The Master’s First Message

Good evening my Brothers. I’d like to welcome and thank all of you in attendance this evening. It is with great pleasure that I get to address you as Worshipful Master for first time and I look forward to a fun, educational and revamping year coming up. I approached Freemasonry in April 2013 as a co-worker of Bro. Peter Knipe’s. Bro. Knipe had mentioned he was a Mason during a casual conversation when he said he would park by his Lodge when he came into the city for an event. Having some knowledge of Freemasonry, I assumed he meant the Grand Lodge at 23rd street. His eyes lit up and he quickly asked if I was a Mason, but I told him no. I told him I was interested and had reached out when I was 19 through the Grand Lodge page but didn’t receive a response. It wasn’t until I was taken to the Lodge that years later, I would find out you had to be 21 at that time. He then told me to think it over and if I was still interested to reach out to him and he would take care of me. About a week later after doing some research and convincing my skeptical wife, I told him I was ready. He then introduced me to the Lodge where I met the Brothers, eventually handed in a petition and one year later was Raised as a Master Mason in April 2014. 7 years later I am now the Worshipful Master. Bro. Peter Knipe, thank you for introducing me to Freemasonry and changing my life for the better. You will always be in my heart as one of the best guys I know.

Shortly after being Raised, I would go on to be mentored and befriended by so many Brothers of this beautiful Lodge. Many if not all of them are here tonight. It all started with W∴ Bro. Stephen Espinet, DSA who would go on to study and tutor me for proficiency throughout my process of going through the Degrees. As we all know him, Espy, went on to do 5 years straight as the Master of the Lodge. He showed true dedication and love not only for his Lodge but for the Craft. His spirit showed me that his words of "You get out of it what you put into it" was true and valued. He lived by those words, and it is something I remind myself every day when I think of what I can do for my Lodge, District and Grand Lodge. I remember shortly after I was Raised, W. Bro. Espinet appointed me as Steward with the guarantee that I did not have to do much. Little did I know, he was setting me up to go through the Chairs and here I am now. If anything goes wrong, we all know who set this in motion ha-ha 😀. W∴ Espinet, you are a close Brother of mine. You have always kept it real and have always answered and guided any question I had. You taught me tricks of the trade on how to study the Q&A and it helped in my love for Ritual as I can continue to perfect it as best as I can. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a major piece of why I am able to stand here today in the East.

Soon after being in the Lodge a couple of years, I was recruited by R∴W∴Bro. Bernie Rashes, DSA as Assistant Secretary. While being his assistant I did fill in on other chairs but being his assistant was far more educational than I thought it would be while in those chairs. Bernie gave me knowledge of Lodge logistics and the workings of Grand Lodge items or things that were coming down the pipeline. It was a great way to see how things worked and get a head start on our by-laws as well as Grand Lodge by-laws. While he was away and a lot of things were being funneled through me, I wanted to know more, be part of more and especially do more. I’m not sure if Bernie saw or knew that, but nonetheless, he trusted me to keep the Worshipful Master’s job easy by providing assistant secretary services in his absence. In his own way while giving me these duties, he was able to expand my craving for knowledge and push me to want to pursue more than what I was capable of. R∴W∴Rashes I thank you for taking a chance on me and giving me more information that I could use than I thought I needed. You’ve always prepped me for anything I had coming my way. With your knowledge, guidance and trust in me to handle any job, it has made my approach to the East so much easier as without you being there, the East would be far scarier than what it is now that I’ve had your help.

As time would go on, I started to receive more parts for Ritual in Degrees. While scary and dealing with anxiety and panic attacks, I did not know if I could handle it. Somehow, I was able to thrive off the anxiety and complete my small Ritual parts. Part of this success to fight through it and get it done was through the support of R∴W∴ Bro. Cary Cohn and W∴ Bro. Neal Teeman, DSA. These two Brothers would always have a word or two with me after each Degree night giving me not only a pat on the back but advice and suggestions. While at first, I thought I was messing up, I soon realized they were helping me become the perfectionist I wanted to be. They could see in me I wanted to be better and could do better. I eventually wanted to make it that I would never miss a word or skip a beat. They set me on the path to find my love for Ritual and I greatly thank them for it. Many of us try to find our place in Masonry and because of them I was able to find mine. R∴W∴ Cohn you my Brother have always taken my call, taken my question and have reminded me that I can achieve it if I want it. You have showed tremendous support in all my doings. I look forward to when we return to Lodge and can continue to have our 1 on 1 talks in the ante room before opening. There was never a time I could say I didn’t learn something new from you whether it be current events or past events. I hope to one day have 1/10th of the knowledge you possess in the Craft. W∴ Teeman you my Brother have been one of my biggest supporters since I joined the line. Every time I do a piece of Ritual or Lecture, I always look forward to your feedback. Because of your confidence, I was able to overcome a lot of Ritual fears and take on the Middle Chamber Lecture. Many Brothers give me compliments on how I perform the piece but many rarely know the confidence I have in it came from you. I look forward to getting your feedback while in the East on Degree work.

