Antioch Shrine Leadership Online Meeting

We had a good turnout and the meeting went fairly well. We covered changes to the schedule including cancellations. We also discussed some new online opportunties to meet with members of Antioch.

Ormus Grotto Online Meeting

Tonight was a great meeting as we had two join who normally are not able to attend and we also had 7 visitors from different area of Ohio and also outside Ohio. We were able to quickly dispense of some necessary business and got lots of information about our National meeting and even one running for national office joined to introduce himself. We also discussed an outdoor initiation this summer. 

Minerva Lodge #98 Online Stated Meeting

Tonight several of our members met online to have a short get together session which also doubled as our stated meeting. The Worshipful Master declared us open and in general we had a discussion about how everyone was doing and how everyone was ready to get back to normal for Masonic meetings. We had about a dozen join for the event.

Valley Dayton Online Meeting

Tonight I joined the Zoom virtual meeting for the Valley where we elected and installed new officers. We had over 100 signed up to attend. We were also able to vote online. It went fairly smoothly (after a last minute new Zoom address was needed for all involved). Since it was password protected there was no need to worry about an issue some had mentioned earlier in the month. We even had some who might be considered “computer challenged” who joined in for the call. Personally my only challenge is to create a virtual background to correct a lighting issue I had with my picture (too dark with lights out and too bright with them on) or maybe it was just the subject (me) that was the issue.

Chapter Administration

Well Bulletin #3 should be coming out soon with a few updates and pieces of information.  It is still really hard to plan for the future right now when so many of the things around us are changing daily and potentially make many schedules obsolete quickly. I read through several Mason magazines and newsletters and basically pitched the ones with mainly information about upcoming events as so many are being changed. I’m trying to keep everything we do lined up with the Grand Lodge guidelines since it is confusing to most Masons if each organization “does their own thing” during this timeframe. I’m trying to only make changes when our code is saying things not covered by Lodge or are specific only to Chapter.

Susan Oliver

Unfortunately over the weekend the wife of our Honorary Past Grand High Priest Steve Oliver passed away. Even after Steve passed away just prior to being elected Grand High Priest, she has remained a strong supporter of Grand Chapter. I was in Scottish Rite Line also with Steve and Susan Oliver and we camped together right after we got our first trailer. She will be missed by all.

AMD Presentation Online

Tonight I attended a discussion on Harry S Truman and his involvement in the Masonic organization along with several other very interesting side stories. We used the Zoom tool but I couldn’t get it to work right for me and watched through the YouTube simulcast. So despite not being to be together for a meeting, we did the next best thing meeting online.

Good Friday

Well just over a month (hopefully) to go before we can get back to Masonic work. I have been trying to get caught up on several items around the house that needing done and got a first clean-up done out side along with a couple cuttings of the grass. I wanted to get the fertilizer down but need to wait just a little longer for it to warm back up a little. I’ve heard several stories of Masons checking on other Masons and even got a call myself from someone checking to see if I was doing okay. My out of state  visits (once we get back to work) will be curtailed until August as my doctor recommended it to me. Guess I’ll miss out on Red Cross Constantine in Pittsburgh, Imperial Shrine in Kansas City, DeMolay International in Phoenix, Maggie Valley York Rite Activity in North Carolina  and Grotto Supreme in Louisville this year. I also heard Rainbow has cancelled their Grand Assembly this year and Grand Amaranth is delayed at least a week. 

New GM Edict

Today the Grand Master, MWB Keith Newton, put out a new edict on holding virtual meetings.  I am also allowing this if you decide to hold an online virtual Chapter meeting according to the Grand Master's Edict. This is permitted, not mandated, but offers an alternative if you want/need to conduct a meeting prior to May 10th. 

Checking Up On Companions

Today (and tomorrow) I will be checking up on some Companions who were not doing well prior to the current COVID-19 situation. Today, I called and talked with Excellent Companion Dennie Fitzgerald. Je is one of my Grand Aides and also High Priest of my Chapter. He started having some serious issues in about November and has hardly been out of the house since that time. He seems to be in good spirits and hopefully by June will be able to get back out on Masonic journrys. Tomorrow. I am going to try to contact 3rd District PDDGHP Claude Seibel who has been fighting some serious health challenges since last fall. He now is in a facility to see if they can help him to recover.