January 1, 2025

My dear brothers,

The newsletter is late this month due to personal travel and a busy schedule. Please forgive me.

There is a lot of activity happening in and around the District in the next several months. Get a buddy and try visiting another lodge, or one of the many activities. The DGM will be visiting Unity Lodge this month, plus the GM and DGM will be visiting Wappingers Lodge. All brothers are welcome, just make sure to RSVP so they know how many are coming.

Freemasonry in the 21st Century:

Self and Society

Saturday, January 18, 2025 – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Program of Speakers

Keynote: Maj. Gen. William Green, Jr., Chief of Chaplains, U.S. Army

Dr. Heather Calloway ◆ Bro. Chuck Dunning ◆ Bro. Bull Garlington ◆ Bro. Michael LaRocco ◆ Bro. Jim Loporto

1781 Society Social

Join us for this Post-Con Event — Cocktails and socializing with our guest speakers and Grand Lodge leadership. 

78th Annual Metro Region

Masons & Families Breakfast

Brother Sichan Siv

Former US Ambassador to the United Nations

Begin Your Journey to 32°

Journey deeper into the tenets and values of the Craft by joining 32° Scottish Rite Freemasonry™.

You share fraternal fellowship with a network of Brothers who seek to be the best version of themselves, expand their sense of purpose, and be of service to the world and our fellow man.

Building upon the lessons we learned in Blue Lodge, the Core Values and 29 degrees of the Scottish Rite mark the path to more light and unite us in our quest to become better men and better Masons.

We offer multiple ways for interested Master Masons to join our brotherhood by attending a 4° date in-person or online.

Learn more here

Rhinebeck Lodge No 432 has been busy traveling. They reclaimed the Traveling Gavel from Adonai Lodge on April 22.

Is it time for your lodge to claim it? Rhinebeck Lodge meets the 1st and 3rd Wednesday at 7:30pm at 6472 Montgomery St in Rhinebeck, NY 12572. Your next opportunity would be September 4th or September 18th

To claim the gavel, a lodge from the Mid-Hudson District must have 5 brothers present, including either the Master or one of the Wardens. If multiple lodges qualify, the one with the most brothers in attendance will claim the gavel. Ties are broken by the lodge that traveled the furthest. These are the only requirements to claim the gavel. The start of the Traveling Gavel

York Rite

Poughkeepsie Chapter

Royal Arch Masons

King Solomon Council

Cryptic Masons

Poughkeepsie Commandery

Knights Templar

The next meeting of Poughkeepsie Chapter is in-person meeting on Tuesday October 10, 2023, 7:00 PM. Royal Arch is the entry to both Cryptic Masons and Knights Templar. Contact David Barkstedt about joining.

Freemasonry Today - The Official publication of the United Grand Lodge of England

Slate Magazine - What if the Solution to Men's Loneliness Is . . . Freemasonry

Slate Magazine by Allegra Rosenberg

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The Manhattan region is hosting a Breakfast and service event at Marina Del Rey in the Bronx.

MasonicCon is coming to NYC January 17&18.

The Frank Totten Essay is open for High School Seniors.

Please do not forget those in need. When a member of the human family applies in need, contribute as liberally as you can and his need requires.

F&S

Fraternally,

A. Harry Williams

Edi

Upcoming Events

• Jan 17, 2025 - Mariners Lodge Beefsteak Dinner
• Jan 18, 2025 - MasonicConNewYork
• Jan 22, 2025 - Ulster Lodge 3rd Degree w/o Hiramic Legend
• Jan 23, 2025 - DGM visit Unity Lodge #9
• Feb 15 - 1st Degree - Wappingers Lodge.
• April 11, 2025 - GM and DGM visit Wappingers Lodge #671
• March 29, 2025 - Ulster Lodge #193 - 175th Anniversary
• May 5 & 6 - Annual Communication in NYC
• June 20 & 21 - St. John's Weekend - Utica

Feature your upcoming date by emailing at the following link - email

DD Visits

• Jan 6 - Wappingers Lodge #671
• Jan 17 - Shekomeko #458
• Jan 20 - Rondout #343

• Feb 5 - Rhinebeck #432
• Feb 6 - Warren Lodge #32
• Feb 12 - Ulster #193
• Feb 27 - Unity #9

• Apr 1 - Hudson Monumental Widow's Son #7
• Apr 2 - Beacon #283 & Triune-Obed #782

• TBD - Hendrick Hudson #875

DGM Hogan visits Unity Lodge #9

Brothers - We wanted to help spread the word about the upcoming visit of RW DGM Robert Hogan and his Grandline to Unity Lodge No. 9 on January 23rd, 2025. The Worshipful Master Joel Van Alstyne and his line wishes for your attendance and notes that dinner is at 6:30pm with the gavel dropping at 7:30pm.

