Outstallation/Installation Wednesday December 9th, 2009

This coming Wednesday, I will formally be passing beyond the chair of King Solomon in the East of Alpha Lodge No. 116. The Master-Elect, Kevin Washington, will be installed with his Wardens and appointed line of officers for the lodge. This is an open ceremony, so the public and friends or family may attend. There is always a nice meal and a festive atmosphere at our installation, but one should plan to be there by 7PM in order to secure a seat!

As I look back at the year in review, with a multitude of International guests, symposiums, initiations, charitable moments and a plethora of learning & development, I can truly step aside to hand off the authority of our lodge to the incoming Master. As the lodge is now a stronger, purified and more cohesive unit. We have new young men amidst us, and we have older brethren whose personal enthusiasm has been recharged as the faith in their brethren has been renewed, if not simply reinvigorated. Our charitable work in the public realm is simply a natural result of the spiritual refinement of our individual members who work daily in the Masonic quarries of spiritual cleansing and elevation.





We marched in four parades...




and received local, state and national recognition for our work in the community and sponsored several CHIPs booths in the City of East Orange where our brethren dedicated long hard hours in the sun, to servicing the community. Our clothing and toy drives were a success, as were our holiday baskets for the Military. Our efforts to extend financial, moral and physical support to local institutions of learning and arts, did not escape entirely unnoticed, as we received press coverage from Rutgers Magazine, the Star Ledger, the Magpie Mason and various local newspapers, including the Montclair Times. Our Fourth of July Parade March and BBQ was a huge success, as was our invitational brunch and lecture with Dr. R. A. Gilbert of Oxford University. Additionally, the hosting of Swedish Rite dignitary, Oliver Kruse of Germany, brought visitors from the Grand Lodge of Scotland, the Grand Lodge of Ireland, the Grand Lodge of Espana and more. Our program on the operative Masons and Rossyln Chapel (key note: Dr. Tim Wallace-Murphy) , brought local academics, artisans, writers and several new petitioners through our doors. All were curious about the Mysteries of Freemasonry. Alpha Lodge No. 116 is one of those true custodians of the Mysteries of our Craft. It has been an honor to lead the esteemed and distinguished members of this lodge throughout the year of 2009.

Finale

The Most Worshipful Grand Master of Masons Prince Hall Affiliated, State of New Jersey, Thomas Hughes, made a historic visit to Alpha Lodge No. 116 Free & Accepted Masons on November 11th, just 2 weeks after Alpha had held a symposium on the RER with visitors from abroad.

The Worshipful Brother David Sheihan L., delivered an introductory lecture on the underlying substance of symbolic craft Masonry and the demonstrated ability of Prince Hall Masons to preserve what is handed down to them, orally over the centuries. This was followed by a stirring talk from the Grand Master on the relevance of Freemasonry to African American men in this day and age.

The night was concluded with a formal Masonic Agape downstairs, which lasted well into the morning.

10/14 Oxford's own Very Worshipful Piers A. Vaughan comes to Alpha

On October 14th, D.W. M. Piers Vaughan*, CBCS, will give a presentation at Alpha Lodge No. 116 (located at 56 Melmore Gardens in East Orange, NJ) on the spiritual and secretive tradition of the Rectified Scottish Rite of Freemasonry as founded by J.B. Willermoz in France and regularly practiced around the World in the USA, England, Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal, Togo, Romania, Italy, Brazil and Switzerland. V.W. Br. Vaughan has served as a grand officer and as the official translator of archives and rituals for several Grand Priories & their Prefectures while currently serving in two separate Directories as Deputy Master and Senior Warden in tw0 Lodges of St Andrew.

*Deputy Zone Commander, Sir Kt. Piers A. Vaughan, KYCH, Past Commander of Morton Commandery No.4* in New York City is in charge of the Grand Commandery KT of NY's Zone 2 - Commanderies: 1, 4, 14, 23, 79


*home to Sir Kt. Folger of the Folger MS

R.'.W.'. Br. George Flemming has passed on to the Lodge on High

The first black man to be appointed a District Deputy Grand Master of Masons in North America, George Flemming was a Past Master at Alpha Lodge No. 116 F&AM in East Orange. He was also a Captain at the East Orange Police Department. He had since retired in Florida, but his Masonic Memorial service will be this Friday (7PM EST) at:

Churchman's Funeral Home
345 13th Ave. (corner of 7th St.)
Newark, New Jersey

Rest In Peace Brother George.

Square & Compass Day: OPEN HOUSE Oct. 3rd, 2009

Join us at the Lodge located at 56 Melmore Garden in East Orange, NJ at Noon for Open House, to meet with the brethren, engage in dialogue, and enjoy some really good coffee!