I am now the Senior Deacon in the Lodge and W∴ Bro. Subodh Ketkar is the Worshipful Master. W∴ Ketkar put all his faith into me to help him conduct Degrees and help him raise 7 Brothers during his time in the East where he had 2 classes per Degree. He had the utmost confidence in me when we had Degrees where there were outside visitors present. During this time, he allowed me to find my passion. W∴ Ketkar, when you were in the East we made an excellent team putting on rituals. As I am now in the East I look forward to following in your steps and working with the Senior Deacon to form a great team the same way you did with me. You help instilled in me the idea of having faith in your fellow Brother and being there when they need you. I also would like to thank you for graciously accepting the office of Junior Warden.

Around this same time and getting ready to move up the chairs, I found a special connection with V∴W∴Bro. Bob Haynes. He would tell me about his adventures of traveling and what it really meant to be a "Traveling Man". Many Brothers would always mention traveling to other Lodges but only Bob would show me that talking it was one thing and doing it was another. He took me on many travels when I was scared to do so. He was and still is the Light to the darkness when it comes to traveling and exploring our Craft. Whenever I had any doubt, Bob was always there to provide guidance and reassurance. He showed me you can meet different people and gain so much more knowledge by stepping outside your safety zone of your Mother Lodge. He pushed me and pushed me to travel and get to know my Jurisdiction. V∴W∴ Haynes, I owe you for so much that you may not even be aware of. It is because of you I have made a name for myself in our District and even for those who may not know my name, they sure do know my face. You help me become resourceful and more knowledgeable by showing me the way of being in the Grand Lodge building more than twice a month. Being a Warden while you were the Master blessed me with many opportunities. You advised me of what to expect the closer I approached the East and how to prepare for it. I could not stand here today if it were not for you and all you have done these past few years. I truly appreciate your friendship, Brotherly love and of course helping hand.

W∴ Bro. Dennis Roberts, when it comes to Freemasonry we are like twins even though you were born 6 months before me. While you had your Entered Apprentice Degree before I received mine, we did partner up to tackle proficiency for the Fellowcraft and Master Mason Degree. We went on to share the journey of those 2 Degrees. We started out as 6 and we are the last 2 remaining. As we progress through this adventure we will always share the anniversary of being in the Craft together. Not many Brothers can say they have someone who they have shared their journey with over a period of time. W∴ Roberts, I am glad you are that Brother. You have been along my side since day one of my initiation. We have come up together and have progressed as a class. If there is anyone in this Lodge who can pass me the Gavel for my year, I am happy that it is coming from you. As you begin your new adventure in the Craft and I start mine in the East, I look forward to looking back at this special moment when we can hopefully say we are celebrating our 65th year anniversary together. At that time, you will owe me a drink because I am calling it now! Thank you my Brother.

I do want to address 4 other people who could not be here this evening due to Covid-19 restrictions.

To my parents Venice and Juan, thank you for being the best parents I could ask for. You’ve made me the man that I became in order to be accepted into this prestigious Fraternity. With the perfect balance of Love and Discipline, I was able to enter a new world which would lead me to be able to give my all to the Craft the same way you gave your all to me. The lessons you have given me have helped me reach this point. Throughout my Masonic career, you both have always asked questions and showed interest because of how much love I showed for the Craft. You took it as serious as I do and for that I thank you for continuing to show support and love.

To my son Ethan, you make me proud every day my son. I do whatever I can to make the best life for you and you make being your dad so easy. You already know my Lodge schedule and ask questions here and there. It makes me happy you show interest in the Lodge, and I look forward to the day you ask for a petition. Until then, I will continue to love and support you the same way you do me when I can’t be home because I am at Lodge. You may be young but please note, your patience with me being away will never be forgotten. Anything you ever need, and I will always be there for you.

To my wonderful and beautiful wife Emily. There is no way I can repay you for the love, support and commitment you give to our family in order for me to be a Freemason. While many people in Lodge have helped paved the way to me becoming the Worshipful Master, you are at the head of that table. Like any wife, you were scared in the beginning but quickly became supportive once you saw how much I enjoyed it. Not only did you always make sure I had a suit ready to go, but you became invested and never turned down an event I wanted you to go to. You always started the week with asking about my Lodge schedule before asking me if I needed anything for work. You saw how much Freemasonry meant to me that you made changes to your schedule to take care of our son and household. You made it easy for me to be here. You allowed me to be in this building from twice a month to sometimes 10+ days a month. Without your sacrifices, I could not devote my time to the Lodge and Freemasonry and eventually become the Master of the Lodge. This accomplishment of becoming Worshipful Master is as much yours as it is mine. You are the reason I am able to stand here with confidence and know I will be able to accomplish my goals this Masonic year. I appreciate all you have done and continue to do.

And of course, to all Brothers here in attendance, all Brothers near and far, I look forward to serving you as the Master for the ensuing year. Anything you need or would like to discuss, will be an open-door policy with me. The Lodge will be undergoing a few changes this year starting with our Ritual. I will be pushing for a more better Ritual experience. As you just heard and some of you have seen, I do take Ritual very seriously. Now is the time to focus and improve. I will be utilizing all resources to bring us to a new standard. In doing so, this year we will have most events revolving around Ritual. It will be educational, informative and most importantly it will push the safe boundaries we have become accustomed to. My motto for the year will be based on when I heard a great ritualist say once, "I don’t expect perfection, but I do expect excellence". Thank you all my Brothers, I look forward to getting to work.