St John's lodge No.51 F&AM
South Berwick, ME.

Worshipful Master -Jeffrey Cutting   Senior Warden - Allen Locke
Junior Warden -Michael Penny  Lodge Secretary- Allen johnson
Lodge Phone number 207.384.2182

How to become a Mason

How does a Man Become a Mason?

How Does a Man Become A Mason? Below are some common questions that apply to Masonic membership in the State of Maine. (1) What are the requirements for becoming a Mason? A candidate must be male, at least 18 years of age, able to profess a belief in God, and be of good character. In Maine, no lodge, without the permission of the Grand Master, shall receive a petition of a candidate for the degrees until he has resided in this state one year, nor (excepting seafaring men absent only on a voyage to sea) unless he has had his domicile within the jurisdiction of the lodge during the last preceding six months. (6) Do I have to be invited? Don't wait to be invited-- you'll grow old waiting! Masons are prohibited from actively recruiting or asking non-Masons to join the fraternity, to insure that candidates come of their own free will. As with many things Masonic, there are some exceptions to this rule. Some Grand Lodges allow solicitation, provided it is low-key and with the strict provision that no pressure be applied. Still, you don't *need* to be invited in any jurisdiction, and if you're interested, act! (7) OK, I'm interested-- how do I proceed? If you know a Mason, ask him about membership. He will be glad to tell you all about the Craft and the local lodge, and he will give you a petition if you wish to join. If you do not know a Mason, drop a letter, make a call, or send an e-mail to the local lodge, and one of the officers will contact you. Please note: if you call the lodge, you may not get an answer unless someone is actually there. Don't assume that e-mail is always getting to the right person either. When the above options aren't working, simply call the Grand Lodge. Someone there will put you in contact with an appropriate local member. Typically, the process is as follows: (A) the applicant fills out a petition. The petition asks for two sponsors, though if you meet and talk with the officers, they can usually find sponsors or act as sponsors themselves if you do not know anyone in the lodge. (B) the petition is read at the lodge during the next business meeting, which for many lodges is during the first week of the month. A committee is formed to investigate the candidate. (Your sponsors will explain the schedule to you based on their knowledge of the lodge's meetings/events.) (C) the committee meets with the candidate to answer questions, ascertain that he meets the criteria for membership, and find out a little about him. This is not a "grilling session", but rather a friendly and casual chat to make certain that the candidate has been properly informed about Masonry and that was not improperly solicited. The committee also contacts the character references listed on the petition (typically asking if they know any reason why the candidate should not be accepted, etc.) (D) The committee reports back to the lodge during the next business meeting and the candidate is voted on. If accepted, someone from the lodge (often the Secretary) contacts the candidate and informs him that he has been accepted and schedules a date for the Entered Apprentice degree. If you do not know a Mason, then please contact either the District Deputy or the District Educational Representative in the District nearest to your residence. See the list of lodges in Maine to locate a Lodge near you or for the name of the District Deputy responsible for Freemasonry in your area. ( Please note the entire article can be found at www.mainemason.org)

Grand Master's Message

Freemasonry Around Maine

September 27, 2007

Dear Brother,

I certainly hope that you are enjoying the summer 'reprieve'. The weather has been extraordinary but I do have to laugh at as I took out the air conditioners last week: good planning! Again I can report you that the district meetings have been most interesting. Your GrandLodge leadership team has met with the Brethren in Lincoln and Limestone. Shortly we will be meeting withthe Brethren from the 2nd and 3rd Districts in Lubec. The schedule of events is on the Grand Lodgewebsite at mainemason.org if you're able to join us. Following the District Meeting in Lubec, we will be enjoying an international-type weekend at the Campobello complex with the Grand Lodge of New Brunswick. This event will be complete with an outdoor Master Mason degree. Everyone is invited to join us for the weekend and details can be had from RW Frank Theriault at fmtjr@peoplepc.com .

During this time when our armed forces are in action on a distant battlefield I would like to bring to your attention a dedicated group of Maine Masons. They are organized under the banner of the National Sojourners and their local Chapter is Portland Chapter #92. These men (and their ladies) meet regularly to share that special fellowship that they share as former military experience and which is magnified by their Masonic connections. The face page on their website about says it all; "Leaders of the uniformed services united by Masonic Brotherhood - proudly serving the cause of patriotism". If you are a veteran and wish to get in contact with this group please email Steve Nichols at senichols@sacoriver.net

Speaking of our veterans, many of us were privileged to visit with the residents at the Maine Veterans homes in West Paris and Caribou. We were joined by Brethren from those areas to help spread a bit cheer. The Brethren of the 1st District put on a full breakfast for the residents on a monthly basis and we were proud to be part of that group of dedicated Masons last Sunday. Nearly all of the Veterans' Homes now have activity coordinators and several put on breakfasts or other special activities. The home in Bangor has area Masons visiting on a weekly basis. I can't tell you how proud I am to be part of an organization whose members willingly give of their time an effort for our veterans. If you would like to become part of that group please email our state coordinator, PGM Wayne T. Adams at wadams@lexmaine.com

I don't often open many of the "forwards" that come to my email account but the following seemed very appropriate and I would like to share it with you. It's called the Military Pledge and the author is unknown.

