Welcome friends and Brethren, to the official website of Berwyn Lodge No. 839 AF and AM*, located in Berwyn, Illinois. On this site you can find a wealth of information about our lodge, including information on upcoming events, Masonic news, photos, and updates on lodge activity. Use the navigation links at the top of this page to explore different sections of our site. A good place to start is by clicking on our Trestle Board, there you’ll find the latest news and updates. You can also get additional information about Freemasonry from The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge AF and AM of the State of Illinois website. We will be updating our site on a regular basis, so check back often and thank you for visiting!
Another eventful month has passed and let me start by sincerely saying thank you Brethren.
On Friday the 13th in March, I hosted a Masonic Fellowship Discussion at my home. It was a very nice time allowing Brethren to get to know each other a little better outside of Lodge while partaking in Masonic Discussion concerning such topics as… Lodge Finance, Masonic Funeral Services and methods of improving contributions and outreach to the families of Brethren who have passed away, Membership Retention, Divestiture and more Ritual Discussion and interpretation, along with personal perspective and input on Masonry in general. Thank you to the Brethren who attended and contributed to the event. Those of you who missed it …I hope to see you at our next gathering.
In March, Berwyn Masonic Lodge also competed in the Eureka Challenge. With combining our Masonic Minds we were able to answer 100% of the questions correctly in 6 minutes and 26 seconds. Great Job Brethren!!
A 1st degree was conferred in March and I am proud to say that we now have a new Entered Apprentice. Congratulations Brother! Thank you, Once again to the Brethren who participated, the work was great and a strong impression was made on our new Brother.
On April 5th, with the help of Life Source and the efforts of our Charity Committee Chairman Bro. Jim Hrejza, Berwyn Lodge held a blood drive. Fellowship was enjoyed and Charity accomplished. 14 pints of blood were donated, it would’ve been nice to have more.. but nevertheless we were blessed with support that we were given and the volunteers that came out. Also, thank you to Josalyn, my little girl who put up fliers for the blood drive in the neighborhood..Thank you! Good Job! Remember Brethren your involvement is what makes Masonry successful…. please contact us to get involved in any event or just to join us in Fellowship.
Berwyn Masonic Lodge will have our Past Masters’ Night at our Lodge on Tuesday, April 28, 2009. Dinner will be served at 6pm. Any and all Brethren are welcomed. We hope to see you there.
A 3rd Degree will be conducted on Tuesday, May 5th at our lodge. Please contact Brother Secretary or Myself if you would like to volunteer for this night, any future degree work or if you are interested in joining the 3rd degree team that we are organizing.
I will complete by requesting prayers for Worshipful Brother Galo Lopez, Worshipful Brother Eddie Worazek and the Family members’ of Brethren who are ill. Our prayers are with you.
Thank you Brethren,
Hope to see you soon,
Sincerely & Fraternally,
W.Bro. David Cruz
Greetings Brethren,
Another month has passed and my year in the East is quickly speeding by. I’d like to sincerely thank our Brethren for all the support and for making our accomplishments thus far possible.
On 2/24/09 we had the Honor of receiving our District Deputy Grand Master Vyts for our official visit of the year. R.W.Bro. Vyts caught us up with Grand Lodge news and later joined us for fellowship and refreshments. Thank you for joining us Brother.
On 2/17/09 Berwyn Masonic Lodge enjoyed a Valentines Day Dinner. The Brethren provided Dinner, music and roses for our better halves. It was a great time and a nice opportunity to put a smile on the face of our ladies while enjoying Brotherhood at the same time.
Our Lodge will be conducting a 1st degree on 3/31/09. The candidate is very motivated. Please contact me ASAP to let me know what part of the degreework you can assist with. Any and all help is greatly appreciated. Remember..Not only, ritual or floorwork is needed in assisting with our candidates and new Brethren. If you would like to mentor, investigate or simply join us for dinner and have a good conversation with a candidate or Brother…it would be a great help to our lodge.
I will be hosting a Fellowship Masonic Discussion Night at my home on Friday the 13th in March. Its sure to be a good time, contact myself or Bro. Secretary if you would like to join us.
