The Masonic Passport Program

     The Masonic Passport program is a great way to keep track of every lodge to which you travel.  It allows you to collect lodge seals from each lodge you visit.  The program was created in 2011 after RWB Michael Dodge witnessed a similar program implemented by the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts.

     The passport is designed to help promote traveling by encouraging brothers to visit a certain number of lodges, and earn a cool lapel pin that only fellow Masonic travelers of Connecticut can wear.  The passport looks very much like a regular travel passport and can be purchased from Grand Lodge for $20.  It does not cost the Grand Lodge twenty dollars to create the passports and administer the program, so the extra money collected is donated to the Masonic Medical Research Laboratory to fund their research in finding cures for heart disease.

      For brethren who may not know how the program works, it is simple. Ask the secretary of your lodge for a passport. The secretary will order it from Grand Lodge. Depending on your lodge you will either pay the secretary up front or when it arrives.  When you receive it, fill in your personal information on the inside of the front cover and have your secretary emboss it with the seal in the first quadrant.  The first quadrant is for the seal of your Mother Lodge.  Notify your district deputy that you will be traveling and filling up your new passport.  Then go visit lodges.. At each lodge have the secretary emboss the passport with that lodges seal, and have the Worshipful Master and Secretary both sign it.

      After visiting three, five and seven lodges, the District Deputy will present you certificates to be pasted into the appropriate pages in the passport.  After visiting nine lodges you are eligible to receive the Traveling Man lapel pin.

      The program is not limited to lodges in Connecticut. Many states have similar programs to help promote traveling in their jurisdictions.  States who may not have a similar program will still be willing to stamp your passport, and you mat actually them to start their own program.

      I started my first passport the year I was made a Master Mason and I found great enjoyment in collecting the seals from surrounding lodges as well as the fraternal union I gained from traveling.  If you are not currently traveling and filling up a Masonic Passport you should start now.  It is enjoyable and rewarding and it also helps a great charitable organization.  Reach out to your secretary or Grand Lodge and take the first step by purchasing your own Masonic Passport today.

Washington's Journeys Throughout The State

The post that once held the plaque.

     Located on the boarder of Wallingford and Durham lies a path in the TriMountain State Park known as the"Washington trail."  It once went from the center of Wallingford all the way to Durham through some pretty rugged terrain.

     The trail is named after General George Washington, who traveled this path through the forest on two different occasions.  Once in 1775 during the beginning of the American Revolution, he stopped at Mill Hill in Wallingford to meet with General James Wadsworth.  He then stopped at Swathal's tavern where it is said he obtained fresh horses for his men.  Brother Washington's second journey across this path was in 1789 on a trip to visit the colonies after his first presidential inauguration.

     I found this site appealing because of the importance it held to Washingtons journey through our state.  After doing some research I found that there used to be a plaque located at the intersection of the Washington trail and the blue blazed Mattabesset hiking trail.  I wanted to find the spot that once held a plaque commemorating Brother Washington so I set out for a hike.  Heading South out of Middletown on Rt 17, I drove into Durham and starting looking for Howd road on the right.I traveled on Howd road for a few miles, past a nice little tree farm, and then I found the pull off area.

     The plaque used to be mounted on a concrete post located near the intersection of the two trails, right between the notch of Fowler  Mountain and TriMountain.  Hiking up several hundred vertical feet, then down into the notch I found the intersection of Washington's trail.  I searched for quite some time but was unable to find the remnants of the post that once held the plaque.  After further research I found that the plaque was stolen sometime between 2006 and 2007.  I found this very disappointing and wanted to something about it before a site that was important to our brother, a General of the Revolution, and our first President, was lost to time.

     I am writing this article to ask the Grand Lodge of the State of Connecticut for help in assembling a committee on this matter. One that will be able to help in the research, and production of a new plaque to commemorate Washington, as well as to hold a ceremony upon it's installment.
"What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal" Alber Pike

Ryan Howard
Warren Lodge #51

Traveling Man Barn Raising

The date, September 27.  The place, a picturesque sheep barn in South Windsor.  The memories, I'll hold onto for a very long time.

