2. St. Joseph Lodge No.78
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons
605 Robidoux Street, St. Joseph, MO
OPEN LODGE NIGHT
THE PUBLIC IS WELCOME
TUESDAY MAY 17th 2011
Refreshments Served At 6:30PM
Presentation Will Begin at 7:00PM
BasedOnDanBrown'sBestSellingNovel.
Interpreting The Lost Symbol
With Lecture by
RWB Douglas Reece
District Deputy Grand Lecturer
7th Masonic District of Missouri
A documentary that takes a
closer look at Dan Brown's
novel and motion picture
"The Lost Symbol",
including lesser-known
historical facts about
George Washington, our
Nation's Founding Fathers,
Washington D.C. and the
history of Freemasonry.
For more information contact:
RWB Dennis R. Bonjour, (816) 262-1258
3. This Issue Is Dedicated To Our Beloved Brother
RWB Paul Hunt
In Memoriam
Recently Departed Brethren of St. Joseph Lodge No.78
Wm E. Hurst Jr., 9 Jan 2009
Raymond K. Alt, 11 Jan 2009
Mickey R. Gill Sr., 8 Feb 2009
Ben Rich, 27 May 2009
Charles W. Petitt, 13 Aug. 2009
Gilbert E. Vogel, 11 Sept. 2009
Henry C. Kirschner, 28 Nov. 2009
Darrell W. Casey, 20 Dec. 2009
Harold W. Cole, 28 Dec. 2009
Guy D. Saxton, 12 Jan. 2010
Harold E. Schaeffer, 21 Jan. 2010
Leo Shanks, 22 Feb. 2010
Steven F. McGuire, 19 Mar. 2010
Elmer E. Bosley, 20 Mar. 2010
LeRoy R. Walker, 20 Mar. 2010
Kenneth H. Hawk, 4 Nov. 2010
WB. Jerry L. Burris Jr., 9 Jan. 2011
J. Bruce Clark, 20 Feb. 2011
4. 2007 King Solomon's Passport Contest
Winner Continues To Travel
If you have regularly attended Lodge meetings in Missouri chances
are you have sat with Br. D. Brian Carroll, winner of the Missouri
Grand Lodge King Solomon's Award in 2007. And chances are
you may know Br Carroll who has visited over 200 Lodges
throughout the U.S., Canada, Asia, Africa and Europe. A
Millwright by profession repairing turbines at Power Plants, Br
Carroll says his travels to foreign lands have opened opportunities
not only to visit some of the most
ornate Masonic Lodges in the world
but he has met some of the greatest
and helpful Masons one could meet.
His favorite Lodge to visit is
Yorktown Lodge No.1154 where WB
Frank Rendina, current Ass.
Commissioner of New York City is a
member. Dressed in tuxedos for
Lodge meetings, "They take their
Ritual very seriously. It is in the Ritual
where we learn what Freemasonry is about", says Br. Carroll. After
returning from one meeting Br Carroll was asked by co-associates
at work, "Did they show you where the treasure is?" (Referring to
the motion picture National Treasure). "Well I had to tell them, I
have seen the treasures. The treasures lie within all the Masonic
Lodges. The treasures are not all the material items, not all of the
marble columns, fancy woodwork, and fantastic architecture that
one can see all over the country. The true treasures are us. Our
charity and friendships. Freemasons, are the people that can make it
happen, the ones we can count on and trust. The true treasure is in
every Master Mason's heart. I can say that in all the places I have
been and seen I have not met one Master Mason that wasn't
friendly, didn't have a heart of gold. And in today's society it is
hard to find people like us. I only wish more people could
experience what I have experienced in my travels."
5. Br Carroll's travels in the U.S. have taken him not only to many of
the Lodges in his home state of Missouri but also to Lodges in
Texas, Michigan, California, Ohio, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming,
Illinois, Montana, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and Indiana. He has
toured many of the Grand Lodges. One recent trip took him to
Buenos Aires Argentina and a meeting with the Grand Secretary of
Foreign Relations, Alejo Neyelof, in February of 2011 where he
was given a tour of the Grand Lodge Hall. Since his work schedule
does not always allow him the flexibility to be free during the day
or on Lodge meeting nights, Br Carroll says when making contact
with members of Lodges in cities where he visits they are always
ready to open their Lodges to visiting Masons for tours.
Pictured is the interior Grand Lodge Hall at Buenos Aires Argentina
Br D. Brian Carroll was raised to the Sublime Degree of Master
Mason in January of 2007. "The Lodges I have seen, the histories
I have heard, and the friends I have made along the way are
priceless. It is great to see how all the other states conduct their
Lodge meetings." Br Carroll told me, "I have seen some Lodges
that pack the balconies for meetings and other Lodges where there
are hardly enough to open their Lodge." Perhaps, future King
Solomon's Passport Contests could help stimulate Lodge
membership in Lodges suffering low attendance. Say what you?