7 new Apprentices

This month we initiated 7 new Apprentices into Freemasonry.

Child Identification Program CHIPs

Alpha Lodge members teamed up to man a Child ID booth in East Orange on Saturday, providing free packages of DNA swabs, dental impressions taken by a brother employed as a forensic dentist and fingerprints taken by brethren employed in Law Enforcement. None of this is retained by the Masons nor Law Enforcement, rather it is given as a free package to parents for their use in case of an emergency, tragedy or in an event that their child should go missing. This is a preventative measure which is offered free of cost as a service to the community by the Freemasons of Alpha Lodge No. 116.

A Night of Presentation, Peer Review & Discussion

Brother Nathaniel Gibson, who serves as Alpha Lodge's organist, delivered his paper last Wednesday night on Music in Freemasonry. What set out to be an academic exercise exploring the two way influence experienced by Freemasonry and Music, ended up being an introspective and thought provoking probe into the origins of Music in general. The original purpose and atmosphere of music involved a scene similar to the quarries of operative Masons. Brother Nathaniel speculated on the part we each play as individual instruments in the orchestra of the lodge. The conversation drifted into planetary influences of stations in the lodge, vibration (raps of gavels) and eventually we found the lodge engaged in a discussion of the Tree of Life as a diagram of both the human body and the human experience, as well as the layout of the lodge room. Brother Nathaniel (seen pictured here in the middle) works as a Military Police Officer for the Department of Defense.

Installation at St Johns Lodge No. 1 ANCIENT YORK MASONS

Words fail me in describing the magic of last night. From the Emulation style invocations to Installed Master to the chain of union to the Agape. Simply surreal.

Frederick Jones, Retired NYPD Detective

82 year old Brother Frederick Jones, Retired NYPD Detective of Flushing Queens, returned to his Mother Lodge of Alpha No. 116 tonight in order to receive his 50 year pin. 50 years ago he was raised a Master Mason by Worshipful Brother Lester Miller. While reflecting on the spiritual satisfaction he found in being raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason at Alpha some 50 years ago, he also shared with us his earlier memories of growing up in Manhattan during a time when the elementary and middle schools & high schools for that matter, in the Lower East Side, the impoverished Hells Kitchen and both East and West Harlem were without school books. He spoke on how much the world has changed since he was a first grader with no text books in an impoverished New York City school district, where racism ensured that public schools where blacks attended were denied an equal quality of education.

Worshipful Master & the Governor

Official Proclamation Recognizes Alpha Lodge No. 116

The Mayor's Office in the City of East Orange gave an official proclamation to Alpha Lodge on Saturday, May 2nd, 2009, recognizing our efforts to secure the safety and well being of children in the City of East Orange. Brethren were manning the Child Identification Booths and servicing parents with their CHIP (includes DNA, dental impressions taken by Masons who are board certified Dentists, fingerprints taken by Masons who are Law Enforcement Officers and digital photo) packages for free all day Saturday while sponsoring other games and giveaways for the children in the community.

http://twitter.com/alpha116

Keep up with us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/alpha116
This Wednesday we will be hosting the Orator of the Swedish Rite, and all present will receive light on the same.

W.'. Br. Abram Cooke's KT sword

Here the Worshipful Master presents the Knights Templar sword of Alpha's first black Worshipful Master, Abram Cooke. The sword was discovered in Delaware by Brother Daniel M. Brandt.

March 18, 1905

Alpha Lodge No. 116 Marches in St Patrick's Day Parade

Here we are in West Orange, New Jersey with Governor Corzine (Governor for the State of New Jersey) and a few thousand Irish folk. We progressed through the village up Main St. with blocks and endless blocks of taverns, porches and corners full of groups of hundreds of people spilling into the street. There was the smell of wonderful Irish food wafting through the air, there were prizes for the beautiful children playing about, and it was a generally uplifting St Patricks Day celebration.

Giving away bikes and books to children at Adelaide L Sanford Charter School 53 in Newark, New Jersey

Brother Johney Leake, the Tyler of Alpha Lodge No. 116 F&AM in East Orange, made us aware of a new Charter School nestled in the heart of Newark's Lincoln Park. Upon arriving today, I detected a certain intimacy about the school. Charter schools are always special in their own right, but this new school is named "Adelaide L. Sanford Charter School, after an extremely important African American woman and educator. The classic old decor is decorated with African sculpture and artwork. The classrooms are equipped with brand new wireless routers and computer equipment. The children are the full range of Elementary School, and the school is expanding to take on Junior High Middle Schoolers as well. There is a waiting list for this school with well over a hundred people. This the result of word of mouth only at this point, but word of mouth has done great things. This new school's Principal, Delacy Davis (of Black Cops Against Police Brutality fame) has just received word that the children of Adelaide L. Sanford have been invited down to the White House! Delacy is a charismatic leader with a vision, and he radiates energy and light. As principle, he has the children running a tight ship, with uniforms, manners, cultural appreciation and a disciplined yet loving environment that fosters a love of learning and a love of their fellow students whom they address as "geniuses".

