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Newsletter from the Grand Secretary

Hollis G. Dixon, Grand Secretary

September 2008

The George Washington Masonic Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia has designated October, 2008 as Grand Lodge of Maine Month.  This is in conjunction with their program whereby they designate a Grand Lodge jurisdiction each month to be honored at the Museum.  During the month of October, they will:  

  1. Fly a State of Maine flag on the grounds outside the Memorial.
  2. Feature the Grand Lodge of Maine on their Web Site.
  3. Provide Grand Lodge of Maine material and information to visitors at their front desk.
  4. Display a Masonic Exhibit from Maine in a display case and 
  5. Display a State of Maine Flag and a Grand Lodge Flag (if we had one) in the Memorial.

Additionally, they encourage the Grand Lodge of Maine, or any Maine Lodge, to visit the Memorial and to confer a degree, tour the Memorial and/or to see other sites in and around the Nation’s Capitol.  If your lodge or some Masonic body that you belong to decides to visit the Memorial during the month of October, you may want to notify Grand Lodge in advance so that we can advise the Memorial of your plans.

Secretaries Workshops:  Wor. Tom Heath will conduct a Secretaries workshop on Saturday, September 13, 2008, at 2:00 p. m. at Aroostook Lodge No. 197 at Mars Hill. This workshop has been scheduled to accommodate Lodge Secretaries in the First and Twenty-fourth Districts.  It was scheduled for 2:00 p. m. so that Secretaries planning to attend the District Meeting for the First Masonic District can attend prior to the District Meeting.

A Secretaries Workshop has been scheduled for Saturday, October 4, 2008 at 8:00 a. m.. at the Roosevelt Estate on Campobello Island.  This workshop has been scheduled for 8:00 a. m. so that Secretaries from the Second and Third Masonic Districts may attend prior to the Master Mason Degree that will take place in the afternoon.

High Cost of Heating Fuel: In my August Newsletter, I wrote about the need to be alert to the possible needs of our elderly members and Masonic Widows during the upcoming winter months
due to the high cost of heating their homes.  I would like to remind each of our Secretaries to bring this matter to the attention of your lodges.  Since many of our lodges have been dark during the summer months, I feel it is necessary to bring this to your attention again as we start up for the Fall season. This matter is far too important to forget it.

Masonic Temple – Portland: The Masonic Temple in Portland is owned jointly by the various Masonic bodies that rent space in the Temple. Each of those bodies has representation on the
Board of Trustees.  The Trustees own the back half of the building at 415 Congress Street, the front half of the building having been sold to a private company in 1978.  For a variety of reasons, the most obvious being the cost of maintaining the building and our declining income, the Trustees have determined that it is now necessary to sell the building.  Toward that aim, they have signed a contract with Cardente Realtors of Portland.

Additionally, a committee will be formed to study alternative ideas for the various bodies to relocate once the building has been sold.

Fraternally submitted,

 

Hollis G. Dixon
Grand Secretary

                                               

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