Worshipful Master's Message - June 2021

Each month, the Worshipful Master provides an update on current events in relation to Freemasonry in general and Lodge No. 2 in particular. Please see below for for this month’s message from the Worshipful Master of Lodge No. 2.

Dear Brethren,

 All signs continue to point in the right direction.  COVID cases are trending downwards, lower than they’ve been since before Halloween of last year.  Millions upon millions of people have been fully vaccinated, and as a result, things are beginning to open up again.  By the time our stated meeting comes around, Pennsylvania will have removed virtually all COVID restrictions except for the wearing of masks, and Philadelphia will follow suit in early June.  For our Lodge and indeed our whole community, this means that we are that much closer to returning to normal.  Assuming things continue to trend in a positive direction, it is my intention that when we return to labor in the Fall we will resume holding extra meetings and conferring Masonic degrees upon worthy candidates!  We will likely hold an instruction event or two over the summer in order to make sure we come back strong.

 This month, we celebrate the two hundred sixty-third anniversary of our Lodge being issued its warrant from the “Ancient” Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania on June 7, 1758.  We are therefore the oldest Lodge in Pennsylvania and one of the oldest across the entire Fraternity.  The story of how our Lodge came to be, and the part Lodge No. 2 played in the evolution of Freemasonry in Pennsylvania, is a fascinating one.  At our stated meeting this month, I will be delivering a presentation on the origins of Lodge No. 2, and how those origins impacted what the Craft in Pennsylvania looks like today.  We also will be holding our anniversary dinner at Fogo de Chao once again – be sure to RSVP as soon as you can so you don’t miss it!

Sincerely and fraternally,

Paul R. Cleveland

Worshipful Master