The officers of Alpha Lodge No. 116 were there to give away bicycles to children who had excelled in a recent reading contest which had been implemented with no promise of prizes other than the self gratification of accomplishment. Certificates were signed, sealed in wax and delivered to the runner ups (along with a gift from the school that included $25 gift cards for Barnes & Noble) and to the two teachers responsible for educating the group of four students selected by the school to receive the rewards. The first three prizes were brand new bicycles and helmets. The children lined the staircases, the walls and all parts of the school. They make good use of space, brags Davis. They appear to make good use of funds as well. The modern classrooms are clean, attractive and each fitted with private bathrooms for the students. All movement in the school is orderly and with purpose.

The ceremony was effectively drummed in by the drum team of various grades, as another team of students performed a mantra of positive affirmation and reinforcement of empowering goals and approaches to life, learning and knowledge. It was a moving experience, and I will be back soon to visit...with books in hand.

Later that same day, David Lindez (currently serving as Master of the Lodge) organized & managed the clothing drive for the homeless, care packages for soldiers in Afghanistan and the reading mentor program for local students to receive tutoring and free books at the lodge.

Haitian Freemasonry

Last night we had guests from the Grand Orient of Haiti and a multimedia program on Haitian Freemasonry that included a talk and paper given by the Master of the lodge, a powerpoint and a video. There was a greatly stimulating discussion on the historical and spiritual content of the presentations over an Agape of homemade Haitian Cuisine that included fish pate, goat and peppers, baked chicken, gravy and onions, rice and peas, and more. Br. David Lohier and Bro. Francois Voltaire demonstrated various movements, steps and variations in practice regarding ritual and regalia as confined to Haiti, and the French influences as well as the indigenous factors were all covered in great detail.

Alpha Lodge Brethren, Commanders and Department Commanders

W.'. Bro. Balvin Dunn is seen above with Br. Oliver Kruse (Orator for the Swedish Rite in Germany) while we find Br. Robert Morton, the Junior Warden of Alpha Lodge, High Priest of Alpha Chapter Royal Arch Masons & current Eminent Commander of Trinity Commandery No. 17 of Knights Templar is seen here relaxing in DC with Masonic legend, the Most Rev. Herbert A. Fisher...

New Fellows in the Craft, and a look at our Charter

Two brothers were passed through the pillars as fellows in the craft at Alpha recently...


(our historical charter is seen pictured here)

Operative Companion in the Craft meets Freemason

An Honorary Alpha Lodge member, Worshipful Brother Trevor Stewart (GLoS & UGLE) , came to admire the striking architecture & sacred space of the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, & what he ended up encountering was an actual stone mason (complete with a temporary lodge area) who was equally enthusiastic in exchanging certain curiosities with a Freemason who just so happens to have dedicated much of his life documenting early operative lodges that turned to speculative lodges and speculative lodges that turned to operative lodges for that matter. Thankfully, Br. Aaron Shoemaker (who has been known to visit Alpha Lodge) was on hand to capture the moment on film.

FC this Wed

January 28th at 7:30 PM @ Alpha Lodge No. 116 in East Orange, NJ...we will pass our EA brethren to the degree of Fellowcraft, making them Fellows In The Craft.

Lord Cannock & W.'. Peter Hamilton Currie

The Worshipful Master of Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076 (EC) in London, ENGLAND is seen here proudly sporting his Alpha Lodge No. 116 F&AM sweatshirt (if you click on the photo, you can see "East Orange" underneath our winged hourglass) while enjoying some good wine with Br. Granville Angell, PProvSGW, Past Prestonian Lecturer.