Grand Master and Deputy Grand Master to visit Wappingers Lodge #671

It is with great pleasure that Wappingers Lodge #671 invites you to join us for a special evening in honor of our esteemed Grand Master, MW Steven Adam Rubin, Deputy Grand Master Robert Hogan Jr., and the Grand Line. Both the Grand Master and Deputy Grand Master are members of our district, making this event even more significant.

This memorable occasion will take place on Friday, April 11, 2025 at 6:00 pm. Location: Wappingers Lodge, Mid- Hudson District

This is a unique opportunity to hear directly from our Grand Master and Deputy Grand Master and show our appreciation for their leadership and dedication. We would love to see all brothers from our district come together to celebrate this special occasion. During the visit, we will be serving dinner.

Please find the menu below:

Main Course Options (choose one):

• Prime Rib,
• Chicken Francese,
• Fillet of Salmon

Sides: Vegetables, Rice or Mashed Potatoes with Brown Gravy

Included with Dinner: Salad, Dessert,

Coffee or Tea, Soft Drinks

Cost: $25 to cover the cost of the food. RSVP Required

To make payment as easy as possible, you can send your donation via Venmo to RW Sal Sahawneh’s account: https://venmo.com/u/Sal-Sahawneh.

Alternatively, you can send your donation via Cash App to Wappingers Lodge No. 671 using $Wappingers671. Please also email the lodge secretary at wappingers671@gmail.com to confirm your attendance. To ensure we have enough food for everyone, RSVP is a must. Kindly confirm your attendance as soon as possible and by March 28th at the very latest.

We look forward to spending this special evening together, celebrating brotherhood, and honoring our esteemed leaders.

Blood Drives

Monumental-Hudson-Widow's Son Lodge#7 hosts a bi-monthly blood drive at the lodge. The drives for 2025 are:

• February ?



Leadership Academy

Masonic Culture Class

• 1/30/25 - Mastering Masonic Rituals
• 3/1/25 - The Performer's guide to Degrees (10:30am)
• 3/31/25 - The Secret to Masonry: The Masonic Experience
• 4/29/25 - Balancing Family, Career, and Freemasonry
• 5/29/25 - The Next Generation: Train your replacement
• 7/29/25 - Becoming a mentor: Teaching the Teacher

Apron Presentation

On November 18 at Mt Kisco Lodge, The Grand Master and Deputy Grand Master presented the aprons to members of the Mid Hudson team.

Peter Unfried - Grand Marshall, Chet Damon - MH AGL, George Skrastaad - MH Grand Sword Bearer, Sal Sahawneh - MH Grand Director of Ceremonies, MW Steven Adam Rubin, Stephen Zacharzuk - MH DDGM, Robert Hogan - Deputy Grand Master, David Blasch MH AGL, Nicholas J. Paolicelli - Deputy Grand Marshall

Peter Unfried - Grand Marshall, Gary Salgado - Junior Grand Deacon, MW Steven Adam Rubin, Nicholas J. Paolicelli - Deputy Grand Marshall, Robert Hogan - Deputy Grand Master, John Pasqualicchio -Deputy Grand Standard Bearer

Michigan Masonic Museum and Library Videos

The Michigan Masonic Museum and Library in Grand Rapids Michigan is producing a series of videos with Dirk and Shannon talking about items in their collection. Dirk is an old time mason and Shannon is a young staffer at the museum who asks lots of questions and Dirk shows different items, explains a little bit about them. The videos are both entertaining and educational. They are available on the Museum's Facebook page.

Michigan Masonic Museum and Library | Facebook

Masonic Podcasts

https://www.thesquaremagazine.com/mag/article/202208masonic-podcasts/