A Special Third Degree
On Saturday February 17th, the Royal Arch Degree Team, also known as the Red Jackets, will confer the Master Mason Degree for Hudson River Lodge at Jerusalem Temple Lodge in Mountainville. Breakfast will be served at 8:00 a.m. followed by the Degree, with a luncheon to follow. Among those preparing to be Raised at this degree are the sons of several Brothers of our District. We'd love to see a big turnout, and an RSVP to R:.W:. Bob Reynolds would be appreciated so that we can arrange for food. Please try to make it out for this special day.

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Port Jervis Lodge Roast Beef Dinner
Port Jervis Lodge will be having a Roast Beef Dinner on Saturday, February 17th, 2007 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The price is $10.00 per person. We hope to see you there!

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George Washington's Birthday Celebration
A Washington’s Birthday Celebration will be held at the De Wint House in Tappan on Sunday, February 18th, at 2:00 p.m. There will be a brunch at the ’76 House, open to all, at 11:30 a.m. with a cost about $25.00. The program back at the DeWint House, including a guest speaker, is free. We hope to see you there!

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Drama Exemplification in NYC
Our Grand Lecturer, R:. W:. James E. Sullivan, asked me to remind everyone that the Drama Section of the 3rd Degree will be presented on February 24th in the Grand Lodge auditorium. We will begin at approx. 8:30 a.m. with the Drama to start at 9:00 a.m. We encourage the Brothers to make every effort to attend and we would like to see a good delegation from our Distract in attendance. Please contact the DDGM or one of the Assistant Grand Lecturers for more information.

Masters and Wardens Meeting
The Masters and Wardens will meet at Hoffman Lodge on Monday March 12th at 7:00 p.m. Please note this is a special meeting location. The meeting will be held prior to the School of Instruction which will convene at 8:00 p.m. and will be a rehearsal for our Grand Lecturer's Convention, which will be held on Tuesday April 10th. We hope to see everyone there!

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Don't forget our own Grand Lecturer's Convention which will be held on Tuesday April 10th at Hoffman Lodge in Middletown. We expect all of our Lodges to attend with their complete line of officers and as many Brothers as you can bring! Please... make plans, not excuses!

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Blood Drive Cancelled
The Blood Drive at Port Jervis Lodge scheduled for February 24, 2007 has been cancelled. We will let you know when it may be rescheduled.

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Library Dinner Dance
The Chancellor Robert R Livingston Library of Grand Lodge will hold its annual Dinner Dance, honoring Past Grand Master Bruce Widger, will be held on Sunday, March 25th at Leonard's of Great Neck beginning at noon. There will be an open bar, cocktail hour, dinner and dancing with the proceeds benefiting the Library. Tickets are $80 per person. More information is available in the NY NETNEWS.

ORDMA Dinner Dance
Mark your calendars! The annual ORDMA Dinner Dance will be held on Saturday March 17th at Anthony's Pier Nine in New Windsor. The evening, which will feature a full cocktail hour, dinner, live music, and dancing is only $55 per person. We are supplementing the price with journal ads to make it easier for people to attend, and hope you will encourage your Lodge and local businesses to support ORDMA's charitable projects by purchasing an ad. For more information on tickets or ads, please contact Wor. Bob Morlang or Bro. John Gebbia.

Download the ORDMA Dinner Dance Ad Form

ORDMA Calendars Now Available!
When we said 'mark your calendars' just now, did you have to stop to remember where yours is? Well, look no further, the 2006-2007 ORDMA Calendars are here! These handy pocket calendars contain all of our District's Lodge and Concordant Bodies meetings, important events, Lodge and District officers, and directions to our Lodges. The calendars cost $5 each and the proceeds go to support our District's community service and charitable efforts, including our new District child ID system. To obtain a calendar, contact any of ORDMA's officers. They make great stocking stuffers for your Brothers!