E,', Commander Sir Knight Robert Morton

On Monday January 19th, Alpha's Junior Warden (CEO of Mortonbooks Publishers in Irvington, New Jersey)will be installed as the Commander of Trinity Commandery No. 17, Knights Templar on Central Ave in Westfield, New Jersey. A former US Marine and learned man, Brother Morton is rising to senior leadership in the craft and well beyond. The Knights Templar is a CHRISTIAN MASONIC ORDER & requires of its candidates a profession of faith in Jesus Christ in addition to being an exalted Royal Arch Mason and Cryptic Royal & Select Master.

schedule this year

Alpha Lodge No. 116 Schedule 2009
Worshipful Master, David Lindez

Wed. Jan. 14th Talk given by our Junior Warden, Br. Robert Morton entitled "From Whence We Come"

Wed. Jan. 28th: Fellowcraft degree (officers tux)

Wed. Feb. 11th: Special ‘Step Up Night’ EA degree by Br. Senior Warden (officers tux)

Wed. Feb. 25th: Special Multimedia Presentation on Haitian Freemasonry (catered Haitian Agape) $20 at the door. 7:30 PM

Wed. March 11th : Official Visit of the DDGM (officers tux)

Sat. March 21st: World Famous Masonic Author and Lecturer, Dr. Tim Wallace-Murphy to speak on "The Enigma of Rosslyn Chapel" (Emmergent)

Wed. March 25th: WM lectures on the raising ritual (MM only)

Wed. April 8th: Visit by Oliver Kruse, Orator of the Swedish+Rite in Germany, to give a paper "An Introduction to the Swedish Rite"

Sat. April 11th : Joint Master Mason with our daughter lodge, Allied No. 1170 at 71 W. 23rd St. in their lodge room on the 10th fl.

{Grand Lodge at Bally’s in Atlantic City on April 15th to 16th}

Wed. April 22nd: Presentation by the Master on the Johannite elements in Freemasonry

Wed. May 13th: Gold Token night at Alpha Lodge

Wed. May 27th: Academic Presentation of Masonic Research Papers by brothers of Alpha Lodge ("Archetypical Influences and the Molecular Impact of Sacred/Secret Words In Masonry" by Dr. Mardoche Sidor; "The Pillars of Masonry" by Michael Terry; "Reactions to Music in Freemasonry" by Nathaniel Gibson)

Wed. June 10th: Degree Night (officers tux)

Wed. June 24th: Summer Solstice Agape Observation of St Johns Day (talk given by the Worshipful Master: 'Planetary, lunar and solar influences in Masonic Movement, Stations and Places') EA’s & FC’s are invited

Wed. Sept. 9th: R.W. Br. Rashied Sharrieff-Al-Bey of Cornerstone Lodge No. 37 of the MWPHGLNY will be speaking on the Hidden Work of our Gentle Craft

Tues. Sept. 22nd: Grand Lodge of Instruction

Wed Sept.: Master Mason degree (officers tux)

Wed. Oct. 14th: Presentation on "Willermozism" by Rev. Kt. Piers A. Vaughan, world renowned expert on the RER

Wed. Oct. 28th: Dr. R.A. Gilbert speaking on the Br. A.E. Waite's mystical approach to Freemasonry

Wed. Nov. 11: Historic visit by Most Worshipful Thomas R. Hughes, Grand Master of the MW Prince Hall Grand Lodge of New Jersey (giving a talk on Freemasonry's historic position within the Black Community)

Wed. Nov. 25th: Election of Officers

Head Table and more...

MW John S. Ryan, Past Grand Master of Masons for the State of New Jersey, Right Worshipful Charles Secallus, PDRI with RW Rev. Dr. Gene Hill, Trevor Stewart from Scotland and the Honorable Robert Bowser, Mayor of East Orange, NJ

Alpha Lodge's New Officer Line

Alpha Lodge had a very successful installation on Wednesday of last week, and the photos are available here. I would like to thank the Honorable Mayor Bowser for joining us in East Orange at Alpha Lodge for both dinner and the public installation ceremony. I would also like to thank the custodians of the George Washington Inaugural Bible for their invaluable aid in making the night all the more special with the presence of that priceless National treasure, extracted from Federal Hall at rush hour in NYC for the occasion. I would also like to thank Right Worshipful Chuck Secallus for being my installing Marshall, and the Rev. Dr. Gene Hill for administering the entire installation ritual in such an impressive and excellent fashion. Most Rev. Piers A. Vaughan is another brother to whom I am forever grateful both for his spiritual work and his grand assistance as the Chaplain on the Installing Team. Additionally, our own Right Worshipful Brother Al Wright was instrumental in my installation by his reading of the Ancient Charges.

We received guests from Scotland, England, Bermuda, New York, North Carolina, France and Haiti, and I received many personal notes of congratulations via correspondence from brethren in Germany, Ireland, New Zealand and Puerto Rico. We have started off the year with the proper foot and in the right manner.