6. Operative to Speculative
An Evolution of Freemasonry
From Ancient to Modern Times
asons, historians and theological critics alike wrestle with
the question how Masonry as we know it today came
into being. Mackey’s Encyclopedia of Freemasonry,
describes a group called “Culdees”, Christian priests distinguished
for their pure and simple apostolic religion. The Culdees trace
their traditions and teachings long before Abraham the first
Patriarch of Israel, and Pythagoras of Samos, but in the current Age
originating when Joseph of Arimathea and the Apostle John
traveled to Britain from Israel around A.D. 63, and there
introduced Christianity to the Gaelic
speaking people. The word Culdee is an
Anglicization of the word "Céili Dé"
meaning, client/companion of God. To the
Céili Dé, the Christ path is rooted in a
contemplative search for the Divine Reality
Within, with deep reverence for the
creations of God, leading toward Christ
Consciousness fulfilled in unconditional love.
In A.D. 546 St. Columba, an ordained Culdee Priest founded with
a college or fraternity of Operative Masons, an abbey at Derry
Ireland. Seventeen years later in 563 he with 12 Brethren called the
Apostles of Ireland, founded a monastery at the Isle of Iona in
Scotland. Both the abbey and monastery exist to this day. The
Royal Order of Scotland (ROS), a Masonic order from Iona is its
descendant and Freemasonry as we know it today from the Grand
Lodge of England descended from the Royal Order of Scotland.
The earliest Lodge of which can be found at Edinburgh, Scotland,
Edinburgh Masonic Lodge No.1, the oldest surviving Masonic
minutes there being recorded in the year July 1st A.D. 1599.
MM
7. The two patron saints of the Culdees are Saint John the Baptist
and Saint John the Divine. Saint John the Baptist was primarily
known as the person who conducted the initiation ceremony of
Baptism to new Christians. Saint John the Divine was the person
who declared Jesus The Christ, the “Logos” or “Word” which is
found in KJV
John 1:1-9:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God. 2
The same was in the
beginning with God. 3
All things were made by him; and without
him was not anything made that was made. 4
In him was life; and
the life was the light of men. 5
And the light shineth in darkness;
and the darkness comprehended it not. 6
There was a man sent
from God, whose name was John. 7
The same came for a witness,
to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might
believe. 8
He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of
that Light. 9
That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that
cometh into the world.”
An early account of Hiram Abiff and the building of King
Solomon's Temple, the archetype for building the Spiritual Temple
of man, is found in the writing of 4th century Christian Mystic,
John Cassian. In his 11th book "The Conferences" he writes in
detail about symbolism in the 3 Degrees of monks. Throughout
the Ages, Masonry has professed two sciences, one being
Speculative or Symbolic and the other being Operative. The path
here described being Speculative, fore it would not be possible to
write at any reasonable length a description of them together
although both Operative and Speculative being intertwined
throughout history in the "Old Charges" of Operative
Freemasonry.
Reference to Operative guilds in antiquity are found in the Holy
Bible. In Mark 6:3 we find, "Is not this the [Tekton], the son of
Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and
are not his sisters here with us?" The English word "carpenter" in
Hebrew is Tekton meaning construction worker or stone cutter.
Justin Martyr, A.D.165, wrote that Jesus made yokes and ploughs.
This verse also clearly refers to the family of Jesus. In 2 Samuel:5-
11, "Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys [Masons] to King David to
8. build him a palace." 1 Kings 5:17,18 & 6:1-38. 1 Kings 7:1-51,
Also Amos:7-7. "Thus he shewed me. And the Lord stood upon a
wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand...".
The histories of the old and new charges of Masonry evolve
through the teachings that include King Solomon and Prophets of
the Old Testament, The Christ Jesus, his family and Disciples,
Euclid and Pythagoras, and the ancient philosophies of Egypt,
Persia and India. Indeed Masonry spans the entire evolution of
human culture. But with the Industrial Age superstructures were
now made of iron rather than stone and Operative Masonry fell
into decline, and officially came to a close by edict during the
construction of St. Paul's Cathedral at London in A.D. 1703 when
Christopher Wren, then Grand Master resolved, "That the
privileges of Masonry shall no longer be
confined to Operative Masons, but be
free to men of all professions, provided
they are regularly approved and initiated
into the Fraternity." The Edict was
instituted four years later in 1721.
Manuscripts of Operative Masonic
Fraternities are mentioned throughout
antiquity. Surviving documents
resembling what we recognize today as
Speculative Craft Masonry in Britain include among others the
Regius Manuscript dating to not before A.D. 1390 and the
Matthew Cooke M.S. dating not later than the fifteenth century
current era. Both the Regius and Matthew Cooke Manuscripts are
prototypes of Masonic Ritual recognized today. Written in poetic
form, they are Codes of Moral Duties, using Euclid and Geometry
in symbol, presenting the Points and Articles for the well governed
Rule of a Heavenly School in the guise of a Philosophic Trade
Guild on Earth.
