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Hightstown-Apollo Lodge #41 May 2017 Trestleboard

535 North Main Street, Hightstown, NJ 08520 (609)448-0042

Hightstown-Apollo #41 and Gothic-Fraternal #270 officers and members pose after a spectacular Master Mason degree. Front row (from left): WB Vecere, WM Somera, with newly raised MM Bros. Dennis Cuan, Rick Gardner, Bobby Geffrard, Edward Arcio, Efrain Berrios, WM Pownall, RW Hartel, WM Klapinski, and Vecere. Back row (from left): Bros. Wilson, RW Stepek, WB Bragat, DB Romm, Marasco, Stackhouse, Katawick, Barnes, WM Pylypiak, Schwartz, Achanzar, Peters, Kraus, Juchniewicz, Sharma, Kahn, and Peach.

In and about the apartments… April 7, Travels. While visiting the New York Grand Lodge, WB Bragat of HA41 was warmly welcomed by RW Michele Mestolo and other members, and received in the East by WM Marcilio de Souza at the Brazilian Lodge #1182 regular communication.

April 18-20, at GL. Officers, past masters and members of the lodge attended the Grand Lodge Communication. RW Robert Monacelli was voted into the elected line as the Junior Grand Warden.

April 28 EA. At the emergent communication, officers and past masters of Hightstown-Apollo #41 performed an excellent EA degree for 3 candidates.

May 1 MM. Just three days after the well-performed EA degree, Hightstown-Apollo #41 brethren were at labor again, in collaboration with Gothic Fraternal #270, to perform a spectacular Master Mason degree for 5 candidates.

WB Bragat (near center) pose with officers and members of Brazilian Lodge #1182 in New York City.

Hightstown-Apollo #41 Officers and members after the Entered Apprentice degree. Front row (from left): Bros. Gefrard, Beltran, Alonzo, Katawick, EA Alex Ovejas, EA Milton Panama, EA Adolphus Gorgbahn, Cuan, Kahn and Araneta. Second row (from left): Bros. Gardner, DB Romm, Dione, Herzog, Kraus, WB Groendyke, WB Fabisch, and Zeszotarski. Third row (from left): Bros. Bemah, Miczak, Hamilton and RW Stutz.

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G R E E T I N G S F R O M T H E E A S T

Brethren,

In our effort to establish a more effective information dissemination to the brothers using social media, we embarked on establishing a website (http://hightstown-apollo41.org, which is now up and running. We also reactivated our Facebook page Hightstown Apollo Lodge #41 F & AM. These are aimed at reaching majority of the brothers, their friends and families of any new events in the Lodge in due and timely notice.

On the website, the following are published;

1. Brief history of the Lodge,2. Lodge officers – showing the present officers and the past masters and their officers for prior Masonic Years;3. The Trestle Board – current and past editions;4. Application forms;5. Contact – which allows brothers and friends to send messages to the Lodge; and6. Event Calendar- shows upcoming events and activities of the lodge.

The Facebook page can also show all of the above mentioned informations, but the former can accommodate brothers who are not in Facebook yet. As the website is under construction, it will be engaging in an ambitious research, as digitizing the records of the Lodge is also in the making. This will pave the way of obtaining short biography of Past Masters and members which will soon be part of the website. Hopefully, this will add pleasure to our members as they will be enticed to visit the website as it unfolds more interesting facts.

Sincerely and Fraternally,

Ernie Somera, Worshipful Master

P.S.

Hereunder is a sample of the short biography that can be added to the history of the Lodge that our Bro. Chris Holmes, posted in FB.

“On this day (May 2) in 1856 Charles Keeler, PM, was raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason. One of the charter members of Hightstown Lodge #41, Worshipful Brother Keeler was our first Senior Steward and served in the East in 1861-62. Additionally, he was the longtime Postmaster of Hightstown. Here is a brief writeup on WB Keeler from an 1880s book on New Jersey business and industry.”

G R E E T I N G S F R O M T H E W E S T

Brethren,

Once again I have been blessed with the honor of representing our Fraternity at The Annual Grand Lodge of N.J. Communication. One can feel the camaraderie, brotherhood and fellowship permeating alongside the refreshing salt air in Atlantic City. Our District hospitality room was expertly staffed and well-stocked which led to the enjoyment of our Brothers as well as a multitude of visitors from the rest of the districts.

I sincerely thank you for your support and your confidence to cast Hightstown-Apollo’s vote for the contested Grand Lodge positions and look forward to continuing with the labors and goals we are challenged to achieve—“Making good men better!”

