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 2007 Newsletters
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Minnesota River Valley Lodge #6 May 2007 Volume #9, Issue #05 "Issued with the Permission of the M.W. Grand Lodge of Minnesota"
From the Master’s Desk, Brethren and friends, A couple of months back, I
saw very high numbers of returning troops were expected this summer from
Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, I
revisit this important subject.
The needs in this group are said to be many.
I am not ex-military and therefore at a disadvantage for knowing what
these needs may be, however, I know Freemasonry is for good men and
therefore must be good for the good men coming home.
I have a vision that I had an opportunity at
the Grand Lodge Annual Convention to speak with RWB Bruce Sherman, and the
outgoing Grand Master, MW
I am proposing we, Minn.
River Valley Lodge # 6, can make a difference on a scale not previously
considered by developing with the Grand Lodge, a system for getting Masonry
out to veterans which could be used by every lodge in A few of our lodge's good
men can get things started.
Perhaps we may want to contact the office of the Adjutant General, Major
General Larry W. Shellito of the Minn. Nat'l Guard to help us find
where our veterans are and what they need. The National Sojourners,
comprising mainly vets, may be interested in this idea as a way to increase
their ranks and may provide valuable assistance. Success depends on working
with the Grand Lodge of Minnesota, and partnering with other lodges. I have
submitted a written request to the Grand Lodge for assistance.
The Grand Master MW Ray
Christensen has established a plan to stop the slide in fraternal membership
and reverse these numbers within 5 years. I think this plan will dovetail
nicely into that. Are we ready for something like this?
We are ready. Brothers, all the
resources needed are here in the brothers of "God doesn't call the
qualified, he qualifies the called."
The
LEO Corner The April deadline slipped
by me so you have had two months to think about the answer. Anybody
remember what the question was? What are the Golden Fleece, Roman Eagle, Star, and Garter? The Order of the Golden
Fleece was founded by Philip, Duke of Burgandy, in 1429. The Roman Eagle was The Order of the Garter
was founded by Edward III of That the use of the apron
as a badge is more ancient than these is a provable fact. In averring
that it is more honorable, the premise "when worthily worn" is understood.
The apron is "more honorable than the Star and Garter" when all that it
teaches is exemplified in the life of the wearer. The question for May is" Define Hele: Hail:
Hale: Heal. Email -
leo@mn-rivervalley.org Submitted by
The Chaplain’s Corner
Are we there yet?
It’s May and summer is right around the corner. Summer journeys, for a child
(and those of us that can see through a child’s eyes), are full of adventure
and the possibilities are endless. Trips with the family – some long, some
short. The coast? The mountains? The lake?
Of course it is never quite that simple. We can’t just pick up and go (but
how sweet that would be).As we look at these journeys through an adult’s
eyes, there is all the preparation and planning, the packing and making sure
you will have a bounty of “stuff” for everybody. As George Carlin once said,
“vacations are for moving your stuff from one place to another.” Then of
course there are the endless questions and demands throughout the journey:
“Are we there yet?”; “How much longer?” I’m hungry!!”; “I have to go potty –
NOW!!!”
We as Masons are well suited for any kind of a journey since we are
"traveling men."
One of the many phrases used when two Masons meet and are unsure of
each other’s membership status, refers to a line in the Master Mason degree,
“Whence come you and whither are you traveling?”
The typical answer is "from darkness to light".
Another
of the Masonic catechisms gives us more insight into this term.
Q. -
Did you ever Travel?
A. - My
forefathers did.
Q. -
Where did they travel?
A. -
Due East and West.
Q. -
What was the object of their travels?
A. -
They traveled East in search of instruction, and West to propagate the
knowledge they had gained." Notice the cardinal points of the compass on the Border of our Tracing Board; they define the East–West direction in Masonic terms and, in doing so, they describe the nature of the journey to which the new Mason apprentices himself. That journey from West to East is represented, symbolically, by the progress through the Masonic Degrees; and it is, in fact, the ascent up Jacob’s Ladder — one of the "Principal Rounds" for each Degree.
However, our travels also take on more reverential and significant meaning,
when we consider the second degree work.