In A.D. 1717, in London, after the suppression of the first Jacobite
uprising, with the resolution declared by Christopher Wren, four
Old Lodges met to reestablish Freemasonry under new Charters.
The Goose and Gridiron Ale-house, Crown Ale-house in Parker's
Lane, Apple Tree Tavern and Rummer and Grapes Tavern, with
9. Lodges meeting at the Apple Tree Tavern forming a Grand Lodge.
"Some old Brothers met at the Apple-Tree, and having put into the
Chair the oldest Master Mason, constituted themselves a Grand
Lodge pro Tempore and forthwith revived the Quarterly
Communication of the Officers of Grand Lodges, resolved to hold
the Annual Assembly and Feast, and then to choose a Grand
Master from among themselves, till they should have the Honor of
a Noble Brother at their Head."
In 1721, George Payne, being the current Grand Master, compiled
from ancient charter documents a series of charges and regulations
based on the "Charter of York", a
constitution written previously in A.D.
926 by Edwin, the grandson of Alfred
the Great, and Grand Master of the
fraternity prefaced with a history saved
from the fires and pillage of the invading
Danes of Scandinavia. Payne submitted
his document to a committee of 14
containing the body of law and doctrine
for use in Lodges of England. Dr. James
Anderson a Presbyterian, (at right) born
in Aberdeen, having a Master's in the liberal Arts at Marischal
College, under the direction of the committee wrote "Anderson's
Constitutions", and included a telling of the legendary history of
the Old Charges of Masonry.
It is important to note that Operative Masonry developed over the
globe throughout the millennia of time, separating Itself from
religion and politics. The New Charges making Freemasonry more
accessible to the masses however brought new challenges to the
fraternity. As with any human endeavor to exemplify the supreme
perfection of our Creator, there also is the corruption of
humanity's failing when individuals or groups develop oligarchies
to elevate their egos or control humanity under the cover of politics
and religion. May we ever remember that Freemasonry's Moral
Tenets have always been Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth.
"It may be said that Truth is the Column of Wisdom, whose rays
penetrate and enlighten the inmost recesses of the Lodge of society;
10. Brotherly Love, the column of strength, which binds us as one
family in fraternal affection in the world; and Relief, the column of
Beauty, whose ornaments, more precious than the lilies or
pomegranates that adorn the pillars of the porch, are the widows
tear of joy and the orphan's prayer of gratitude." It is the interior
and not the exterior quality that is important to Freemasons.
St. Joseph Lodge No.78
Chartered October 14th
1846
An Artist's view of St. Joseph in 1858 looking across St. Michael's Meadow Northwest
toward Wyeth Hill, the Missouri River and site of the Court House built in 1871.
By the late 1720s in the newly formed colonies of America several
Masonic gatherings were reported in newspapers at Boston
Massachusetts. And Ben Franklin's newspaper "The Pennsylvania
Gazette" he not yet being a Freemason, reported meetings of St.
John's Lodge, meeting at the Tun Tavern whose records begin in
1731. On July 30th 1733, after Viscount Montague, issued a
deputation appointing Brother Henry Price, Provincial Grand
Master of New England, a Provincial Grand Lodge in Boston
Massachusetts was formed thus beginning the building of Free and
Accepted Masonic Lodges in Colonial America. The Constitution
of the United States was only 58 years of age and the Missouri
12. Richmond, Virginia: "From his cousin's, Richard went to where
the city of St. Joseph is now located, and where the only occupant
and owner of a business house was a Frenchman named Robadoux
[sic], (pictured below) who had lived there a number of years as an
Indian trader, and who was at that time still engaged in the
occupation. He was moving around dressed in an old, red flannel
shirt, his trousers strapped around his waist, on his head a slouched
hat, and so tanned and weather-beaten
that is was difficult to tell whether he
was a white man, a mulatto, or an
Indian. His establishment consisted of
three log-cabins, one or more of which
were filled with furs of otter, beaver,
buffalo, deer, bear, and other skins; in
the other buildings were stored
provisions, trinkets, and supplies for the
Indians, the latter chiefly in whiskey,
tobacco, and liquors. The old man
seemed to be a very energetic,
enterprising, shrewd business manager.
He was familiar with several dialects of
Indian language, and was highly respected by all the natives who
dealt with him...', 'From this trading outpost grew the city of St.
Joseph, in many respects, perhaps, the most promising city west of
St. Louis and this side of the Rocky Mountains."