Sincerely and Fraternally,

Ron Herzog, Senior Warden

Reminder: ShopRite Gift cards of various amounts are available for face value! An excellent way to give back to the Lodge as we receive 5% return on all sales.

See me or call 609-577-6607 for arrangements.

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G R E E T I N G S F R O M T H E S O U T H

Hello Brothers, 

First I want to acknowledge all the new Brethren.  I also want to thank the continuing support for our Lodge by all the regularly attending “old” Members (by that I mean the not recent Members).

We were all investigated by a Committee, that would report on our suitability and understanding of our commitment, should we be so fortunate as to be voted into this great and wonderful Fraternity.  We were all asked the same questions, we all affirmed what we had to offer in our commitment to the needs of the Fraternity and the Lodge.  It should come as no surprise then, that once being voted into membership, that there would be expectations as to the time necessary to progress through the Degrees, as well as become more integrated into Lodge activities and Rituals.

New Brothers have a duty to attend Lodge, especially when Brothers are being advanced through lower degrees, and all Brothers (if not encumbered by a cable tow) should want to participate in Emergent Degree events.   The success of our Lodge depends on this simple act.   As Seasoned Brothers mentor the new Members, conversely, Newer Members provide an energy and collegial atmosphere of discussions and search for Masonic knowledge. 

It is the responsibility of all of us to play our part.  It is up to each one of us to look inward and hold ourselves accountable to see that we are fulfilling our obligations, to ourselves, our Brothers, and to the Fraternity.  My hope is that these ramblings may have been somewhat provocative, so that we may continue to grow as Hightstown-Apollo Lodge #41 Masons.

 

Fraternally,

Joe Kahn, JW

P A S T M A S T E R S C O R N E R

From WB Earl Groendyke:   

A few years ago, Chris and I drove our antique car to Moline, Illinois. As we rolled through the vast expanse, I noticed that the corn, and we saw plenty of it, was not as tall as the corn here in New Jersey. When we got to Moline, I asked the chairman of the meet how come the corn was so short. She said that they had a lot of rain and it flooded the fields so they had to do a second planting.

I remembered the EA lecture says that bodies of water deluge him with rain and drown him with inundations, but earth alone has never proved unfriendly to man. The flood destroyed the first planting but the soil, the second time around, was ever kind and indulgent and never refused its accustomed yield. How many time have you witnessed our lectures in action?

From WB Alex Bragat:   

Last month, I decided to travel and visit the Grand Lodge of New York, and attend communication with whichever lodge happened to be meeting that day. To make a long story short, I was eventually directed to the Brazilian Lodge #1182 in the splendid Gothic Room. The opening and closing rituals were done in English. But the rest of the communication was in Brazilian Portuguese.

When opportune, WM de Souza or RW Mestolo would translate to me in English, but 95% of the discussions and speeches were in Portuguese. Although I do not speak the language, my past experience in actual travel to non-English speaking countries (including Brazil), have taught me to somehow try to understand by visual cues, gestures, emotions and vocal intonations. From what I gathered, these brethren were very passionate about masonry and their lodge. And despite the language barrier, I still felt very warmly welcomed and accepted as one of their own.

I concluded from that experience that Masonry knows no bounds, and it transcends jurisdiction, age, race and language. This is the best Fraternity in the world!

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2 0 1 7 O F F I C E R S Worshipful Master Ernesto Somera

ernie@thesomera.comhalodge41@gmail.com

Senior Warden Ronald Herzogrftherzog@aol.com

Junior Warden Joseph Kahnjkk2156@gmail.com

Treasurer Steven Rommsrommcpa@gmail.com

Secretary John Hamiltonjth624@aol.com

Senior Deacon & Grand Lodge Proxy

Anthony Katawick, III

Junior Deacon Paul Zeszotarski

Senior Master of Ceremonies

Kristian Stout

Junior Master of Ceremonies

Jackson Dieu

Chaplain Michael Kraus

Marshal Alan Peters

Senior Steward Anthony Dionne

Junior Steward Carlos Remolado

Tyler Gerald Fabisch, PM

Ritual Instructors Past Masters

L I V I N G P A S T M A S T E R S

Robert Campbell PGC 1972William Rowles 1972Bob Sprout 1973Francis Fels, PGC 1974Charles O’Neill 1975Gary Grubb 1976Wayne Hetzell 1976/1985Charles Stults III, PGC 1979Peter McNulty 1980Francis Conway 1981Raj Sudarsanam 1988George Smith, PGC 1990Thomas Estelle 1991, 1993James Mount, PGC 1995, 2001Robert Hung, PGC 1996, 2002Gerald Fabisch 1997, 1998Mark Megee, PDDGM 1999Carlos Rodriguez 2000Russell Beaulieu 2003Michael Lakat, PGP 2004Ronald Mayer 2006, 2010John Chobrda 2007Barry Cutler 2008Keith Bergmann 2009, 2011Earl Groendyke 2012Denis deLeon 2013Robert Sullivan 2014Alexander Bragat 2015James Hauck 2016