The Master Mason was a beautiful display of what it means to be a Mason.  The cooperation to put something like this together was amazing.  Three blue lodges of the area Hartford Evergreen Lodge #88, South Windsor Washington Lodge #70, Windsor, and Manchester Lodge #73, Manchester, worked together setting up the barn, preparing lunch and performing the ritual.


At 10:00 a.m. just off Ferry Street, a mile down the road from Hartford Evergreen Lodge, is a rustic New England sheep farm.  A large red barn was the venue for the degree work.  Rows of seating were in the north, and also up atop a hay loft in the south looking down onto an altar surrounded by hay bales.  The officers had their usual positions and the three hosting lodges changed officers at different points throughout the day.

Having the officers of the three lodges work together was a beautiful display of our Masonic beehive in action.  The first half of the degree was performed in the morning, then lunch was served a mile down the road at Hartford Evergreen's Lodge.

The lunch of BBQ pulled pork, grilled chicken, corn on the cob, beans, salad and cake hit the spot.  The lunch hour was a great time for getting to know one another a bit better, but then everyone headed back to the barn for the remaining degree work.

Brothers came from ten Connecticut lodges and one lodge from southern Massachusetts.

The "Barn Raising" was the second of what will hopefully become a long lasting tradition.  The brothers performed the degree wearing garments that are reminiscent of the medieval era.  The brothers' floor work was well executed, and the lectures throughout the day were performed equally well.

The ritual was intriguing to watch.  There were differences one might not be used to seeing.  For instance, the order in which the three principal officers rapped their gavels during the opening and closing of the ceremony three times in a row rather than one after the other.  Its little differences like this, that I find incredibly interesting as I travel around this great state we brothers call home.

Traveling Man Goes To Branford

     St. Albans Lodge #38, Branford, was founded in 1771, just five years before the Declaration of Independence was written, making it one of Connecticut's oldest Masonic lodges.  St. Albans currently meets in Branford sharing the building with Widow's Son Lodge #66 after selling their lodge and property in Guilford.

     The brothers of St. Albans Lodge meet the first and third Tuesdays at 8 Eades Street in downtown Branford, at 7:30 p.m., this year under the watch of Worshipful Master Lawrence H. Anvik.

     The lodge is average in size but has a unique internal decor.  The walls are all concrete blocks which reminded me of the operative masons of our past.  They are tall and coated with a type of glaze or paint giving them a jade like appearance.  The Worshipful Master and his officers sit in wonderfully carved chairs and their is a glowing "G" in the East.  Also on display is a piece of stone that came from the White House.  It contains the original mark of an operative stone mason from the original construction over 200 years ago.  It was donated by Brother Douglas W. Orr the architect of the current lodge building who worked on the White House renovations during the Truman years.  Orr was vice chairman of the commission of renovations of the executive mansion.  The guest speaker on the night of my visit was Brother Ron Goldwyn, former secretary of the Masonic Lodge of Research.  Ron spoke about WB George Washington and the Star Spangled Banner.  Ron has been a member of the fraternity since 1959 and a Past Master of five different lodges.  He spoke about the origins of Francis Scott Key's poem, In Defense of Fort McKenry," and the development of the "Star Spangled Banner."

     Next, Brother Ron spoke about Brother and General George Washington, focusing on how records show he was made a Mason in a lodge that didn't have a charter at that time, , Fredericksburg, Lodge, Fredericksburg, Virginia.  Today he would be considered a clandestine Mason unless properly "healed".

     George Washington was made a Master Mason on August 4, 1752.  He was only 20 which is interesting because according to the Grand Lodge of England, one had to be at least 21 years old to be initiated.  One can only speculate but many lodges of that era worked without charters.  An interesting fact is Brother Washington is one of only two presidents who were president and Master of their lodge at the same time.  The other was Harry Truman.

     Once Brother Ron was finished, the lodge proceeded to close.  Afterward, the brothers got together for coffee and snacks and enjoyed some quality fellowship.

     Remember brothers, get out and travel yourself to a neighboring lodge or to one on the other side of the state.  Either way, you find that it is a truly rewarding experience.

Traveling Man:Hiram Lodge No. 1

     Hiram Lodge No. 1, New Haven, meets at 285 Whitney Ave. in the large brick building with four gigantic columns on the front of it. It is located across from and just up the street frpm the Peabody museum.  The building was built in the 1920's.

