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.

One of the marvels of our Fraternity is how every step of a Freemason’s continuing journey through the Craft is built upon the oaths, obligations, and moral lessons that he has already been given. Each of the three degrees of Blue Lodge Freemasonry is established upon what has come before – even the Entered Apprentice degree is built upon a candidate’s belief in something greater than themselves. After being raised, a Master Mason has the choice to continue his Masonic journey by joining one of the many appendant bodies of Freemasonry.

This month, we’re finally back home at the Masonic Temple! I know all of you are as excited as I am to meet in Egyptian Hall as usual. Once again, I must extend the warmest thanks to Thomson Lodge No. 340 in Paoli for allowing us to meet in their building in December and March. I look forward to repaying the hospitality they extended us for the past several months. In fact, the two meetings we held there may have been the first meetings that Lodge No. 2 has held in a location other than the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia in well over a century!

First a lockdown, then a snowstorm – this Masonic year has definitely gotten off to a rough start! Well, hopefully third time’s the charm. Once again, our March meeting is scheduled to be held at Thomson Lodge No. 340 in Paoli, based upon the Temple’s closure and Philadelphia’s ban on indoor social gatherings. Fortunately, things are trending in the right direction, with the new daily case numbers steadily falling since the beginning of the year.

Welcome back! Unfortunately, we are again unable to meet at the Temple in Philadelphia. But a meeting away from home is better than no meeting at all. I once again thank Thomson Lodge No. 340 for their generosity in letting us use their building. This bond between our Lodges is certainly unexpected but most welcome, and I am sure we will be able to repay their generosity one day by hosting them in Egyptian Hall!

For the first time I can remember, the words “Happy New Year” actually mean something. I don’t think anyone was sad to see 2020 come to an end. Our lives, and the lives of virtually everyone around the world, have dramatically changed in ways we never could have imagined, and just because the calendar has turned doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods yet.