Berwyn Masonic Lodge will be hosting a Blood Drive on Sunday 4/5/09 between 12pm-4pm. We hope that you can join us in this charitable event. Feel free to bring your friends and family. Light refreshments will be provided by Life Source.
Our Eureka Challenge will be held on 2/24/09 after our stated meeting. It will be very nice if we can get a good turnout for this to better our odds of doing well in the challenge.
We are in the process of organizing a 3rd degree conferral, our Annual Past Masters’ Night and Lodge Visitations. If you have any input, would like to get involved or would like to attend any of the above mentioned events please feel free to contact your Worshipful Master Bro. David Cruz or W. Bro. Secretary Luisito P. Fanlo.
Thank you
Sincerely and Fraternally,
W. Bro. David Cruz
Good Day and Happy Halloween to All;
By the time you receive this edition of Temple Topics the election will be really heating up, so whoever you like please get out there and vote. Remember like Sean Penn said, “If you don’t vote, you don’t matter!”
Hopefully everyone had a happy and safe Halloween celebration, while practicing some moderation in sugar consumption.
On with the news, I am happy to report that the Grand Lodge session was a success, as usual, and our delegates have returned with their report. Thank you, for representing Berwyn Lodge this year. This year our delegates also returned, bearing gifts from the Grand Lodge for the years Award of Excellence. All our members and Officers will now be sporting bright shiny Grand Lodge pins acknowledging our achievements. Thank you once again to one and all for the dedication and continued service.
Tuesday October 14, 2008, marked the day of our usual stated meeting as well as being a First Degree initiation for two new Brothers. Everyone is happy to have both, Jad and Kenny, join the Fraternity and specifically Berwyn Lodge.
Berwyn Lodge and W.M. David Cruz have initiated something new for the incoming brethren. He has requested that the new members select a topic from their most recent Degree and present a short summary of the meanings and applications of these topics. At our next stated meeting, Tues. Oct 28, 7:00 p.m. we will hear a summary on, “Skill, Fidelity, and Industry” with a brief discussion to follow. It should be an educational experience for all who attend.
We would also like to thank W.B. Dominick and Bro. Adalberto for developing and providing the Lodge with several new DVDs for the education of the new brethren. This helps all of us stay interested and supports us continually building our Masonic brain power.
In September Berwyn Masonic Lodge hosted a Grand Lodge School of Instruction. The turnout of the Brethren was superb and we all had an opportunity to learn, ask questions and receive some guidance with respect to ritual. Everyone enjoyed themselves and after there was a chance to meet a plethora of members from the surrounding Lodges. Overall the event was a great success for all.
Sunday, October 26th will be the day for the Annual Veteran’s cook out at the Jesse Brown V.A. Hospital sponsored by the Knights Templar. Berwyn Lodge and many other Lodges from the area will be attending in force to provide the Vets with a steak dinner. Anyone wishing to attend and support the event is welcomed, please contact: Berwyn Lodge or Saint Elmo’s Commandery for details.
We would like to thank Bro. James Hrejsa for his participation and devotion to this year’s Alzheimer’s Walkathon. It was a wet and rainy day but Jim made the trip and made the walk in spite of the weather. (SQUISH)
From the Secretary: Dues Notices are on the way so please, be prompt!!!!! Or come on by and drop it off in person!!!! We really do not want to suspend anyone.
Congratulations to Bro. Lopez on getting married. He promises to take us all out, ON HIM, when he gets back from Florida.
A brief prayer request goes out for Bro. J.W. Servando and his family who are going through some medical issues. We are all there for you.
“Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it.” Lincoln’s Cooper Institute Address, February 27, 1860.
Greetings and Salutations,
Well, the summer is coming to an end quickly; October is here so don’t forget to make your reservations for the Grand Lodge Session. We have been moving along, so a quick update on recent events seems in order.
At our stated meeting on August 26 we were honored to be visited by Sean McIntosh, of Victoria Lodge #2. Sean is the Grand Senior Warden of the Grand Lodge of Prince Edward Island (Canada). It was great to discuss the differences and similarities between the two jurisdictions, as well as just talk over experiences. Thank you from one and all for the visit and please keep in touch.