A veteran - whether active duty, retired, or national guard or reserve - is someone who, at one point in his, or her, life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America," for an amount of "up to and including my life." That is honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.

God Bless them all!

Yours in Service,

Jerry Leighton
Grand Master

email: grandmaster@mainemason.org
http://www.mainemason.org

Maine Masonic College Courses Announced

Our Maine Masonic College has opened registration for several courses this fall. Check the web page, put the dates in your calendar, and take advantage of this wonderful educational opportunity. Click here to see them.

Masonic Programs

32^o Masonic Learning Center
Dyslexia?

The 32^oMasonic Learning Center for Children in Portland is a charity of the Scottish Rite Masons. Its purpose is to provide tutoring for children with language based learning problems of the type typically referred to as dyslexia.
It is also a training center for adults who wish to become certified in the Orton-Gillingham approach to reaching reading funded by the Masons, these services are provided free-of-charge to the children and trainees.
Address: 1903 Congress St. Portland Me. 207.773.4949

C.H.I.P.S. - Child Identification Program The CHILD IDENTIFICATION PROGRAM (C.H.I.P.S.) is sponsored by the generous donation of time and money from the Freemasons of Maine under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Maine. The C.H.I.P.S. Program is the most comprehensive service of its kind anywhere. CHIPS is provided free of charge to the public and all of the identifying items generated during CHIPS are given to the child's family. The CHIPS program includes the following: VIDEOTAPE: A brief videotaped interview that can be quickly distributed to the media in order to reach a huge audience. FINGERPRINTING: Fingerprinting is a well-known means of identification. Resourceful parents keep fingerprints available should the need arise. Basic Safety Tips for Parents 1. Keep current identification of your children in a safe and accessible place (fingerprints, photo, video, physical description.) 2. Know how to obtain your child's dental x-rays and medical records. 3. Don't leave your child alone or unattended in public places (in a car, in a store.) 4. Know your child's friends, their names, where they live, and how to contact them 5. Before leaving your child in the care of a daycare, preschool, baby-sitter, or youth organization, check their references and qualifications. 6. Be involved in your child's activities (volunteer at school and clubs, attend sporting events.) Contact Harland S. Hitchings P. O. Box 145, Princeton, ME 04668 (207) 796-2282 for more information.

Scholarships

This listing is a basic overview of scholarships offered by the Grand Lodge of Masons in Maine and the various Masonically-related organizations within this jurisdiction.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Inquiries about these scholarships should go to the contact as indicated. The Webmaster cannot answer specific questions about these scholarships!

Last updated: Saturday, March 3, 2007

Grand Master's Message
Recent News Headlines
November 26, 2007
Dear Brother,
The following letter will be sent out shortly to all Masters and Wardens as well as Permanent Members of this Grand Lodge and District Deputy Grand Masters. I thought this same information should be shared with you also.
As I wrote to you in an earlier message, there has been an ongoing investigation concerning the misappropriation of funds from several Masonic entities. The former member of the Craft that was involved has now been tried and the resulting sentencing handed down by the legal system. The outline of the entire story can be read on the front page of the November 25th edition of the Maine Sunday Telegram under the headline of "A Violation of Trust". This story also appeared with the title "Model citizen stole 430K from fraternal groups" in the Sunday Boston Globe and in Monday's Bangor Daily News. As it has been picked up by the Associated Press, it may appear in other venues as well.
A rhetorical question was asked in the Press Herald article that I find most interesting; "How could this model citizen, a man with no criminal past, steal so much from the people who trusted him most?". The question unasked, however, is how could this type of behavior go on for so long and not be discovered? Well, as Master Masons we all know the answer and we know it well. Brotherly Love, Truth and Trust together with a philosophy that fosters a self improvement as taught by our Gentle Craft not only answers these questions but explains them.
I would like to reiterate once again that the Grand Lodge of Maine assets and the assets of the Maine Masonic Charitable Foundation were not affected. A full and complete audit is conducted by independent professional auditors annually and their report is reviewed by the members of the Grand Lodge Finance Committee and the Charitable Foundation Trustees. No exceptions have been noted in these audits. When it comes to individual lodges, I would like to emphasize how important it is to follow the guidelines in the Secretary's Handbook as pertains to the handling of funds. Carefully reviewing your financial matters is a duty owed to your members.
As sad as this case turned out to be, it must not overshadow the tremendous contribution that Freemasonry in Maine has made and continues to make to our society at large. The problems facing us in the 21st century are daunting - the challenges intimidating - but I ask you to consider that ideals forged and honed within the walls of our Masonic Lodges are as applicable today as they have ever been. We have faced this tragedy directly and now it is time to return to our heritage of building the bridges of brotherhood while instilling in our communities ideals for a better tomorrow.
Fraternally,

Jerry Leighton
Grand Master
email: grandmaster@mainemason.org
http://www.mainemason.org