From the Fellowcraft degree, we
know we are all “traveling on the level of time to that
undiscovered country, from whose bourn, no man ever returns”. Not to put too
fine a point on it, we are traveling from birth to death.
We know that our travels may encounter unexpected detours and trials. Life
is both an adventure and a mystery and our journey through life will make
many wonderful, as well as a few strange and sometimes painful passages.
We don’t know what may happen or when (that is the adventure part), but we
continue to have great expectations for our journey, and our future and that
of those we love. This is human nature.
Regardless of anything else that may happen in our lives, there is one thing
that we can absolutely count on, and that is the great expectation of life
after life. We will all journey home, to the great light and the next
adventure. So, how shall we, as Masons, respond to all this? As with other
journeys on this earth, the possibilities are endless. First of all, we need
to pack our bags well – we will NOT be measured by what we take with us, but
by what we leave behind. Did you leave a child full of the love of learning?
Did you leave a young man with love and reverence for God? Did you leave
your neighbors and co-workers a bit happier and stronger for your presence?
Did you leave a spirit of joy and love for all behind? Did you travel
through life on the square of virtue? Above all, we must be prepared. We
have learned (or are learning) the principles and virtues of a Masonic life.
We need to act on those principles and virtues and ensure that what we do
and what we say will be pleasing to God’s sight and hearing. One of my
favorite passages from our Book of Laws is from
4Ezra.2.35:
Be
ready for the reward of the kingdom, for the everlasting light shall shine
upon you for evermore.
And what will you take with you?
It is my intention to fill my suitcase with my faith in the Kingdom to come,
the love of my God, and the certain knowledge that my King has gone ahead to
prepare a place for me.
Are we ready for the next great adventure? Are we there yet?
Prayers
for our Brothers and their Families
Please feel free to send me the names of
any of our Brothers and/or their family members, who may be in distress as
we pray to our creator for their comfort and relief. When we think of our
experiences in taking the third degree, we cannot help but remember the
words from Ecclesiastes: “Remember now thy creator . . .”
and please remember those listed below in your prayers. We name the
welfare of our brethren in our petitions because we love them; and knowing
our own need of their prayers, we realize their need of ours.
Be still – and know. . .
The Master has received all the wages he is
due! I have just read this
month's newsletter... and I have to comment.
The contents and thought provoking articles in our newsletters are
outstanding and rival the best of the newsletters I have seen. I am very
proud of it. It is a remarkable
production and we owe a huge amount of thanks to our Pull the last few
newsletters and look at the contributors. We are seeing new contributors to
our letter monthly. It is easy
to see from that, why it is better each month.
Your ideas and experiences are education for the rest of us and a
great tool to help us look at things a little clearer.
We have taken a vow not to cheat anyone, more especially a brother.
I would like you to look at this a little differently.
When an idea, or an understanding, or a question from your experience
possesses you, consider it an opportunity for your brothers to put it in the
newsletter. We are all learning
from each other. Don't cheat
your brother out of an education. Contribute to your newsletter.
Job's Daughters News from We were pretty busy group
in April. Besides our regular
meetings and lodge cleaning we went to church at HQ Paulette’s church in
Savage. That afternoon we had our Parent Masonic meeting.
The meeting was followed by a pie buffet with tons of different
pies…so yummy. Paulette had her
“surprise” for us on April 21.
We ended up going to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and then to the Tin
Shed for pizza! On Sunday, April
29, we worked at the Bloomington Area Shrine Club’s Pancake Breakfast.
We helped in the kitchen, in the dining room, at our kid’s games and
some girls helped
So far in May we’ve had our election meeting.
The following girls recently elected were:
WISDOM OF LARRY THE CABLE GUY: 8. The
early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the
trap. 9.
Support bacteria. They're the only culture some people have. 10. A
clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory. 11.
Change is inevitable, except from vending machines. 13. How
many of you believe in psycho-kinesis? Raise my hand. 14. OK,
so what's the speed of dark? Stay
tuned for more wisdom from Larry next month.