G R A N D L O D G E O F F I C E R S , S TAT E O F N Jwww.newjerseygrandlodge.org

MW Dieter B. Hees, Grand MasterGrand Lodge of New Jersey100 Barrack StreetTrenton, NJ 08608-2008C: (732) 300-4860eMail: dbhees@gmail.com

Deputy Grand Master RW Roger Quintana

Senior Grand Warden RW Gregory Scott

Junior Grand Warden RW Robert V. Monacelli

Grand Treasurer MW Robert J. Sheridan, PGM

Grand Secretary MW John S. Ryan, PGM

15th District Deputy Grand Master

RW Brian K. Hartel, Sr.

15th District Ritual Instructor

RW Carl Jacobson

T R U S T E E S

James Mount, Gary Grub 2019Robert Hung, David Babcock 2018Denis deLeon, George Smith 2017

D I S T I N G U I S H E D B R O T H E R S

DB David BabcockDB Steven M. Romm

A WA I T I N G M MMathew Beltran, Ray Alonzo

A WA I T I N G F CMilton Panama, Alex Ovejas,Adolphus Gorgbahn

K N O C K I N G / AWA I T I N G B A L L O T I N G :

Louis Apuzzio,Francis Hackett,Joseph Geminaro,John Nogol

C A N D I D AT E S C O R N E R :

U P C O M I N G C A L E N D A R O F E V E N T S

Regular Communications are scheduled on Fridays, on or immediately after a full moon.

Sat, Jun 7 DLI at Hightstown-Apollo #41Special Steak Dinner

Fri, Jun 97:30 pm

Regular Communication 6:30 pm Dinner, 7:30 pm Open

Late June or Early July

TBD: Family Picnic/300th Anniversary Celebration Event

Sun, Jul 9 Wheelchair Push

Sat, Jul 22 TBD: One-Day Class

C U R R E N T C A L E N D A R O F E V E N T S

Members come to the lodge on Thursdays for rehearsal, to practice proficiency, and for informal fellowship.

Wed, May 37:15pm

DLI at Mercer 50 Lodge

Sat, May 67:30am

HA-41 Spring Yard Sale

Fri, May 127:30 pm

Regular Communication6:30 pm Dinner, 7:30 pm Open

Sat, May 138:00 am

Super GLI: Grand Lodge of Instruction at Trenton Masonic Temple, 100 Barrack Street8:00 am Registration8:30 am Gavel drops

Sat, May 134:00 pm

MM degree at Plaridel Lodge #302, 87 Hutton St., Jersey CityJoint MM degree

Sat, May 208:30 am

Mercer ARC WalkRider University, Route 206

Sat, May 208:00 am

Masonic Leadership SeminarPlease see attached Grand Lodge Announcements for details.

Mon, May 29 Memorial Day

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Grand Lodge and other Announcements:

My Dear Brothers,

In 2017, New Jersey Freemasonry will be celebrating the 300th anniversary of the Grand Lodge of England. One of the widely anticipated events will be a gala dinner to be held on September 17th at Liberty House in Jersey City which overlooks the Freedom Tower, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. In preparation of that commemorative event, we are soliciting advertisements for an ad book that will be published and widely distributed for the Gala Dinner.

Proceeds from the ad book will go towards supporting one of our principal charities which is the construction of the US Coast Guard Memorial to be erected at the Coast Guard Base in Cape May, New Jersey. Our role in supporting this much needed and long overdue memorial requires collective support.

The ads for the booklet will be full page only and the donation for the ad is $150. Checks for your tax deductible donation made payable to the Masonic Charity Foundation of New Jersey and MUST be mailed to Michael Neuberger, 28 Ormont Road, Chatham, NJ 07928. Please include a notation on your check that reads Coast Guard Memorial. All artwork (PDFs or jpg files) for your ad should be sent to GL2017Artwork@gmail.com

With fraternal thanks and regards,

M.W. Dieter B. Hees Grand Master

MW Dieter B. Hees Grand Master

300th Anniversary Gala Committee

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Grand Lodge and other Announcements: