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Valley Members To Receive Honors

Three Valley of Boston members were elected to receive the 33° along with 83 other Scottish Rite Masons at the Supreme Council Session for the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction in Washington, DC this week. The 83 men who were unanimously elected Sovereign Grand Inspectors General will receive the honorary degree in Indianapolis, Indiana on September 1, 2015 at the Supreme Council Session.

As a Sovereign Grand Inspector General, each man who was elected to receive his 33^o will be recognized for his outstanding service to the organization in a highly appropriate fashion. It is an ancient custom to give honors to those whom honors are due, and there is no shortage of merit for this great honor within the Valley. The 33° is an honor that can only be bestowed upon a member of the Rite; it cannot be campaigned or soliticited for.

This year's recipients from the Valley of Boston are...

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Grand Almoner's Fund
Taken from the August 19, 2013 Supreme Council Team Update:
 

Each of us as Masons took an obligation to take care of our Brothers.  We never obligated ourselves to secular world charities or Masonic real estate, yet we seem to care more about the intangibles than our Brothers in need. 

The new direction of the Scottish Rite is resonating with younger Masons, who represent the future strength of the fraternity.  This is a letter from one of them:

"I've recently seen the new Scottish Rite in action, and I'm very impressed. We are supposed to be a fraternity, and we should be looking out for each other. I've seen a great emphasis placed on helping out Masons - and not just Scottish Rite Masons. It didn't matter if you belonged to the Scottish Rite or not, all that mattered was that you were in need.

The Supreme Council has been pushing a return to the fraternity, and it is the right call. When we joined, we agreed to help those Brothers in need. Our Brothers, our beliefs, and our bonds are what make us Masons. The Scottish Rite can only grow stronger if we make ourselves stronger."

Our Supreme Council Grand Almoner's Fund provides the assistance and needed relief to help Masons.  It fulfills what we obligated ourselves to do.
 

As Scottish Rite Masons we can be proud to belong to a fraternity that provides needed assistance to our members in their time of need and a fraternity that truly cares for one another. 

If you know of a Mason that truly needs some assistance or a helping hand, please contact your state Deputy or Active member.  We stand ready to assist our Brothers!

Past Sovereign Grand Commanders from MA

From the August 2013 issue of The Northern Light:

Since the founding of our jurisdiction 200 years ago, 19 men have led the organization. Of those 19 men, 5 were from Massachusetts. They range from famous politicians, to successful businessmen, to philanthropists, to those who formed their reputations within the craft. These brief biographies are excerpted from much longer entries found in A Sublime Brotherhood a new history book published by Supreme Council. 

Edward Asa Raymond (1851-60)

Edward was born just outside Worcester, MA, in 1791. In 1860, he left the Supreme Council and formed a second Scottish Rite Supreme Council where he served as Sovereign Grand Commander. He died in 1864. 

Samuel Crocker Lawrence (1909-10)

In 1832, Samuel was born in Medford, MA. He was a banker, worked in his father's business, was a brigadier general, and later he became the first mayor of his home city of Medford. He died in 1911.

Melvin Maynard Johnson (1933-53)

Melvin was born in Waltham, MA, in 1871. He practiced law for several years and became dean of Boston University Law School. His 1924 book, The Beginnings of Freemasonry in Americaremains an important work. Johnson created the Gourgas Medal, the first, of which, was awarded to President Harry S. Truman. He died in 1957. 

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