''Open Territory"
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Patton Grad of 1930
1974 Honor Grand Lodge Officers Recommend Receives Brother Charles B. Friedlein, Past Continued from Page 1
additional areas. 5. The accumulative effect of these decisions revising the basic law (Ahiman Rezon, Article XXI, Section 12) have gradually created a chaotic situation, as to territorial boundaries, in the Grand Secretary's Office which can no longer be properly controlled. 6. Inquiries indicate that no problems have been encountered by those Grand Lodges having Open Territorial Jurisdiction statewide. In giving serious consideration and study to this very important question. all of the Grand Lodge Officers recommend that favorable consideration be given Open Territory Jurisdiction between Lodges in Pennsylvania for the following reasons: 1. It will eliminate the requirement to obtain a Waiver from the Lodge nearest the residence of the petitioner. 2. It will no longer require an investigation by the Lodge nearest the residence of the petitioner unless requested by the Lodge receiving the petition. 3. It will prevent an unfavorable report for other than proper Masonic objection, being binding upon the Lodge petitioned. 4. It will still require the Lodge receiving the petition to have a Committee of Inquiry thoroughly investigate the petitioner and report its recommendations in accordance with present procedure. 5. It will provide all Lodges with the same basic Masonic Law and eliminate special consideration in certain areas. 6. It will expedite the processing of THE PENNSYLVANIA FREEMASON Distribution Office MASONIC HOMES Elizabethtown, Pa. 17022 (Se nd FORM 3579 to Above Address)
applicants between the Lodge Secretaries and the Grand Secretary's Office and provide a more realistic method of control procedure. In recommending the adoption of the Resolution to amend the Ahiman Reson at the December Quarterly Communication, the Grand Master pointed out: "Many Grand Lodges in the United States have Concurrent Statewide Jurisdiction and no objections or problems have arisen."
Master of Stephen Girard Lodge No. 450, Philadelphia, was recipient of the Grand Master's award for 1974 as the outstanding graduate of Patton Masonic School.
Quarterly Communication
During World War II, he served as a Machinist Mate, 2nd class, in the U.S. Navy.
The September Quarterly Communication of Grand Lodge will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, September 4, in Masonic Temple, One North Broad Street, Philadelphia. All Master Masons have been urged to attend.
He was a member of the DeMolay at sixteen. In 1940 he was Raised in Lodge No. 450 and served as Worshipul Master in 1945.
Masonic Temple Has "Face Lifting" Continued from Page 1
ject, it was necessary to preserve the building." In 1957 the Temple was cleaned at a cost of $30,000. This was the first time in the history of the building that cleaning of the Temple was undertaken. The present " beauty-treatment" work on the Temple started six years ago, when the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania began looking ahead to the 1976 celebration. Pennsylvania wants its beautiful Temple refurbished by then for the great numbers of Brethren and visitors who will be coming to Philadelphia Second Class POSTAGE PA ID AT Elizabethtown Pennsylvania
POSTMASTER: Please Include Complete Imprint of Address on Your Postal Return Clipping.
FREE1VIASON AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE RIGHT WORSHIPFUL GRAND LODGE OF FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONS OF PENNSYLVANIA
Brother Rochester B. Woodall, R. W. Grand Master, presented the award at Patton Commencement on June 2. Brother Friedlein graduated from Patton in 1930. He retired in 1968 from Gulf Oil Corporation, after 34 years of service.
when the nation celebrates the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The renovation project has touched everything from modernizing the kitchen to installing a new communications system. All the staff offices have been remodeled and equipped with new furnishings. Every Lodge Hall and room throughout the Temple can be made comfortable by a new humidifier and air conditioning system. In addition to Grand Lodge, 79 Blue Lodges and 21 other Masonic Bodies hold their meetings in the Temple. This requires a continuous housekeeping operation by maintenance personnel. T hey use modern mechanical apparatus and equipment, plus a lot of old-fashioned elbow grease, to keep the immense building practically spotless. When the 'huge, granite cornerstone for the beautiful edifice was laid · June 24, 1868, the gavel used was the one Brother Washington used to lay the cornerstone of the nation's Capitol 75 years earlier. I t took more than five years of skillful labor to build the Temple. But the day finally came for its consecration, the grandest event in the history of Freemasonry in Pennsylvania. On September 26, 1873 , the Temple was dedicated in solemn ceremonies and since that day has been serving mankind in the spirit of universal benevolence and brotherhood.
The PENNSYLVANIA
VOLUME XXI
AUGUST
•
1974
NUMBER 3
Grand Lodge Officers Urge "Open Territory"
"Face Lifting Operation"
Temple Being Prepared for 1976 To Help Freemasonry The Masonic Temple in Philadelphia is getting a "face-lifting" operation that will cost $106,000. The imposing 101-year-old structure is considered one of the world's greatest Masonic buildings. Since its dedication, this architectural jewel has attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors to Philadelphia - the mother city of Freemasonry in America. The "face-lifting" process includes : • Clean exterior with sand, water or mild chemical to remove dirt and stains from all stone work and pediments above roof and down to pavement level. • Cut out and repoint all joints around perimeter of building. • Coat all cleaned stones with water repellent sealant that will last a minimum of ten years. The work is expected to be completed by the September Quarterly Communication. Brother Glen T . Renegar, Chairman of the Committee on Temple, said this will almost complete all necessary improvements to have the Temple ready for 1976 - the Bicentennial year. He added : "Although this is a "face-lifting" proContinued on P age 8
Masonic Temple, Philadelphia, is receiving a " face lifting." It will be completed by the September Quarterly Communication.
Grand Lodge elected officers have recommended that open territory be approved in Pennsylvania. I n view of this, a proposed amendment to the Ahiman Rezon was presented at the June Quarterly Communication in Pittsburgh. Bro. Rochester B. Woodall, R. W. Grand Master said that every question has three sides - "yours, mine and the real facts." He then listed the following: 1. A resident of a city, borough or town in which there are two or more Lodges, may apply for initiation and membership to any one of them and inquiry of the other or others is not necessary. (Ahiman Reson, Article XXI, Section 12) 2. Since 1899, twenty-two Grand Masters, representing forty-four years, have declared by decisions that sixtythree additional areas are open territory in Pennsylvania. 3. Each of the sixty-three decisions was considered, at that time, to he for the best interest of the Fraternity. Based on these precedents, the Grand Master could declare open territory statewide. 4. Presently, the Grand Master is withholding decisions on five more re· quests for special consideration to open Continued on Page 8
Grand Master Has Open Communication Policy By Rochester B. Woodall R. W. Grand Master Somewhere near the top of any Jist of problems or challenges, the subject of " Communications' will appear. The word itself, is relatively easy to define, and yet, it is one of the most complex and difficult barriers to successfully keep open. Every effort possible is being made to carry on a positive, active program
to keep the Masons in Pennsylvania fully informed. • A change in the format of the Pennsylvania Freemason has been made to provide more information about the Grand Lodge, more items of personal interest, and more facts relating to the Masonic Homes. • District Seminars for Lodge Officers are being conducted by the Committee on Masonic Culture and Education to assist in planning, programming, and
Lodge attendance. • District Seminars for Lodge Secretaries are being conducted by the Grand Secretary. • Seminars for District Deputy Grand Masters are conducted by the Grand Master. • District Deputy Grand Masters are encouraged to keep the "grass roots" pipeline open and to assist all Brethren to a better understanding of Pennsylvania Masonry.