Yours In the Mystic LVX,

David Lindez
Worshipful Master
Alpha Lodge No. 116 F&AM




David Lindez............................Worshipful Master

Kevin Washington Senior Warden
Robert Morton Junior Warden
Ezra Eaddy, PM Treasurer
Matthew Aaron, PM Secretary
Daniel Walker Chaplain
Howard Crocker Sr. Deacon
Vincent Brannon Jr. Deacon
Lester Lockhart Sr. Master of Ceremonies
Edward Sunwolf Jr. Master of Ceremonies
Tyrone Gordon Sr. Steward
Alvin Branch Jr. Steward
Kyle Lampkin Marshal
Nathaniel Gibson Organist
David Lindez Historian
R. Eugene Hill, PGC Historian Emeritus
Johney Leake Tyler

James H. Daniels, DWA Proxy to Grand Lodge

Wednesday December 10th, 2008

Alpha Lodge will be installing her officers in a public ceremony at 7:30 PM in East Orange.

The Worshipful Master elect will be taking his oath upon the George Washington Inaugural Bible which will be extracted from Federal Hall for this purpose by its custodians in St. John's Lodge No. 1, A.Y.M of NYC & brought to East Orange for this Masonic purpose. Your are welcome to join with us to share in this historic moment at the historical Alpha Lodge in the Great 8th Masonic District. On April 30th, 1789 it was upon this Bible that George Washington took his oath of office and launched the Presidency of the United States.

Saturday December 13th @ Pantagis in Scotch Plains

Alpha Lodge will be celebrating its Past Masters Winter Formal this December 13th at Pantagis Rennaisance. This is an annual black tie affair, and
as usual, our brethren from Bermuda, Scotland, Africa, Puerto Rico and New York will be joining us.

1871

Worshipful Brother James Baxter

I found our four time Past Master and former Secretary of Alpha Lodge on the wall of the Broad Street Train Station in Newark, New Jersey today.

huhi, huwa & creative thought

Within the realm of esoteric, mystical and magical orders, great emphasis is placed upon ‘the word’ or logos. Freemasons generally keep certain words secret as they are considered sacred due to their supposed effects that could potentially result from their proper intonation. Words of a Divine nature could be described as keys which open doors which bring one closer to GOD. The hymn of the Sumerian deity Enlil's word is well over 5000 years old. This word is said to “cause the heavens on high to tremble.” This word of Enlil is said to be powerful enough to bring destruction to the Elohim.

The beneficent effects of the intonation of certain words associated with prayer and meditation has been well presented and academically argued by some as something that can be scientifically measured, and in fact the intonation accompanied by positive visualization and prayer has been found to have positive effects upon the sick and wounded. In a world where everything is vibrating at some rate of speed, such a concept based upon the acknowledgment of energy and its channeling would appear to make rational sense. It would seem that the Ancient peoples of this planet were conscious of the numerical influence in choosing words. The number 9 for example is a sacred triad of 3X3 and represents the limit of man’s knowledge beyond the infinity of the number 8. The number 9 has a Hebrew meaning of Thet or Teth as the blood or bloodline and alternately means “shield of protection.”

As an Entered Apprentice in the Masonic lodge, I was symbolically cleansed and took on the archetype of rebirth into a new life of purity, knowledge and an incorruptible spirit as I stepped forward and trampled upon my own inner serpent of the lower self..the ego. The rites of Discalceation and Circumambulation having been practiced..my fortitude was again tried as a Fellowcraft mason never dropping the rope of the Most High...forming the second TAU with my step and stance. As a Master Mason I earned my traveling pass for my journey into Ethiopia to begin my ascension of the elemental banners passing beyond the work of brass and iron into Thet.

And yet still...

"The new Master Mason is encouraged, however, to expect the advent of 'that Bright and Morning Star Who brings peace and consolation to the human race'. The mock secrets will give way to the true arcana and so the mystae will see their way. Here is a survival of the old Christian allusions which once had a place in these Mysteries before they fell under the editorship of Unitarians or Deists." (Waite)

Life in the Lodge

"It is not death, or the manner in which the death is brought about, that weights most; it is the living of a life. For a deeply sensitive man of our own class and standing, life is often made difficult by the commonness, the coarseness, the vulgarity of much that confronts us. A sensitive man suffers under unpleasant influences playing upon him. but a great love for humanity, the keeping aflame within ourselves of great compassion for the suffering of others, and a strong determination to help and be an example of strength and radiant joy, all that tends to lessen the difficulties caused by sensitivity and great refinement of body and temperament." ++Rt. Rev. Sir J.I. Wedgewood Dr. of Sciences de L'Universite de Paris (Knight of Saint John of Rhodes and Malta & Arch Bishop in the Old Catholic Church)