Late Bro. Theron Dunn's family needs assistance

Shortly after The Burning Taper was locked down last month by Blogger for testing false positive for spammage, I received the following email from Bro. Manny Blanco. I told him I would post it as soon as The Taper was unlocked. I'm now posting it below in its entirety.

Dear Widow's Son,

I received the following from the Worshipful Master of our Lodge. Is there a possibility of having it posted on your web sites? Thanks in advance....

Sincerely,
Manny Blanco, PM


Worshipful Brothers: The late Brother Theron Dunn's family are having difficulty finding the Insurance our Brother thought to exist. A fund has been set up to assist the family in funeral and other expenses in the coming months. I am asking that each of our Lodges ascertain if there is a donation that can be made to the following fund:

This fund was set up by Theron's brother, James, for the purpose:

Theron Dunn Memorial Fund
Washington Mutual Bank
Acct#0401-0000041531-6
All checks should be payable to "Barbara Dunn"
22882 Giant Fir Place
Canyon Lake, CA 92587

Thanks so much for consideration.

Magic Happens... if you do something!!!
Sincerely & Fraternally,

John Cover Spear, PM
Master of Moreno Valley Lodge 804
Royal Patron of Mission Bell Court 156, Order of the Amaranth
Grand Lodge Long Range Planning Committee Member

Theron Dunn was a prolific and often contentious Masonic writer, blogger and forum participant who passed away in May after a brief illness. His premature departure has left a void among those who agreed with him and those who disagreed with his intractable positions and beliefs. He is and will continue to be missed.

Masons | Masonic Charity | Theron Dunn | Freemasonry | Grand Lodge of California | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

Empty bowls, baseball dugouts, and biscuits & gravy

In the comments section of previous articles here on The Taper, as well as on his own blog, Masonic Traveler has been talking about how lodges might want to think outside the box when it comes to recruitment and fundraising events.

A novel approach to raising money for a local food bank and homeless shelter has been going on for several years at a Masonic temple in Racine, Wisconsin. It's not a Masonic event, per se; the lodge just allows the Racine County Food Bank and the Homeless Assistance Leadership Organization Shelter to use their kitchen and dining hall. As part of the deal, Job's Daughters were allowed to sell desserts at the event for their own fundraising needs.

The ninth annual Empty Bowl fundraiser was held yesterday, and by the close of the lunch-and-dinner event, over 700 diners had spent or donated over $11,000 to the charities.

Over 50 restaurants provide soups, and over 1,500 individually designed soup bowls, created by local public and private school children, were available. A diner pays his money, picks a bowl (which he can keep and take home as a souvenir), and chooses his soups. Interesting twist on using food as a fundraiser. Over 130 volunteers helped out with ticket taking and clean-up duties during the day.

Jackson Lodge in Seymour, Indiana, is hosting an Easter egg hunt later this month. They're also sponsoring three youth league baseball and softball teams this summer, and have donated cash to the league to construct a new dugout. Nice job, guys.

A Masonic lodge in Americus, Kansas, is still behind the times in its approach, in my opinion. When every fast food place on the planet is open at 6 a.m. serving unhealthy breakfasts, these brothers can't come up with anything any more creative than serving "biscuits and gravy" this Saturday morning. I don't think that's going to attract too many men seeking Masonic Light, and I'm not sure it's a "service" for the community, jacking up the neighborhood's collective cholesterol levels. The funds will be used for "various [unnamed] lodge projects." Yeah, that'll get 'em in the door.

All in all, it's good to see Masons getting involved in their communities.

If you would like to see your lodge's events mentioned here, just let me know.

Image: Giuliana Domanico, 1½, eats a bowl of soup Monday during the Empty Bowls fundraiser at the Masonic Center, 1012 Main St, Racine, Wisconsin. Photo by Gregory Shaver, Journal Times

Masons | Masonic Charity | Small Town Freemasonry | Freemasonry | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

British Masons donate heart monitor to health center, give cash to church building fund

It seems our British brethren are a charitable lot, and that's a good thing.

Six lodges in Corby, Northamptonshire, England, put their funds together to buy a $5,000 electro-cardiograph heart monitor for the Corby Diagnostic Centre after they learned that the town of Corby has a 48% higher rate of heart disease than the British national average.

Corby Diagnostic Centre outpatients' manager Julie Hodgkins said, "We want to thank the masons very much indeed for thinking of us. We see a lot of people with heart-related problems in Corby and the ECG machine is a very valuable tool for us.

