest public Masonic ceremonies in Minnesota in modern memory. Over 250 Minnesota Freemasons from lodges all across the state (and even from Thunder Bay, Ontario) joined officials and guests of the University of Minnesota and the Fairview Health System to dedicate the new University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital. Since a picture is often worth a thousand words, a nice photographic account of the day by Brother Rich Hervieux from Minnesota River Valley Lodge No. 6 can be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/40934312@N07/.
Best selling author Dan Brown and the "The Lost Symbol"
The Lost Symbol is a novel written by Dan Brown and published by Doubleday. It is the sequel to his 2003 novel, The Da Vinci Code. The book was released on September 15th, 2009. The novel again features the fictional, mystery-solving Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, called into the story by a friend who is a high ranking Mason in both his lodge and in the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. It is set in Washington D.C., and the fast-paced story takes place over a 12-hour period.
Does the book portray the Masonic Fraternity accurately? In most instances yes, with some "literary license." The Masonic Service Association of North America, The George Washington Masonic Memorial and the Masonic Society have co-sponsored a website, The Lost Symbol & Freemasonry, with plenty of information on the book and its Masonic references.
Like stamps? The book has even inspired an online exhibit of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum, titled "The Lost Symbol on U. S. Postage Stamps."
The book has also generated some attention from several national and local media outlets:
St. Paul Pioneer Press article on Corinthian Lodge No. 67 in Farmington, November 14, 2009
Minneapolis StarTribune Lifestyle article "Not-so-secret society," October 1, 2009
WCCO Televsion Good Question interview with Grand Master Thomas G. McCarthy, September 15, 2009
NBC Today Show Matt Lauer interview with Dan Brown, September 15, 2009
National Public Radio All Things Considered story on September 16, 2009
Parade Magazine Sunday newspaper supplement Lost Symbol Prologue and Chapter 1, September 14, 2009
The leadership of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota is taking a very hard look at replacing our long running KidsID child identification program with the national CHIPS program, sanctioned by the North American Conference of Grand Masters. Visit the MasoniCHIP website for more information on this comprehensive new program.
Brother Howie Damron's Masonic Ring song is getting plenty or air time on YouTube.