In 1843 Robidoux contracted two surveyors to create plats for a
town he had proposed to build next to his outpost in the area
named Saint Michael's Meadow. This area was mentioned by
Meriwether Louis, in his journal on July 7th
in the Lewis and Clark
expedition of 1804. Brothers Frederick W. Smith and Simeon
Kemper, both members of Sparta Lodge No.46 surveyed plats for
the settlement. Brother Frederick W. Smith named his plat Saint
Joseph after Mr. Robidoux's Patron Saint and Simeon Kemper
named his plat Robidoux. Frederick Smith's plat was selected and
was recorded at St. Louis, Missouri in July 1843. The population
at that time was about 200. By 1845 St. Joseph was called
13. “Queen of the Riverboat Towns” North of St. Louis and a
Dispensation was created the same year for a new Lodge to be built
on ground donated by Robidoux called DeWitt Lodge. The
Dispensation was recommended by Savannah
Lodge No.71, located North in Andrew
County that is still active today. In 1846 the
County Seat for Buchanan County was
relocated from Sparta to Saint Joseph and a
Charter was granted at the Grand Lodge
Annual Communication for St. Joseph Lodge
No.78 October 14th 1846. Sinclair K.
Miller (at left) its first Worshipful Master;
Simeon Kemper, Senior Warden and James
Highley, Junior Warden. Within the first year Samuel E. Love
would be the Lodge's first Secretary. Although Joseph Robidoux
was not known to be a Freemason, one of his six sons Felix was a
charter member of St. Joseph's first Masonic Lodge. William
R. Penick, (shown at left) Worshipful Master
of St. Joseph Lodge No.78 in 1858, was the
21st
Grand Master of Missouri in 1861.
1861 is known as the year of the “Rebellion”,
and the beginning of the Civil War. From
the first Post Office, the Pony Express carried
President Lincoln’s Inaugural Address west to
Sacramento, CA., and Confederate and Union
men, some of whom were Masonic brethren,
battled in the streets of St. Joseph and citizens watched as the
American Flag was torn from the Post Office flag pole by an angry
mob. R.W.B. Penick entered the Union Army in 1862 as a
Colonel in the 2nd
Regiment, Missouri Militia and wrote his
address to the Annual Grand Lodge Communication from the
field. Such is a history of Masonry and its travel to the town of St.
Joseph, Missouri in the United States of America. Freemasons,
some being from the same Lodges separated to both sides of the
fence during the American Civil War. One such Brother was
RWB William H. Carpenter. Brother Carpenter enlisted in the
Confederate army at the outbreak of the war and enlisted in
14. Company H. First Missouri Cavalry under Col. Elijah Gates.
Carpenter participated in the battle of Pea Ridge, Ark. and after
returning the next year engaged in battle at Baker's Creek,
Champion Hill and Black River, and was engaged in the siege of
Vicksburg and the battle of Kenesaw Mountain where General
Polk was killed. At the battle of Franklin he was wounded with
grapeshot and recovered in a hospital as a prisoner for six months.
His regiment surrendered in April 1865.
William H. Carpenter served as Worshipful Master at St. Joseph
Lodge No.78 in 1886. In 1891 he was a member of a Knights
Templar excursion party which visited important places in
Germany, Australia, Italy, Switzerland, France, England and Wales.
Upon his passing in March 1916, WB Carpenter was permanently
interred at Mount Mora cemetery in St. Joseph, Missouri.
WB William H. Carpenter shown at left.
15. The Parting Shot
From the Front, RWBs Theodor "Ted" Pixaurau, Mel White, Jim Brown,
Dennis Vogel far left and Virgil Grossman far right.
Just A Little Lodge Room
George B. Staff
Just a little Lodge-room, but a mighty force for good,
With its loyal band of Brothers, Learning more of Brotherhood.
Striving, stumbling, but progressing down a pathway of the right;
Just a humble bunch of plain folks, reaching, seeking for the Light.
Just a quiet little Lodge room, how it stirs the heart and soul,
With thrill of great endeavor, toward a high and common goal.
With each pledge of faith and courage, to maintain the forward fight;
On the road that leads them onward, even onward to the Light.
We Welcome Our New Brothers Recently Raised
Brian W. Loe, Jul. 2008 Thomas C. Mangos, Jul. 2008
Rudy M. Armes, Oct. 2008 Robert S. Bledsoe, Mar. 2009
LeRoy H. Maxwell, Apr. 1009 Nighram M. Johnson, Jul. 2009
Marc M. Pournazari, Jul 2009 Richard L. Phillips, Aug. 2009
Junichiro Ichikawa, Mar. 2010 Thomas M. Curtin, Apr. 2010
Wayne R. Welch, Sept. 2010 John A. Fulkerson, Sept. 2010
David J. Hawkinson, Nov. 2010 David W. Standiford, Jan. 2011
Michael T. Olinger, Mar. 2011 Christopher Olinger, Mar. 2011