Above is a picture of Adopt-A-Highway As MRVL #6 Adopt-A-Highway Chairman, I recently
received the following letter and framed Certificate of Commendation
from the State of On behalf of the State of Thank you for your willingness to give of your time and
effort to this worthwhile program and providing an invaluable service to the
citizens of Sincerely, Vicki Kessler Adopt-A-Highway Coordinator, Metro District The Certificate has the printed signatures of: Tim Pawlenty, Governor of I wish to thank the brothers Sincerely,
The View from the If you remember from my
last article in March, I talked about the Lodge building in my home town.
Well, in early April I went back there for a visit.
The week that I was there happened to also be the same week of their
Stated Communication. As it
turns out it is on the same night as our Lodge (1st Tue). As in most small towns,
the local Lodges are, to be kind, faltering.
This Lodge is no different.
My older brother (who is also a Brother), recommended that I call the
WM and let him know I was interested in attending their meeting.
The WM was exited to hear of my intentions and said he would call the
Brethren and let them know about having a visitor, to see if he could get
enough attendance to be able to open.
As he explained to me - attendance has been real low and most months
they just meet in the basement’s fellowship hall.
I thought this would be great - to be able to sit in the same Lodge
where my Grandfather, Great Uncle and Brother all had sat as Masters. I walked the one block to
the Lodge at the prescribed time with these high hopes, which were quickly
squelched when only two members came - the WM and Treasurer.
Although, it wasn’t what I was expecting, it was great to talk about
Masonry with fellow Brothers from a different State.
As a side note, the
Treasurer’s last name is Loutzenhiser, who is a distant cousin of our LEO,
John. It is truly a small world.
Anyway, these two Brothers
gave me a tour of their fine building.
When we entered the Lodge room I noticed that it was configured for
an Eastern Star meeting.
What I found interesting is the OES chapter is much stronger there than the
Lodge and experiences much better attendance.
I wonder if this is true in all small towns? Like most Lodges they had
a hall-of-fame and this is where I spent most of my time, taking in all of
the pictures. Here I learned
that my Grandfather served as Master in 1914 and my Grandmother, as Worthy
Matron, the same year. In doing
the math, my father was only one year old in 1914.
Further down the line, sure enough, I found pictures of my Great
Uncle Lloyd and Brother, Dick. But what I found the most
interesting was all of the other Ladies and Gentlemen who served as leaders
of these two organizations – many of whom I remembered or had heard about
from my parents. Here on this
wall was not only a Hall-of-Fame of this Lodge and OES, but also of the
town’s renowned leaders.
The names I recognized, I have always considered to be decent, respectful
members of the community with high integrity.
These were / are the people who could/can be trusted, many being
respected merchants and professionals. What I took away from this
Masonic Journey is the reaffirmation of how important Masonry still is today
-- how it builds and enhances great leaders, whether that is in a
small Farm, Ranch and Oil community or in suburbia or at the National level.
It has also reinvigorated me to continue doing what I can in
enhancing and growing the craft. -- Lew
The
The date for the second
annual
We will again be playing at
Following golf, we will all gather at the Loutzenhiser’s for a social time
and burgers on the grill. We are
less than 15 minutes from the golf course and directions will be provided.
The course is nine holes, par 28/29 and all those who participated last year
had a good time.
Each golfer will be responsible for his/her own green fees.
There will be a nominal donation of $10 per person to cover the food
and prizes.
This event is open to members, spouses, OES members and spouses, as well as
guests. This would be a good
time to introduce someone to Masonry in a social setting.
To reserve your Tee-time contact:
Bill Allen 952-440-663
Reservations are needed prior to July 14.
We hope to see a good turnout for this event.
Lodge Website Update Over the past several
months our Lodge’s Website has gone through an overhaul.
We hope you find the new navigational drop down menus and big buttons
easier to find your way around our site.
A few of the file (pdf’s) are slightly larger now due to the
navigation buttons, so it may take a few extra moments to open up.
We have several other items that we will be working on over the
summer months, so please take a moment to go out to our Website and keep
checking back for continual updates and new items. Sincerely, Steven Scheffert Webmaster The Chaska Herald
Newspaper called Painting
launches quest Local man pieces together artist’s works and life
It was a simple question
by a fellow mason that led Bren wasn’t familiar with the painting or the artist, but having minored in art history in college, it was a challenge the Chaska retiree was willing to take on.