"An ECG machine records the electrical activity of the heart and is used to monitor and diagnose heart disorders. We can also use the equipment for pre-assessment before operations to ensure that people are fit for surgery.

"The new machine will be a major benefit for the department and will replace our old one which was reaching the end of its useful life."

Meanwhile the United Grand Lodge of England gave a bundle of cash away, too, but personally, I can't see how their gesture helps mankind in general. I'd certainly not want my dues or donations being given away to a church building fund.

The Anglican Church site even states their "concerns" about the activities of Freemasons, which I assume means they don't hold the fraternity in very high esteem. But the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity was only too glad to accept a check for over $10,000 from the English Freemasons of Gibraltar for its "Rock of Ages Campaign." Alfred Ryan, Deputy District Grand Master in Charge of Gibraltar's English Masons, presented a check to Dean Alan Woods, on behalf of the Freemasons' Grand Charity of the United Grand Lodge of England.

I don't know the details, but giving that much money to a church's building fund, to "a worthy and most needed cause [to] help in the repairs and restoration of the Cathedral Holy Trinity" seems to me to be some sort of "hey, we're not such bad guys after all" public relations move.

Unless, of course, English Freemasons built the Gibraltar cathedral back in 1832, and feel some resposibility to help in the renovation.

Image: The Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Gilbraltar

Masons | Masonic Charity | Cathedral of the Holy Trinity | Freemasonry | United Grand Lodge of England | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

'We never had any mystic secrets'

Taking advantage of the renewed interest in Freemasonry that Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code and upcoming The Solomon Key has inspired, members of Masonic lodges around the world are giving interviews to wide-eyed reporters.

I've read dozens of them.

Without fail the interviews stress the many Masonic good works and charitable acts. Works of kindness and charity are all well and good, but is that all there is to Freemasonry?

Most interviewees say the same thing: "We're not a secret society; we're a society with secrets."

Yesterday I read yet another one of these articles, this one from Ontario, Canada, titled "Masons shed mysterious side." It quoted not just a lodge member or Worshipful Master of a lodge — it featured the "authority" of Ontario's Grand Master M. W. Bro. Gary Atkinson.

The title of the article is rather misleading. Apparently there is no mysterious side of Freemasonry to be shed.

Bro. Atkinson laughed in response to a question, and said, "We have never had any mystic secrets."

Is he misinformed, or am I? If he's right, what's with all the "hidden arts, parts and points of the hidden mysteries of Freemasonry" I swore not to reveal? Is there no mystical secret we're supposed to seek through Freemasonry?

The article calls Freemasonry "a men's social club....," adding that "the Masons also bill themselves as a group through which men can grow as people."

Is that all we are? A Lion's Club with aprons instead of yellow vests?

This dumbing down of Freemasonry to increase membership and "improve the public's perception" of Freemasonry is going to backfire, just as surely as did the Scottish Rite's attempt to attract members by sponsoring a NASCAR team earlier this year.

Men aren't going to swarm towards Masonry so they can be charitable. They aren't going to give up their leisure time to attend lodge meetings and learn the rituals just so they can drop a few dollars in the penny box to feel good about themselves.

The men attracted today to Freemasonry are being driven by a sense of adventure, a desire for something deep and meaningful in their lives, not to sponsor Little League teams or be a part of a "men's social club."

What will they find when they join? How long will they stay around for W. Bro. Atkinson's "receptions and workshops for members, informing them about programs the Masons are involved with"? Today's seeker isn't seeking gold chains and meaningless titles and award plaques.

Image: "The Charity," an oil painting on canvas by Bartolomeo Schedoni, 1611, from the Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte, Naples, Italy

Masons | Masonic Secrets | Gary Atkinson | Freemasonry | Grand Lodge of Ontario | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

Iowa Masonic lodge donates $25K for scholarships

The New Hampton (Iowa) Masonic lodge has donated $25,000.00 to the New Hampton Community School Educational Foundation. The funds are designated for future scholarships to deserving graduates on an annual basis, the Cresco Times reports.

In the past, the lodge has donated smaller amounts on a yearly basis. They hope that by endowing the foundation with a larger sum, interest accrued can also be used for future scholarships.

Image: Steve Riley, Lavern Nelson and Al Riley Jr. handing check to New Hampton Community School Superintendent Karlos McClure

Masons | Masonic Charity | Small Town Freemasonry | Freemasonry | Grand Lodge of Iowa | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com