This month, we celebrate the 264th anniversary of the founding of our Lodge. We are the oldest lodge in Pennsylvania and one of the oldest active Lodges in the world. For over two and a half centuries, this Lodge has served the greater Philadelphia community, providing friendship and brotherly love to fellow Freemasons and Masonic charity to our neighbors. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as Worshipful Master of such a historic institution.

Although COVID is (hopefully) largely behind us, and things have mostly returned to normal, that does not mean that we aren’t going to hit a few bumps in the road. As you probably know, Philadelphia has been the first major city to reinstate its citywide mask mandate based upon rising case numbers. As a result, the Grand Lodge once again requires proof of vaccination to enter the Masonic Temple.

The Master Builder Award, in the words of Grand Lodge, is a mark of distinction to “recognize newly made Masons who have worked diligently to engage in the activities of their Lodge, their District and the Fraternity as a whole.” We already have one Master Builder in this Lodge – Bro. Pierre Simonvil, our Senior Warden. Bro. Seth Lavelle, who was raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason in January of this year, is also on the path to becoming a Master Builder.

As Pennsylvania Masons, we are privileged to have access to one of the leading institutions of Masonic education – the Academy of Masonic Knowledge of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. Each year in March and October, the Academy hosts symposiums where scholars of Freemasonry from around the world give presentations on the history, symbolism, and philosophy of the Craft.