It
didn’t take Bren too long to answer his mason’s question.
The painting, a ship called the “Servia”, was by William Torgerson, a
Swedish-born painter who worked primarily in the late 19th
century.
It
fit well with the masons’ mantra of improving one’s self and then going out
and improving the world, said Bren.
But
despite having answered his fellow mason’s question, Bren didn’t stop there.
Researching the painter stirred something in him- a desire to learn
more about the obscure painter.
Today, Bren is working on the most comprehensive listing todate of
Torgerson’s works.
Piecemeal For the last several years, Bren has been working dutifully to put together the pieces of Torgerson’s life. He has used census reports, historical archives, naturalization records, passenger manifests and hand written letters to possible descendants to glean more information about the elusive artist. “In terms of his daily
life, it’s grey,” said Bren.
“I’ve found far more out about his father-in-law than him.”
“I
suspect that the lack of documentation about his private life indicates
that, excluding his art work, he was not a visible person above the crowds.”
What Bren does know is that Torgerson arrived in the Torgerson studied under Julius Sloan of the
The
Servia was one such example. The
Cunard Line commissioned Torgerson to paint the ship, which was the first
ever to have electric lights and the first ever to have a steel hull, Bren
said.
Torgerson also painted a number of scenes depicting water-born battles
during the Civil War. Water Bren
says, was what distinguished Torgerson’s work.
“The way it flowed,” he said. It
was very live, very animated.”
New Lead
As
Bren continues to search for more information about Torgerson, he is
patient.
“It’s not something you get the answer right now,” he said.
“You go back and look at things many times.” Bren said his eyes and hand tire from going through the sheet of microfilm. Much of the information he collects, he can do little more than set aside and wait for the missing pieces to fill in.
But
there are moments of great reward as well.
“I
always get excited when I find a new (painting),” he said with a smile.
Today, Bren gets his first look at a letter from a couple in Washington who
believe they have an authentic Torgerson work and are looking for Bren’s
help to confirm. “Peterson,” he says, reading the address label. The synapses quickly fire as Bren runs through Torgerson’s relatives in his mind, recalling that Torgerson was related to some Petersons in “Maybe it’s a relative,” he says giddily.
Bren has no idea how many paintings Torgerson did in his lifetime.
He has found them scattered among museums, naval centers and
universities. So far, he has
amassed a list of 37. That bests
the Smithsonian which lists only four, Bren said.
Most of the paintings he has found range in value from $500 up to $22,000.
“The quality of his paintings are very well rendered,” said Bren.
When Bren completes his catalogue of Torgerson’s works, he plans to submit
them, along with some biographical information, to the Can you help
fill in the pieces of William Torgerson’s life?
Post your information at
www.chaskaherald.com
Newsletter Articles for the next newsletter will be due by June 13th. You may send articles to me for the newsletter; by any method you desire (email, fax, regular mail, etc…). Articles that are not received by the due date will be held over for the newsletter. We would also like to encourage the other organizations that are affiliated with MN River Valley Lodge #6, such as the Jobs Daughters, Eastern Star, Demolay, etc… to feel free to contribute items to our newsletter and to our Lodge’s Web Calendar. Thank You, Steve Scheffert (news@mn-rivervalley.org) 2224 Birch Circle Blair, NE 68008 Fax: 402-533-8344June Birthdays Our best wishes to the following brothers who will celebrate their birthday in June 2007
Plus belated birthday
wishes to: Berlyn Teig
December 13  Email Addresses I would like to take this
opportunity and ask everyone to please keep the Lodge informed of any email
address changes that you may have.
With the ever changing world with technology we continue to use
emails and our Website to communicate Lodge events and communications that
need to be sent out. If you
happen to have an email address or a new email address and would like to add
it to our distribution list, please send them to Steve Scheffert at
ska@huntel.net.
I will forward them onto our
Secretary for the database once we have them in our distribution list.
For those that have emails with us, please remember that if your
email stops working and we get error messages back that they are
undeliverable, we remove your email from the distribution list. Thank You, Steve
List of Upcoming Events:
May
June
Visit the
Lodge Website and view the Lodge calendar for our complete list of events.
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