Cornerstone Lodge Fellowcraft Degree	Wednesday February 14th, 2007	contact
Hudson River Red Jacket Master Mason Degree	Saturday February 17th, 2007	contact
Port Jervis Lodge Roast Beef Dinner	Saturday February 17th, 2007*	contact
George Washington's Birthday Celebration at Tappan	Sunday February 18th, 2007	contact
Athelstane Lodge Chinese New Year	Tuesday February 20th, 2007	contact
Stony Point-Wawayanda Lodge Entered Apprentice Degree	Wednesday February 28th, 2007	contact
Cornerstone Lodge Fellowcraft Degree (#2!)	Wednesday February 28th, 2007	contact
Hoffman Lodge Entered Apprentice Degree	Tuesday March 6th, 2007	contact
Wallkill Lodge Fellowcraft Degree	Wednesday March 7th, 2007	contact
Port Jervis Lodge Entered Apprentice Degree	Friday March 9th, 2007*	contact
Jerusalem Temple Lodge Entered Apprentice Degree	Saturday March 10th, 2007	contact
Masters and Wardens Planning Meeting (Mountainville)	Monday March 12th at 7:00 pm	contact
District School of Instruction (Mountainville)	Monday March 12th at 8:00 pm	contact
ORDMA Dinner Dance	Saturday March 17th, 2007	contact
Livingston Library Dinner Dance	Sunday March 25th, 2007	contact
Wallkill Lodge Master Mason Degree	Wednesday April 4th, 2007	contact
Grand Lecturer's Convention	Tuesday April 10th, 2007	contact
Cornerstone Lodge Master Mason Degree	Wednesday April 11th, 2007	contact
Jerusalem Temple Lodge Fellowcraft Degree	Saturday April 14, 2007	contact
Hoffman Lodge 150th Rededication	Saturday April 21st, 2007	contact
Cornerstone Lodge Master Mason Degree (#2!)	Wednesday April 25th, 2007	contact
Jerusalem Temple Lodge Master Mason Degree	Saturday May 24th, 2007	contact
Cornerstone Lodge Rededication	Saturday October 14th, 2007	contact
* Denotes a dinner will precede or follow the meeting or event. Please check with the contact for details.

The Orange-Rockland School of Masonic Instruction will convene on the second Monday of each month, at locations around the District. Instruction will rotate on a monthly basis between Ritual, Grand Lodge educational programs, and seminars on topics like Leadership and Communication.

Our next School will be held on Monday February 12th at Jerusalem Temple Lodge at 8:00 p.m. The trestleboard for the School will be the Entered Apprentice Degree. Please bring your Entered Apprentices and Fellowcrafts for this informative evening .A brief Masters and Wardens meeting will precede the School at 7:00 p.m.

If you have any questions, please contact the DDGM. We'll see you there!

From El Cerrito of Albany Lodge, New York

Remember in your youth when there were so many choices waiting for you to make? First, you were going to be a fireman, then a train engineer, better yet, a millionaire. Oh yes, the fantasies of youth! No matter what choice you made, you soon found out is was not going to be easy. There were so many things you had to take into consideration. One of the first things to consider was, "Was the reward worth the effort?"

You learned that the more value involved, the more work it required. Soon you found out there was more satisfaction in doing things you enjoyed.

You also found that there were times when satisfaction alone could not provide the standard of living you felt you deserved.

It didn't take you long to find out how the game of life was played. There were rules. If you played by the rules, you usually made out all right. If you broke the rules, you usually suffered the consequences. Through education and experience you had become a man.

One day, you became aware of individuals called Freemasons. They are known as Builders. Not only of material things, but also of men. You were interested. You asked questions and were given answers. You asked to become a Mason. You wanted to be a builder!

You were taught that to be a Mason, you must have a plan in order to build a structure. Before beginning the construction of this edifice, you must define its use; the materials and tools with which it is to be constructed; how it is to be designed. And where is all this information available?

As a starting point, we find that the Holy Bible contains the information regarding the design we need to follow. The three Degrees of Freemasonry inform us of the tools and materials that we need, but, we must each draw up our own plan.

In drawing up the plans for this structure, one might consider that it be of such a divine nature that it would only be suitable for God to reside therein. Therefore, the materials needed could be morality, integrity, fidelity, charity, sincerity, humility, virtue, brotherly love, relief, and truth.

The tools most suitable for this type of work are, symbolically, the Twenty-Four Inch Gauge, the Common Gavel, Chisel, Square, Level, Plumb Rule, Compasses, and Trowel.

HAVE YOU COMPLETED YOUR PLAN YET?

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Bro. Lester "Skip" Geiger of Wallkill Lodge. Skip laid down his working tools on Tuesday, February 13th in a very peaceful fashion at home, which is how he always said he wanted it to be.We ask you to keep his son Scott, the Geiger family, and the Brothers of Wallkill Lodge in your prayers and thoughts this week.

Restoration Help Wanted
Cornerstone Lodge would like to announce to the District that the restoration of McGarrah's Stagecoach Tavern is underway. We are looking for volunteers to assist in the historic preservation of our building which houses the oldest surviving Masonic lodge room in New York State and the third oldest in the nation. Freemasons who donate two weekends of labor or a cash donation of the equivalent to the project will have their names permanently inscribed on a commemorative stone as contributors. The official dedication of our Museum and Historic site will be October 14, 2007 when the M:.W:. Neal I Bidnick, Grand Master of Masons, will perform the opening ceremonies. This will be a few days shy of the 190th Anniversary of the first Masonic meeting in the building. We expect many visitors from the local historic community to attend. Brothers, please mark this date on your calendars. There will be much food and celebration.