On Sept 2, 2008 Berwyn Masonic Lodge held a Second Degree Conferral for Bro. Martinez. This was our first of the New Year and went quite smoothly with the degree being conducted by the Berwyn members themselves. The Berwyn Officers did a great job.
Our stated meeting on September eleventh brought a casual visit from our current DDGM who came to inform us that Berwyn Masonic Lodge #839 will be receiving the Grand Master’s Award of Excellence for the 2007-2008 Masonic Year. It was a good year for Berwyn and each and every Officer should take pride in the accomplishment. Everyone worked very hard and the award is well deserved. We also had the opportunity to elected two new individuals to receive degrees from Berwyn.
Another bit of information to add is that once again Berwyn Masonic Lodge has won the Illinois Knights Templar 2008, 2&5-K-Walk-A-Thon. Berwyn Masonic Lodge No.839 brought in the most pledge sheets and money to win against other Blue Lodges in The Chicago area, and surrounding suburbs. A thank you was received from the Knights stating, “On behalf of our S.K. Jesse L. Johns Sr., Grand Commander of the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of The State Of Illinois and The Grand Commandery Officers, we would like to thank you for your continued support. A special thanks go to all of our Blue Lodge Brothers for coming out to our event and supporting us.” The presentation of the award will be coming up so keep watching for the announcement. The overall totals for the Walk a thon were The Blue Lodge Winners are;1st place The Berwyn Masonic Lodge No.839 -(Plaque), 2nd. Place The Matteson Masonic Lodge No.175 -(Certificate) 3rd. Place The Kelvin Park Willing Masonic Lodge No.1075. Congratulations to all who participated and to the Knight’s for a job well done.
And now a few words from the W.M. David Cruz, “Greetings Brethren, we have begun our Masonic year with a running start. Thanks to Bro. Servando Almazan we have been updating our website: http://web.mac.com/berwynlodge839 .
Be sure to keep an eye on it to view photos of our events and to stay up to date on Berwyn Masonic news.
The Activity Committee has already begun setting up ideas for events for the year with a report coming soon. The Berwyn Lodge Charity Committee is also already working on the year’s plans. Our Greeting Committee has also been established. Thanks to Brothers Adalberto Abrego, Milan Gracanin and Milo Pockrandt we have successfully contacted over a dozen out of contact Brethren to invite them back to Lodge and give them an update of what’s going on. Along with continuously updating our callout list, these Brethren, as the Membership Retention Committee will continue to reach out and let our Brethren know that they are not forgotten and are sorely missed.
Congratulations to Bro. David Pasillas on his new engagement to his Lady. We hope that your new life together will be filled with many blessings and happy memories.
Brethren, we do have new Masonic regalia available for sale, please see Bro. Servando Almazan for details. Any and all profit gained from these sales will be used to balance Lodge Refreshment cost and minimize expense.
We are currently putting together a booklet of restaurant menus in the area to facilitate the job of the JW. This booklet will then be passed down to every Junior Warden following thereafter. If you have any ideas of places that you think we should try or have any extra menus lying around, feel free to forward them to Bro. Secretary the Junior Warden or myself.”
Thank You, David Cruz
From your Editor, the the the that’s all for this month
“Fair weather friends are much like shadows, they are only around when the Sun is shining”
In honor of a Special Brother; Three Time Past Master and fifty year member of Berwyn Masonic Lodge; Worshipful Bro. Robert Johnson has passed way. All of the Masonic Fraternity mourns this loss. This was a Man who was as special to Berwyn Lodge as the Lodge was to him. Bob was truly a pillar in our lodge and will be greatly missed. His memorial service was attended by brethren from every Lodge in the area and given full honors. From his flawless recitation of work, after hearing only a few words, to his last song with Luisito’s arm around him at the end of the last meeting. Each and every one of us will miss him deeply. Our deepest sympathies are with the entire family and especially with his daughter Judy who made sure that Bob made as many meetings as possible in recent years. Robert Johnson will be sorely missed as a man, as well as a Great Mason. Our prayers will forever be yours.
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