The brothers of Hiram Lodge meet every second and fourth Thursdays at 7:30 pm. The building contains three different lodge rooms and is used by a few blue lodges, Scottish Rite, and Prince Hall.

     The Egyptian room, as it is known, is one of the most awe inspiring lodge rooms you could hope to see.  The lodge room is about 60 feet in length and 36 feet in width and has a loft ceiling at least 20 feet in height.  It is adorned with hieroglyphically inspired artwork, with carvings, beautiful stone work, and a carpet that reminds one of sand. Two giant pillars with carved egyptian style faces rest on either side of the Worshipful Master's chair giving the room a feeling of being in a completely different part of the world and at another period in time.


Hiram Lodge is in fact the oldest lodge in Connecticut, and the seventh in our Country.  The brothers gained their colonial charter through St John's Lodge of Boston and the Provincial Grand Master in 1750.  They still have their original charter issued to Bro. David Wooster who was the charter master.
     Hiram Lodge holds to certain traditions, such as wearing their aprons under their jackets in the manor

that Bro George Washington would have while wearing a cutaway that was not buttoned.  Their ritual is slightly different and a treat to watch, they do differ from official Grand Lodge standard work. Their history states the ritual is the same as worked in London's Lodge of Antiquity under the noted writer William Preston.  It contains slightly different signs, obligation, and differences in the lecture work following the degree.

      Hiram Lodge is an extremely active lodge. They Have been meeting regularly for over 260 years without ever going dark.
WM Richard S. Calabria and his degree team did an outstanding job conferring this sublime degree for three brothers Andrew Henderson, Jonathan Agosto, and Raul Pereles. Jr warden Michael Calderone did an unbelievable job presenting the third section lecture with charisma and superb proficiency.
   
 Travel yourself!  Go to a neighboring lodge or one on theother side of the state.  Either way you will find it to be a truly rewarding experience.

Ryan Howard
Warren Lodge #51

Meet The Masons Golf Tournament

     This article is a little different, rather than write about traveling to another lodge, I am writing about a golf tournament that my mother lodge Warren No. 51 hosted on June 28th, at the Portland West Golf Course.
This was our second annual "Meet The Masons" tournament and it was a great day. We had fifty golfers show up for the tournament that lasted from 8:00 am to around 1:00pm.  The weather was on our side, being in the low 80s with no rain in sight.

     The tournament was an 18 hole, "shotgun" style format, and it had a few fun "curve balls" for the golfers.  On one hole the challenge was to putt the ball using a very large wooden gavel. The gavel was hand made by WB Richard R Washburn and it added some extra fun for the day.  At another hold the golfers had the chance to place bets with a "pro."  If you bet that he would do well, and if he did, you were entered into a 50/50 raffle that was later drawn back at the lodge during the barbecue.


     WB Tom Mumford's brother Chuck Mumford, an avid golfer showed up for the tournament again with his crew of three other golfer, Dave Hinman, Rich Suipum, and Brianna Tassinari. They had the lowest score and won the tournament for the second year in a row.  We hope to see some new brothers at our tournament next year who may be able to give them a run for their money.
To be able to lend a hand, and show support is a core belief of so many brothers.  There was a respectable number of brothers from different lodges in attendance. Solar Lodge #131, Anchor Lodge #112, St John's Lodge #2, Philosophic Lodge of Research, and Washington Lodge #81 came to support our fundraising match.
This allows us to put some money back into the community by supporting high school students and other organizations that reach out to us periodically for a helping hand.  The tournament also provided a warm feeling of fraternal brotherhood, which was in addition to the warmth of the late June sun.

     The barbecue was prepared by WB Tomas Kesser. Tom was in charge of the grill while Bro. Maykel Torriente and myself set up the dining hall. Tom was serving up burgers, sausages, grilled chicken, and a ton of ribs.
The title "Meet The Masons" golf tournament was designed to encourage non-brothers to show up and see what we, as Freemasons, are all about; friendship, morality, and brotherly love.  Once the barbecue was over there was an opportunity for anyone interested to take a tour of the lodge.

     Taking time to show the lodge to interested people will perhapes lead someone in the path of knocking on our door and seeking admission into the great fraternity we are apart of.  On behave of the brothers of Warren Lodge thank you.

Ryan Howard
Warren Lodge #51